“Mitta Ghallele Ambado/ Brined (Preserved in Salt Water) Hogplums” … preserving veggies in salt water (brine) is a traditional ancient method followed over generations by our elders that needs to be continued for sure as it is not only useful and handy but there are immense health benefits in the same … I tried brining ambado for the first time and it is over 3 months now and they have remained good … these can be used in any dishes you desire to be added on just as you would have included the fresh ones when they are not available … I have emptied almost half of the brined ones as we love ambado in our dishes and I really wish I had brined more … as it was on trial basis I brined only half a kg. and now waiting eagerly for next season and for more experiments in my kitchen … Yummilicious …
** Brining is a process where vegetables are prepared to preserve in salted water. Many people brine vegetables too if in excess and are found to be perishable. Brining saves it from getting wasted or wanting to use them at later date. However, I have not ventured into brining of vegetables as in India we have fresh veggies available all round the year, and I always prefer seasonal veggies. Also though its always better to have them fresh some of the items taste best when brined and also become accessible when not in season. They also have their own unique taste, that cannot be explained. One has to taste them to know the difference.
** I have already posted a few posts on the same before and here also the brining method I have used is the same as elsewhere. This is the first time I am brining Hogplums/ Ambado, so I cannot mention how long it can be preserved but yes, it has been 3 months and it is still good and useful in addition of dishes for me. As I did not brine more it is almost emptied, but for the next season I am sure to do it in larger quantity. A have just left in a few in the bottle as it is and stored it away for testing time period. I will share in a link to brined Amla/ Gooseberry at the bottom of this recipe where in I have written about this method, you can read the same.
** Here is my simple Method of "Mitta Ghallele Ambado/ Brined (Preserved in Salt Water) Hogplums" .... my own tested method ....
** Brining of Hogplum/ Ambado : Wash, drain and wipe clean 1 Kg of Ambado/ Hogplum. They should be wiped clean and there should be no trace of water. Also the ambados used should be fresh, firm, tender and blemish free. Slice off the stem edge side of the Ambado and discard it, then slice the two sides vertically and retain it along with the center portion. If the Ambado is very tender you can cut it vertically into two pieces too or you can crush them with a heavy weight and add on too. Now in a clean sterilized bottle (very important to use sterilized bottles) add all the edible cut pieces and cover and keep it aside ready.
** Bring approximately one litre of water to boiling point and then add about 3 cups full of salt to it and mix well. (You can use more water if need, but then increase the salt quantity too). Once the water reaches boiling point again and the salt has mixed in well, remove from fire. If you find traces of dirt /impurities in the water, which sometimes you may due to addition of salt, sieve it immediately on a muslin cloth to remove all impurities. Do not use stainless sieve for straining as it will not run clean, so use a clean cotton cloth for the same. Allow the salt water to cool and let it come to just warm level.
** Now place a long stainless steel spoon into the glass bottle (the handle of which should come out of the bottle) and then slide in the warm salt water into the bottle till it reaches brim level of the bottle with just a little bit of gap for the lid to be placed and then remove the spoon. Now take a clean new plain plastic sheet slightly larger than the side of the lid and apply coconut oil (or any edible oil) on one side of the sheet and then place it over the bottle. Remember the oiled side should be downward covering the bottle properly. Now tighten the lid on the bottle properly and wipe the bottle all over with a clean cloth.
** Note : A stainless spoon is inserted into the bottle just as a precautionary measure. If the water is hot, it cuts down the heat and does not pass it on to the glassware. Some glass bottles cannot absorb much heat and tend to crack on excess heat, this method when used helps in prevention of breaking or cracking of glassware. You can use the same method even when pouring something hot into glasses if you are not sure of its heat absorption capacity.
** Keep it just for one day or a few hours on window sill where there is just enough warm sunlight and then store it in a cupboard away from heat and it is ready to be used within a week or maximum 10 days. I do not put it in direct sunlight as many people suggest they do as I have found that the ingredients brined within sometimes tends to get softened faster, so I would suggest that you avoid it, but yes I do agree I have no proper knowledge of that method so if you want to try it do so on your own free will, however keep checking.
** Again, in case you are not going to use it for over a period of say 2 weeks or more, there is no need for you to even place it in sunlight, you can straight away just store it in the corner of a cupboard where there is not heat or warmth. In case you do not want to use the plastic method for covering of the lid, you can use the age old traditional method of securing the lid too. Just tightly close the lid and then wrap the top with clean cloth and then tie in a thread to secured the lid so that air does not filter in. The purpose here is to avoid air entering the bottle and fermenting excessively the brined products which lead to formation of fungus.
** Note : Always use glass or ceramic bottle for storing of brined items and avoid the plastic bottles. The recent trend I have observed is of using plastic bottle which is absolutely not good health wise. Ban using of plastics or their products as much as possible wherever possible in you kitchen, including in your life. I have been doing so for over 5 years now, though I still have a lot of plates etc. which also I indend to use a little bit and then dispose of within a few year.
** Note : Ensure that the salt water is about an inch minimum above the ambado level in the bottle. The slices will float on top when you brine them say for a day or two but will settle down soon once it soaks in maximum salt water of the capacity it can take and then only salt water remains on top. This should be taken into note as it ensures that the ambados do not get spoiled.
** You have now completed the task of brining of the Ambado/ Hogplum and it can now be stored away and used as and when necessary after a few weeks. As I mentioned above these are ready to be consumed withing 2-3 weeks of time, however as I am preparing hogplum for the first time I have not idea as to its shelf life, but I can give a guarantee of 6 months as mine is almost 4 months and they are still good. Many dishes like chutney, gojju, pickle can be prepared using them or you can add it to curries in place of tamarind the way we do in our Konkani Saraswat cooking too.
** For using the brined Ambado/ Hogplum : Always use a clean dry stainless steel spoon to remove the brined ingredients and remember to seal it back the same way that you initially did and place it back in its place undisturbed. While using brined ambados instead of fresh one’s, just remove the required number from the bottle and put it in some clean water for sometime and change the water 2-3 times to remove extra saltiness in them. These are then ready to use as and how you need them.
** Note : Remember to check the amount of salt in the curry or any dish you are preparing before adding in additional salt to the dish as the ambados will impart salt to the same on getting cooked, so keep a note of it or else you may end up with a salty dish.
** Note : Some of my friends suggested addition of a few black pepper corns into the bottle just before sealing it off assuring that it helps in avoiding formation of fungus on top of salt water. I have not tried that out, but no harm in giving it a try too. Will do so the next time for sure as this time my ambados are almost over.
** I am sharing a few links below that you can browse through below for added knowledge of brining. They include Bamboo Shoots, Amla, lemon and now I am sharing Ambado/ Hogplum with all of you. I will soon be sharing many more as and when I try them out, so do keep a keen watchout for my blog and if you try them, please do give me feedback. Again, if you use hogplum or ambado in search option you will get a lot of recipes to prepare dishes that I have shared using them, we GSB Konkani Saraswats always include them when they are in season and now that you have brined them you can relish them off season too at least for half an year or so and in few months time the season will be back too.
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Thanks.