Super Quick Nimbu Achaar
Ingredients:
•10 limes
•2tsp mustard
•¼tsp methi / fenugreek
•3tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
•¼tsp turmeric
•1tbsp salt
For tempering:
•¼ cup oil
•1tsp mustard
•¼tsp hing
Method:
1. In a large vessel take 4 cups of water and boil. Once the water comes to a boil, drop in 10 limes. Cover and rest for 5 minutes or until the limes soften.
2. Now take off the limes from the water and pat dry. Make sure not to have any moisture in lime as they shorten the shelf life of pickles.
3. Chop into quarter pieces and keep aside. In a pan dry roast 2tsp mustard and ¼tsp methi on low flame until it turns aromatic.
4. Blend to a fine powder and add to chopped limes. Also, add 3tbsp red chilli powder, ¼tsp turmeric and 1tbsp salt. Mix well making sure everything is well combined.
5.Further heat ¼ cup oil and add 1tsp mustard, ¼tsp hing.
6. Splutter the tempering and allow the oil to cool completely. Once the oil cools completely, pour over the pickle and mix well.
Green chilli pickle
Ingredients:
•Green chilli: 250g
•Mustard seeds: 2-2.5tbsp
•Nigella seeds: ½tsp
•Coriander: 1tbsp
•Fenugreek seeds: ½tbsp
•Cumin seeds: 1tsp
•Fennel seeds: 2tbsp
•Mustard oil: 100g
•Turmeric powder: 1tbsp
•Salt: 2tbsp
•Black salt: ½tsp
•Kashmiri red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
•Hing: ¼tsp
•White vinegar:1.5tbsp
Method:
1. Wash and wipe the green chillies and then chop them in small pieces. Take some coarsely ground yellow mustard seeds and Nigella seeds and roast them for a minute.
2. In the same pan, roast the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and then grind them coarsely. Don’t grind the yellow mustard seeds and Nigella seeds with the other spices.
3. Now mix the yellow mustard and Nigella seeds with the ground spices and put turmeric powder, salt, black salt and Kashmiri red chilli powder and mix well.
4. Heat some mustard oil and then let it cool. When it gets lukewarm, put some hing in it, followed by the ready masala in the chopped chillies and the mustard oil in it and mix it properly.
5. Finally, put some white vinegar in the pickle and the green chilli pickle is now ready.
Garlic pickle
Ingredients:
•¼ cup mustard oil
•1 cup peeled garlic cloves
• 1tbsp paanch phoron
•½tsp turmeric powder
•2 small pinches of hing
•2tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
•2tsp kala namak
Method:
1. In a smaller mixer or spice grinder take paanch phoron. Crush the seeds to a coarse or semi-fine mixture. Do not make a fine powder. Set aside.
2. Heat mustard oil in a frying pan or skillet on medium heat.When oil is medium-hot, reduce the heat to lowest setting. Add the peeled and dried garlic.
3. Stir, mix and fry them in the oil for 3 to 4 minutes or until pale golden. Do not brown garlic as the cloves become dense and chewy when pickled. They should only be partially cooked.
4. Place pan on countertop. The oil will stop sizzling gradually.
5. First add the ground paanch phoron. Then add the turmeric powder, hing, Kashmiri red chilli powder and kala namak. Mix and combine very well. And it’s ready!
Fresh Turmeric and Ginger Pickle
Ingredients:
•¼ cup peeled and sliced tender ginger
•¼ cup peeled and sliced fresh turmeric
•2tbsp lemon juice
•1tsp salt
Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a deep bowl and mix well.
2. Transfer it to an air-tight glass jar, close the lid and set it aside in a cool, dry place for 4 to 5 hours for the flavours to blend well.
3. Serve or store the fresh turmeric and ginger pickle refrigerated in the same glass jar. It stays fresh up to 6 to 8 months when refrigerated.
Pyaaz Ka aachar
Ingredients:
•4tbsp mustard oil
•1tbsp paanch phoron
•2 onions, cut
•1tsp salt
•1tbsp red chilli powder
•1tsp amchur
Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add paanch phoron and let it crackle.
3. Add the onions. Stir it for a minute.
4. Cover for 3 minutes. Open and add the masalas. Now mix it well and it’s ready.
Chef Sneha Singhi upadhaya shares five easy recipes.
Pictures: B. Halder