Mixed Vegetable Pickle.

Mixed Vegetable Pickle.............................

** Wash and wipe dry with a clean towel, about 2 large sized Raw Mangoes. The Raw Mangoes should be firm and white from inside, the ripening process of the Mango should not have been started. They should also be sour in taste. Slice the sides of the raw mangoes and cut them into medium sized cubes. See that you cut the raw mangoes as closely to the center seed as possible. Remove all the fleshy part of the raw mangoes and do away with the center seed. 

** Peel the skin of 2 large sized orange carrots, wipe it with a clean cloth and cut to small sized cubes. 

** Wipe clean and cut about 250 gms of cauliflower into very small sized florets. 

** Wash and wipe clean 100-150 gms of gherkins and cut them into small pieces.

Fill a large steel vessel with 3-4 cups of water and keep it to boil, when half hot add in 1-1/2 cups to 2 cups of salt (I always use crystal sea salt for making of pickle). Bring the water to a boil. When the salt has dissolved / mixed well remove from fire and cool. Sometimes there are dust particles in this salt, so once the salt water has cooled completely sieve it in cotton cloth. Always use clean muslin cotton cloth for sieving to remove the dirt particles as sieving it in steel sieve will not serve the purpose.

Add the chopped raw mangoes, carrots, cauliflower and gherkins to the cooled salt water. Cover tightly and keep aside overnight or for 8-12 hours. Sieve out the salt water from the mixed vegetables and keep aside. The salt water will be used for grinding the pickle and adding to the masala later if necessary. 

For the Pickle Paste : Grind about 25-30 red kashmiri chilly with the required amount of salt water till almost smooth (70%). Do not add more salt water. When almost done add in a small piece of hing which has been fried in a tblsp of oil till it melts or add 2 tsp of hing powder fried in a tblsp of oil, grind it for a minute and then add about 1-2 tsp of rai (sasam) seeds (Do not fry the rai). Grind all of the ingredients for another 3-4 minutes till the masala is well blended and fine. Do not grind for too long as the rai (sasam) seeds will then impart bitterness.

** Wipe clean 2 large sized lemon. Cut them also into small pieces and add it to the mixed vegetables removed from salt. 

In a clean vessel mix the vegetables (removed from salt water) and the ground masala with a clean stainless steel spoon. You should keep the consistency of the pickle thick, so add more salted water if absolutely necessary only. 

Mix the pickle well, pour it in sterilized glass bottle, put on the lid and leave it out for a day outside in a cool place. Then keep the bottle / container in fridge and remove as and when necessary to be served.

Always use a clean and dry spoon when removing the bottled pickle or else the pickle may get spoilt. 

Note:  This pickle should be always kept in refrigerator and consumed within a month or two.