Aachar (Punjabi Pickle)
Ingredients
Fennel seeds (Saunf) – 2 tsp heaped
Coriander seeds (thuniya) - 2 tsp heaped
Cumin seeds (zeera) - 1 tsp heaped
Nigella seeds (Kalonji) – 3 tsp heaped
Mustard seeds (Rai Dana) – 3 tsp heaped
Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana) – 3 tsp heaped
Crushed red chillies / red chilli powder – 3 tsp heaped
Turmeric (haldi) – 1 tsp
Salt – 5 to 10 tsp heaped (this is the preservative, so needs to be a scary amount!!)
Hard veg/unripened fruit; carrots, beetroot, green tomatoes, garlic, cauliflower, lemons, underripe green mango's (have to super sour and firm), cucamelons, fresh chillies - approx 1kg to 1.5kg total
Mustard oil / other oil to top the jar(amount depends on the size of the jar)
Method
Put my spices into a grinder and lightly grind to release the flavours but you can leave the whole and mix with powders and salt.
Wash, dry and then cut the vegetables into the desired shapes and sizes (at home, the carrots are always cut into finger sized battons)
Mix the veg with generous amounts of the spice blend - place in lidded wide mouth jar or plastic container (don't use metal)
Leave on the side/window ledge for a few weeks, shaking/stirring well (that time is reduced during the warmer weather), until the juices are released and the veggies start to ferment and are well marinaded.
When you feel the time is right, give the jar a good tap to get rid of any trapped air and then cap with oil until the contents are submerged.
This can be enjoyed after a few weeks or a few years! The longer it's left the more the flavours mature
*disclaimer...I don't tend to measure and some times I'll vary the recipe (event the spices) depending on what I have and what I'm feeling on the day. I keep mine on the side, out of the fridge if the veggies are fully submerged under the oil, but tbh if there's enough salt it should be fine even if there's a few bits poking out. Also, as the aachar is consumed, as an when I have a few random carrots knocking about, I will add them to the jar of aachar so then there's a continuing supply of aachar without needing to make a big batch and you get the different aged veggies in the same jar
Made by Shada
