Tomato Pickle

We Indians love our pickles!!! It is an ubiquitous part of all our meals!! Served and eaten in minuscule quantities, this condiment adds flavor to our meal like none other!!

Our pickles are nothing like the western pickles! Our pickles are fiery and usually bright red in color due to the presence of red chillies in them. Even our green colored pickles or pickles of any other color are still spicy. There are very few that are on the sweeter side and they too have chilli powder in them. While most of our pickles has vegetables that have been soaked in brine, it is not a requirement. We can make pickles without brine. Of course, the shelf life of pickles made without brine is much lower than those made with brine.

It is pickle season now in India. We pickle all kinds of vegetables, some fruits like mango and even fish!! It is truly delicious!!

Those who follow me know that I don't make anything that is tedious or time consuming!! Simply because I don't have that kind of time! Check my quick zucchini pickle!
My husband loves pickles and goes through a whole bottle in 3-4 days!! The reason being that I don't cook with too much spice any more and he finds the food too bland for his palate. He compensates by using pickles!

Today I am bringing you a very easy pickle that requires very few ingredients, is easy to make and does not require too much attention while making it. It has a wonderful shelf life! The recipe courtesy goes to an individual whom I look up to: Radha Natarajan. She blogs at Your Everyday Cook. You can check out her recipe here.  Her blog is full of simple recipes that bachelors and students living in hostel can make!!

I have made a few modifications, but mostly followed her recipe! Being that tomatoes are in season and are bountiful, I decided to bring this today to you.

Servings: makes one 8oz bottle.

Prep time: 10 minsCook time: 30-60  minsTotal time: 40-70 mins

Ingredients:

Sesame oil: 3-4 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Roasted fenugreek powder: 1 tbsp
Tomatoes: 6 medium sized, chopped
Kashmiri red chili powder: 3-4 tbsp
Asofoetida powder ( Hing): 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Tamarind pulp: 1/2 tsp
Jaggery or brown sugar: 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp ( adjust as needed)

Method:

Heat sesame oil on medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or wok. 

Add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the chopped tomatoes. 

Add the turmeric powder, Asofoetida powder, red chilli powder, fenugreek powder, salt and jaggery. 

Reduce the flame. 

Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring intermittently  or until they are almost homogenous and starts leaving oil at the top.

DO NOT ADD WATER. The tomatoes give out a lot of water and will start boiling vigorously. Just continue boiling under low flame until all the water content has evaporated and it stops boiling.

Turn off the flame.

Once the pickle has slightly cooled, transfer it to dry glass jar that is completely dry.

It stays fresh at room temperature for upto 7 days and fresh in the refrigerator for upto 30 days.

Enjoy!

I am so excited today to be co-hosting Fiesta Friday#172 with my dear friend and a very talented blogger  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook!  Angie is just amazing and a great hostess!! If you have never been to the Fiesta, you definitely should! It is so much fun! You can check the guidelines here. I know I don't visit you guys often, even though I want to.. There is only so much time in one day and only so much energy in one person. Work is very busy.. You see.. I am moving up people you see..I guess that is all good. So, I will party with you guys when I can. I am definitely here for this Fiesta! Do stop by to say hello. It will be nice to catch up.

Cooking made easy:

Using a thick bottomed dish is good because it keeps the pickle from burning. Same is true for cooking on low flame. So, for these kind of recipes, you need patience. I usually do it when I am cooking my regular food and I am present in the kitchen so that I can periodically stir it. Another way to do it is to use a timer and stir every 5 mins until it is done.

Tip for healthy living:

There is nothing like home-made pickle as you can control the amount of salt that goes into it. Too much sodium can increase your blood pressure.

Food for thought:

The opinion which other people have of you is their problem, not yours. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Quick Zucchini Pickle

Indian pickles are totally different from what the western world refers to as pickles! The only similarity is that both use brine to preserve some vegetable over a period of several months to several years. Most Indian pickles are red in color and are eaten as a condiment with a meal in minuscule quantity. One just cannot consume pickle in large quantities as they are really fiery hot! The red color of the pickle comes from the red chillies that is one of the primary ingredients in the pickle. Other ingredients include a variety of spices that are used like mustard powder, asofoetida, coriander powder etc. The pickles could be made using brine or oil as a preservative. There is no other preservative used in Indian pickles. They are usually preserved in huge earthen jars. Now-a-days, glass bottles are used. Needless to say, Indian meals are incomplete without a pickle.


 

The pickle I made today is the simplest and easiest one. By now, I am sure that everyone who reads my blog knows that I don't make anything that is time-consuming ,tedious or complicated!  This pickle can be ready in 15 mins. Most of the time, great care is observed while making pickles to ensure that everything is dry: the hands, the pots and spoons used, the ingredients used etc. Any use of regular water can make the pickle go bad and reduce the shelf life of the pickle.Only brine is the liquid used. I didn't use brine, but I haven't used water either! I have ensured that everything was absolutely dry but I know that my pickle will not have a long shelf life since I didn't use brine. I have therefore made a very small quantity as I didn't intend to preserve it for long. I wanted something for immediate use and that's what I made. It should last me for a week in the fridge.

This recipe is from my aunt, whom I fondly call Pushpa Mahve, who is a very talented and innovative cook as well. Like me, she loves to experiment in the kitchen. This zucchini pickle recipe has been kindly shared by her. This is a basic Mangalorean konkani pickle recipe where the main spices used are mustard powder and hing. This recipe has been modified a little and is absolutely delicious!

Servings: makes one 10 oz bottle

Ingredients:

Zucchini: 1 small
Kashmiri Red chilli powder : 1/4 cup
Hot red chilli powder: 2 tbsp 
Haldi ( turmeric powder): 1/2 tsp
Mustard powder: 1/4 cup
Hing: 2 tsp
Methi( fenugreek seeds) powder: 1/8 tsp
Salt: 1 tbsp( adjust as per taste)
Lemon juice: 1/4 cup

Method:

 

Chop the zucchini finely . 

Add this to a bowl with salt and lime juice.

In another bowl, mix together chilli powders, haldi, mustard powder,methi powder, hing and salt.

Now add this to the zucchini.


Mix well.

Store in a dry airtight glass jar. Lasts for upto one week in the refrigerator.

Can be consumed immediately, but tastes better the next day.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

To increase the shelf life of the pickle, one can use brine instead of plain salt.

Raw green mango can be used to make the same pickle. If that is used, skip the lemon juice as mango when raw is sour by nature.

Tip for healthy living:

Any kind of pickle is best stored in glass jars and not in any kind of plastic as the salt in it reacts with the material of the plastic. This could have deleterious effects on our health.

Food for thought:

Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized anti-depressant. Unknown