Continuing my experiments and adventures with chillies, I decided to make a fresh batch of red chilli pickles to last for about a week. Since childhood, I have had a deep devotion to pickles. My grandmother had a room full of pickles in huge glass jars, ensuring we had an endless supply year-round. In fact, we had a large closet dedicated exclusively to pickles at my maternal home. Whether in season or out of season, we were never short of any particular vegetable as long as we had its pickle in stock.
Although I lack the dedication and time required for extensive pickling, I focus on chillies all year round. My recipe is easy and super delicious. The crunchiness of the chillies is perfectly complemented by an abundance of mustard oil and spices.
Ingredients:
Thick Red Chillies – 250gm chopped
Mustard oil – 3 tbsp
Salt – as per taste
Turmeric powder – 2 tsp
Fennel seed – 50 gm
Yellow mustard – 50 gm
Lemons – 4
Fenugreek seeds – 25 gm (3 small spoons, ground coarsely )
Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves – 8 to 10
Method:
1) Wash the red chilli and place them under sunlight for 2 hours so that they are dried properly.
2 ) Cut each chilli diagonally.
3) Add all the spices to the chopped red chillies and mix well
4) In a pan heat mustard oil. Temper the Fenugreek seeds, Asafoetida and let it cool. Top it up with whole garlic cloves and cut lemon. Pour the tempering over the chillies and mix well.
5) Keep this mixture in any glass container. The Red Chili Pickle is now ready to serve.
P.S: refrigerate after each use.
