“Fresh (Raw) Yellow Dates (Khajoor) Pickle (Nonche)” … spicy crunchy pickle to relish with pejje jevan (rice porridge)/ dahi bhaatH (curd rice), roti, parathas. poori, Idly, dosa etc. … tried this pickle for a change with fresh yellow dates similar to our own Konkani Saraswat Pickles that are prepared without inclusion of oil or much of spices … a little bit of spicy nonche served during meals/ breakfast plays a great role in making the dishes that much more palatable … Yummilicious ….
** In GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine pickle is prepared without addition of oil. We keep it simple by soaking cut veggies in salt water overnight, grind chilies along with some mustard and hing with the same salt water that it is soaked in. I have shared the recipe in detail many times in the blog so will just share the link below where in it is mentioned in detail to avoid repetition. I came across a few pickle recipes but they all had oil in them, not sure of its outcome, I played safe and prepared our traditional way.
** The only hitch in these pickles are their shelf life. It remains good for few weeks when refrigerated, though the ones prepared with raw mangoes stays good for about 2 months. That is reason we do not prepare in bulk but do so as required with seasonal veggies which helps in getting more varieties of the same. I will not mention much about fresh (raw) dates as I have already written in previous posts about their nutrition and other health benefits, you may browse through if necessary or check out on net.
** In all I found this pickle a good change from regular ones though mixed veggies pickle that which I learnt from my amma (mom) to prepare still holds to be the best of all. I have shared the link of it, so that you can check out and try it out, also it has all the details about the pickle. A little bit of pickle served is not only appealing to tongue but goes a long way in bringing back taste if for some reason you are recovering from sickness. Do try out various types of pickles and relish them just a little bit along with your meals.
** Here is my method of preparing “Fresh (Raw) Yellow Dates (Khajoor) Pickle (Nonche)” … my style ... enjoy them with meals/ tiffin but in limits ...
** Wash, wipe dry about 20-25 fresh (raw) yellow dates (khajoor). Slice of thinly the stem part and then cut it lengthwise, remove the seed within and discard it. Then cut the dates into small pieces, say about ¼ to ½ inch in size.
** To Brine : Bring about 3 glasses of water to boiling point, add about about 5 tblsp of salt (meeta/ namak), mix well and let cool to room temperature. Now add cut pieces into a sterilized glassware bottle along with salt water and leave aside for 10 hours.
** Drain the salt water after the settled time into a vessel leaving aside the soaked dates which will have turned softer a little bit but brined well by this time. We will be using the same salt water as much as required only for grinding masala.
** Grind about 25-30 Kumte mirsanga (Byadgi Mirchi/ Kashmiri Red Chilly) to a semi coarse paste with just the required amount of salt water needed. Do not add all the salt water in one go, but add little by little as you keep grinding.
** When coarsely done add in 1 tsp of mustard seeds (rai/ sasam) along with a small marble sized piece of gummy hing/ asafoetida, which is fried in half a teaspoon of oil until it melts OR add 2 tablespoon of hing/ asafoetida powder fried in a tsp of oil.
** Continue to grind all of ingredients for another minute or two until the masala is well blended and the ingredients are also equally ground. Do not grind for too long as the mustard seeds will then impart bitterness to the pickle.
** Add the masala to brined dates in glass bottle and mix well adding in more salt water as is necessary to bring to desired pickle consistency. Always use a clean dry spoon for mixing otherwise the pickle will not remain good, so be careful.
** There should be enough masala to bind all pieces well as well as it should come about say an inch above the dates on settling. If the salt water is too salty, then avoid adding in the same and add in boiled and cooled water to bring in the consistency.
** Lastly add in freshly squeezed juice of 2-3 large sized fresh lemon (nimboo/ limbiyo) and mix well. Cover with a tight lid and let remain at room temperature for 2-3 hours after which you should store the pickle in the fridge to remain good for few weeks.
** “Fresh (Raw) Yellow Dates (Khajoor) Pickle (Nonche)” is done and ready to be served. A little bit of pickle served during meals/ breakfast with dishes like idly, dosa, roti, pooti etc. always tastes great, though in my home we always love to relish it with pejja/ rice porridge or dahi bhaatH (curd rice), tastes awesome.
** Note : I have written the recipe in brief without running into much details as I have written all tips, do’s and don’t’s in detail in the recipe link which I have shared below, there are many more recipes too to which I am sharing a common link below it and you may browse through in leisure ….
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Thanks.