Spicy Mixed Vegetable Pickle.

Freshly prepared Spicy Mixed Vegetable Pickle..

Wash & let dry the vegetables to be used for pickle completely. Rub them with dry towel if necessary. Cut vegetables into small pieces about 2 cups. The vegetables I have used here are Cauliflower: about 100gms cut into very small flowerettles, tendle (gherkins): 10-15 cut into small squares, alsando (Long Green Beans/Yardlong Beans): 3-4 cut into small rings, Carrot: 1 small, also cut into small squares, small piece of ginger (about 1’) cut into small pieces, 1 lemon cut into small pieces (with seeds removed), 1-2 fresh green chillies (less spicy one’s) cut into small rings. 

For Salt water: Boil 3-4 cups of water then add ¾ cup of salt (sea salt crystals) & bring to a boil once again. Let cool completely to room temperature. Strain through a muslin cloth to remove impurities if any as sea salt tends to have them. Put in the vegetables into the salt water, cover & keep overnight. Strain the vegetables from salt water & keep aside. Use the salt water to grind the masala for the pickle.

For Pickle Masala: Grind coarsely about 20-25 Kashmiri (Kumte) chillies with the strained salt water to a semi coarse paste, when almost done add ½ tsp of rai (sasam), a small piece of hing (marble sized) fried in little oil (if hing piece is not available you can add 1-1/2 tsp of hing powder) with a pinch of haldi powder & grind till done. The ground masala should not be very fine nor very coarse. Say 80% finely ground. 

Now in a well sterilized bottle add in the ground masala, the salted vegetables and add some freshly squeezed lemon (about 2-3). Add the salt water & bring to required consistency. The pickle is ready. However it tastes better in a day or two. 

Note: Do not fry the chillies for the pickle masala.

This pickle has TO BE REFRIGERATED & best consumed within a month.