What is it about a vacation that it always brings a smile to your lips and sparkle in your eyes? It sure lifts your spirits, at least mine have at the prospect of my coming holiday. Though there are a lot of firsts to this one - going without the kiddos for the first time, cannot help feeling kind of strange about it and also slightly guilty that I would be busy enjoying myself, whereas they would be slogging it out. Also travelling to the South for the first time (barring a couple of months in Chennai long back).
There are so many memories attached with these domestic holidays - of those times when holidays meant summer vacations spent at nani’s place and also the inevitable train journey. An enjoyable part of it used to be the food that mom used to carry for the journey. Though it's been aeons since I travelled within the country by train (though would love to) but the one thing that I still do whenever we travel is to carry some eats with me - some familiar finger food to fall back on in case I miss home food. So I packed some ‘mathris’and though they are good to eat on their own but I couldn't resist packing some green chilli pickle too that I had made.
The pickle has turned out swell... coming from someone who had no clue of pickle making (I think it is true for most of us who have grandparents and parents sending them endless supply of pickles and ‘papads’ for a long time, even post marriage). I guess it was time for me to learn! How else how would my grandchildren remember me? Emboldened by my success (and of course joy) I have already committed to my daughter to make mixed veg pickle (a winter specialty) when she’s home in winters … just keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out fine, she is a tough cookie to please.
Coming back to green chilli pickle … it is quite simple to make and has all the normal ‘masalas’ which you would find in any Indian kitchen. I got the normal small and thin green chillies available in the market … there are two varieties in this, the very thin ones are pure bombs in terms of their spiciness or you can take the slightly bigger ones which are lighter in the spice quotient. Green chilli pickle can be made either by stuffing the masala in them or by cutting them into bite sized piece and then adding the masala to them. I have cut them into pieces as it is way easy and quick and even this way the chillies get coated very well with the pickling spice. It gets ready to eat in a weeks’ time and keeps well. In case one wants to keep it for a longer period then top it with mustard oil, which will prevent it from getting spoilt. So here is my green chilli pickle recipe and hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Green Chilli Pickle
250 gms green chillies
4 tablespoon mustard seeds (rai)
Wash the chillies properly and then pat them completely dry. Chop the chillies into bite sized pieces and add salt and turmeric powder to it. Mix well and keep aside.
Roast fenugreek, fennel, and cumin seeds on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Towards the end add asafoetida. Cool and grind coarsely in a spice grinder. Add the powdered spices to the green chillies and mix. Now add the garam masala, red chilli powder and the lemon juice/vinegar and stir well.
Heat the mustard oil to smoking point and then remove from burner and let it cool. Once completely cool add it to the green chilly spice mixture and mix well. The pickle should be well covered with the oil, to prevent it from getting spoiled.
Bottle this mixture in a sterilized jar. Place the jar in a sunny area for the pickle to mature. Keep stirring the pickle from time to time with a clean dry spoon to mix the spices properly. The pickle will be ready to eat in a weeks’ time.
There are so many memories attached with these domestic holidays - of those times when holidays meant summer vacations spent at nani’s place and also the inevitable train journey. An enjoyable part of it used to be the food that mom used to carry for the journey. Though it's been aeons since I travelled within the country by train (though would love to) but the one thing that I still do whenever we travel is to carry some eats with me - some familiar finger food to fall back on in case I miss home food. So I packed some ‘mathris’and though they are good to eat on their own but I couldn't resist packing some green chilli pickle too that I had made.
The pickle has turned out swell... coming from someone who had no clue of pickle making (I think it is true for most of us who have grandparents and parents sending them endless supply of pickles and ‘papads’ for a long time, even post marriage). I guess it was time for me to learn! How else how would my grandchildren remember me? Emboldened by my success (and of course joy) I have already committed to my daughter to make mixed veg pickle (a winter specialty) when she’s home in winters … just keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out fine, she is a tough cookie to please.
Coming back to green chilli pickle … it is quite simple to make and has all the normal ‘masalas’ which you would find in any Indian kitchen. I got the normal small and thin green chillies available in the market … there are two varieties in this, the very thin ones are pure bombs in terms of their spiciness or you can take the slightly bigger ones which are lighter in the spice quotient. Green chilli pickle can be made either by stuffing the masala in them or by cutting them into bite sized piece and then adding the masala to them. I have cut them into pieces as it is way easy and quick and even this way the chillies get coated very well with the pickling spice. It gets ready to eat in a weeks’ time and keeps well. In case one wants to keep it for a longer period then top it with mustard oil, which will prevent it from getting spoilt. So here is my green chilli pickle recipe and hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Green Chilli Pickle
250 gms green chillies
4 tablespoon mustard seeds (rai)
Wash the chillies properly and then pat them completely dry. Chop the chillies into bite sized pieces and add salt and turmeric powder to it. Mix well and keep aside.
Roast fenugreek, fennel, and cumin seeds on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Towards the end add asafoetida. Cool and grind coarsely in a spice grinder. Add the powdered spices to the green chillies and mix. Now add the garam masala, red chilli powder and the lemon juice/vinegar and stir well.
Heat the mustard oil to smoking point and then remove from burner and let it cool. Once completely cool add it to the green chilly spice mixture and mix well. The pickle should be well covered with the oil, to prevent it from getting spoiled.
Bottle this mixture in a sterilized jar. Place the jar in a sunny area for the pickle to mature. Keep stirring the pickle from time to time with a clean dry spoon to mix the spices properly. The pickle will be ready to eat in a weeks’ time.
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| Green chilli pickle |
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