"Spicy Rajavale Nonche / Indian Star Gooseberry Pickle" ... Rajavalo is a little bit difficult to get at my place and when I find them then there is no looking back, nostalgic memories of eating them dipped in salt+chilly powder when in school ... Prepared some fresh nonche/pickle just now, A little bit of this goes a long way both for lunch / breakfast ... Picklicious ….
** Rajavalo in Konkani is India Star Gooseberry that is similar to nature in Amla/Avalo/Nellikayi but this is slightly flower shaped on surface while the later is plane, you can check out the picture added below. Rajavalo is lesser tangy/tart by nature than amla having a slight sweetish tinge to it. I have many a nostalgic childhood memories of the fruit which used to be sold by vendor outside our college gate. They used to sit with basket full of the same along with some mixture of salt+chilly powder and we enjoyed relishing them walking back home. Those innocent days were really safe unlike today, we never hesitated to buy these or for that matter Ice Candy and Bora from them. Those old guys selling their ware's never cheated and really loved to see children's smiling faces. The same would not hold true today and I myself would have hesitated and would have advised against buying food from unknown sources. Gone are those carefree days and in have come days of fear. I really feel so sorry for the next generations as they will never come across all these little joys in their life. Now it is always children in Malls sitting in the play zone and playing on those remote toys of speed cars or some other stupid games that not only make them immobile but also are bad for the eyes. They just don’t get to go out and play out and sweat themselves.
** Well coming to Rajavalo we do get them in Mumbai, but rarely and you have to be there at the right time, at the right place to get them. I somehow have managed only a handful of times during decades of my married life, but when I do find them, I never hesitate to buy them and rejoice on my luck. You can prepare pickle or you can just munch on them too as I said with some mixed spices, they taste simply lovely. This time also when I came across the same, but sadly most of it was sold and only about 200 gms were remaining with the women sitting across in the market area selling it. Without hesitating I bought them and came home happily. It was very hot and I was tired, so I sat down in front of the dumb TV and munched on a few while I watched some supernatural serial. For the rest I prepared salt water / brine and added them into it to be prickled the next day. The pickle turned out really awesome and it was really a great feeling to relish it with curd rice after a very long time. Now my breakfast and lunch times will be easier as when I have such a lovely pickle I never give thoughts to preparing of chutney for Idly or dosa. I also love to have simple curd rice during summer and it comes out a welcome taste when you relish it with this pickle that tickles the taste buds. The recipe is the same as the one’s I posted before except that I have increased the no. of chillies to make it spicier.
** I have included many types of Nonche / Pickle before in the Blog. Today I am really very happy to add on “Rajavale Nonche / Indian Star Gooseberry Pickle” as I never dreamt I would do so. The rarity of the fruit makes it that much more appealing and in demand for each one of us I guess. It is fortunately available in Mumbai even if rarely and I hope I find them atleast once every year. I would really like to try out more recipes / dishes with this awesome sweetish sour fruit that is so pleasing to see as well as munch on too. Who knows I may turn out lucky and find them within a week when I go to the main market for purchases, we never know, Do We??? Please do refer to my other Pickle posts for more knowledge if needed on pickles. I am sharing a common link at the bottom of this recipe for the same, you can go through the same for other recipes and choose that you would like to try out. The pickle we GSB’s prepare is oil free ie most of the pickles are without the addition of oil. However, the pickle can be stored outside only for a few days and has longer shelf life if stored in fridge. If stored properly in the fridge it usually lasts for more than 6 months. Care should be taken to see that always a clean and dry spoon is used when removing the bottled pickle or else the pickle may get spoilt. It would be advisable to take some pickle into a small glass jar and use the same instead of keeping removing the pickle often from the main bottle.
** Here is my simple method of preparing "Spicy Rajavale Nonche / Indian Star Gooseberry Pickle" … A common Amchi recipe for pickles that I learnt from my Mother …
** Wash and wipe dry the Rajavalo / Indian Star Gooseberry well with a clean cloth. Remove the stem portion if any. The Rajavalo’s should be firm, green and sour in taste, they should not be damaged anywhere on surface or any dirt marks on the same. If any, discard them. See to it that they are cleaned and dried properly as there should be no trace of water on them. I have used about approximately 200 gms, say 2.5 cups of the same as we get it in Mumbai kept as batches and not weight wise.
** Fill a stainless steel vessel with about 1 liter of clean water and bring it to a full boil, lower the heat and add in a cup of salt and mix well till it dissolves. (I always use crystal sea salt for making of pickle, you may use any). Bring the water back to a boiling point and let boil for 5 mins. When the salt has dissolved / mixed well and remove from fire and keep it aside covered to let cool.
** The salt water should be cooled completely. Sometimes there are dust particles in this salt, so once the salt water has cooled completely sieve the same through a muslin/ cotton cloth into another clean stainless steel vessel. Always use clean muslin/cotton cloth for sieving to remove the dirt particles as sieving it in steel sieve will not serve the purpose.
** Now add in the cleaned and kept ready Rajavalo / Indian Star Gooseberry to it and cover with a tight lid and keep it aside overnight or for 24 hours. The berry will soak up a little bit of salt water and get slightly softened. Now the rajavalo / Indian star gooseberry is ready to be added on masala and pickled.
** Drain the salt water completely into another vessel and let the rajavalo’s remain in the same. We will be using the same salt water for grinding the pickle and adding to the masala later if necessary. Remember to use clean spoons and vessel while preparing pickle to avoid the pickle getting contaminated, this step is absolutely necessary.
** For the Pickle Masala Paste : Grind about 25 Kumte mirsanga (Chilly)/Byadgi Chilly/Kashmiri Chilly with the required amount of salt water to a coarse paste. I have used Byadgi Chilly available in Mumbai. Do not add more salt water while grinding, but add little by little as you keep grinding. Add in a small marble sized piece of gummy hing / asafoetida, which is fried in a teaspoon of oil until it melts or add 2 tablespoon of hing / asafetida powder fried in a tblsp of oil, in Konkani we say “hingu pullanu ghalka”.
** Once you get an semi coarse paste of the same add about 1 full teaspoon of mustard seeds (rai/sasam), a pinch of haldi/turmeric powder and further grind till it reaches a rava textured paste. There is no need to fry the mustard seeds, add them on as it is after checking that they are clean. Continue to grind all of the ingredients for another minute or two till the masala is well blended. Do not grind for too long as the mustard seeds will then impart bitterness to the masala also we do not want a fine paste. That is why mustard seeds are always added towards the end of grinding.
** Now add the ground semi coarse masala to the Rajavalo/Indian Star Gooseberry in the vessel and mix well. Add in more salt water and bring to the desired pickle consistency. Mix well with a clean spoon and then pour it into a "Clean Sterilized Glassware Bottle". There should be enough masala to bind all the pieces well as well as it should come about say an inch above the Rajavalo’s on settling. I always keep the masala slightly extra as it goes a long way while serving with dosa’s and Idly’s. Allow the pickle to settle for about 8-12 hours at room temperature and then store it in fridge.
** "Spicy Rajavale Nonche / Indian Star Gooseberry Pickle" is done and ready to be served. Amshe~Tikshe~Midshe Nonche Jevana vottuchi laika jatta (in Konkani), meaning A little bit of this Tangy~Spicy~Salty Pickle served during lunch/dinner goes a long way and makes the lunch more delicious and appetizing. You can serve a little bit to tickle taste buds during lunch or dinner time, you can also serve this with idly, dosa and roti. Do try out this pickle and enjoy with your family and friends, I am sure they will also love them.
** Note : You must check the level of salt in the pickle by tasting a little bit once the thick masala is added and mixed before you start adding more of salt water. Remember too much salt is neither good not does the taste turn out appealing. You can keep the pickle consistency thick and add on boiled and cooled water later on as you start using the pickle too. So please do not go overboard with the addition of salt water.
** Note : Always use sterilized glassware bottle for storing of pickles and never use plastic bottles. In fact try not to use plastic as much as possible, they are really not good. A glassware bottle does not impart any odor to the pickle and helps maintain it well. You can also use ceramic bottles if you have them, they are equally good too.
** A Suggestion : Apply oil to a plastic sheet (I used coconut oil) large enough to cover the rim / neck of the bottle. Place this on the bottle and cover tightly with the lid. This is my own method I discovered to prevent air from entering the bottle and just preventing the pickle from getting molded or spoilt. The oil side should off course be on the inner side of the bottle. Keep the bottle aside for 8 hours in a dark corner for the pickle to get pickled. Then store it in the fridge and use as and when needed.
** A Small Reminder : Always remember to mix the pickle well, put on the lid tightly back once you use the pickle. Remember to 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. I always remove a cupful of the pickle in another small glassware bottle and keep it also in the fridge and use it till its over and then refill it, this avoids opening of the main bottle too many times.
** I am sharing the common link to “Pickles” in my Blog, just go through the same and you will find different varieties of pickles, choose that which you would like to prepare and enjoy them with your family and friends.
** An Earnest Request : There are many more recipes of different types in the blog. For all my Recipes, use the search option or the label section in the Blog. If you are still not able to find it or have a query, please leave a message in comment section or mail me the same. I will try my best to get back to you as soon as possible. Do try out various types of dishes included in the Blog and Enjoy them with your family and friends and do give me a feedback if possible.
** I am happy to inform you that I have also started a food group for by the name "KONKANI DELICACIES" which is over and year old, with about 19K strong members. It is a pleasure to inform that you will find in the group many more recipes posted by our expert members and you too can share some of your own. The link to the group is posted on the left side of the blog page. Do join us in our culinary journey. I strongly believe in Sharing and always endorse that "Sharing Is Caring" … Thank You ….
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