Fish Pickle

Ingredients

1 kg. fish (any firm fleshed ones like tuna with less bones)
1/4 cup thinly sliced ginger
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
5 slit green chillies
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves (optional, as it is difficult to get everywhere)
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 1/2 tblsp. chilli powder
2 tsp. pepper powder
1 tsp. turmeric powder
salt to taste
oil as required

Method:

Clean and cut the fish into small cubes. Wash them thoroughly. Drain the water completely.
Marinate the fish in 1/2 tblsp. chilli powder, 2tsp. pepper powder, 1 tsp. turmeric powder (from the ingredients above) and salt for half an hour.
Fry the fish and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan.
Splutter the mustard seeds and then put in the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
Add the sliced ginger, green chillies and garlic and saute until golden colour.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp. chilli powder and saute. Add the fried fish with more oil. Heat it until the oil becomes hot. Add the vinegar and salt to this and switch off the stove.
Mix everything thoroughly.
Bottle it in clean bottles and keep it air tight. The oil and vinegar mix should cover the fish pieces at all times.

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Garlic pickle

Garlic pickle (വെളുത്തുള്ളി അച്ചാര്‍ )

Ingredients:

Garlic - 1 kg
Fenugreek(Uluva) - 10 gm
Cumin seeds(Jeerakam) - 10 gm
Asafoetida(Kayam) - 10 gm
Lime fruits for extracting juice - 25
Coriander seeds - 30 gm
Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Jaggery(Sharkkara) - 100 gm
Chilli powder - 100 gm
Turmeric powder - 10 gm
Mustard seeds - 10 gm
Gingelly oil (Nallenna) - 500 ml

THE PREPARATION

Fry the asafoetida, fenugreek (Uluva), coriander seeds and jeera in a pan without using oil.

After they turn brownish grind the contents together and keep separately. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add some salt to it (around 100 grams)

Splutter some mustard seeds in gingelly oil in a pan, and add the garlic

mix the lime to the pan when the garlic is quarted cooked

when the garlic is half cooked add turmeric,chilli powder,massala powder n salt.

cook for few minutes add powdered jaggery.keep on the stove 4 about 2 minutes....garlic pickle is ready.

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Lemon Pickle

LEMON PICKLE (നാരങ്ങ അച്ചാര്‍ )

Ingredients

10 Large Lemon
1/2 Cup Vinegar
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
3 green chillies chopped
Few curry leaves
Salt as required
1 tbsp Gingelly oil (Sesame seed oil)
3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp mustard seeds

Preparation

Bring a pot of water to boil and immerse the lemons and continue boiling for 3-4 minutes. Take the lemons out and let them cool. Cut the lemons into small pieces (don't discard the juices) and keep it aside. Coarse grind the mustard seeds. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Add Ginger, garlic and green chillies as soon as the mustard changes color. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder. Add curry leaves and switch off the heat. Add the cut lemons and salt. Add enough vinegar and properly mix together. Keep it covered for a day and the adjust the salt and add more vinegar. You can add some sugar also to sweeten a bit. Keep refrigerated.

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Mango Pickle

MANGO PICKLE (മാങ്ങാ അച്ചാര്‍ )

Ingredients

1 big - Fresh green raw mango
5 to 6 flakes- Garlic, sliced
1 tbsp - Red chili powder
1/4 tsp - Hing powder / Asafoetida
1/4 tsp - Fenugreek powder
Salt to taste
Sesame oil

Seasoning

1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds

Method

1 ) Cut mango with skin on, into small pieces.

2 ) Heat 2 tbsp oil. Keep the heat low, once the oil has warmed up. Add garlic and just fry lightly. Don't brown it. Then on low heat, add red chili powder, hing and fenugreek powder. Stir and fry for a second. Take off the stove and pour on the cut mango pieces. Add salt to taste and mix well with mango pieces.

3 ) Heat 1 tbsp more oil and pop mustard seeds. Pour this on pickle and mix in. Cool and transfer to a glass or ceramic jar.You can warm little more oil and pour on top of the jar, if you want to store this for long time. Keep in room temperature for a day, then store in fridge

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Nellikka Pickle

NELLIKA PICKLE (നെല്ലിക്ക അച്ചാര്‍)

Ingredients:

Gooseberry 1/2 k
Ginger 1 big piece
Garlic 10 to 15 pods
Chilly pdr 2 to 3 Tbsp
Turmeric pdr 1/2 Tsp
Vinegar 2 to 4 Tbsp
Fenugreek seeds
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Hing (asafoetida) 3/4 Tsp
Oil (Gingely)
Salt

Method:

Cook gooseberry in water and little salt. Allow it to cool. Keep the water aside and remove the seeds from the berry and slice it into small pieces. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves, sliced ginger and garlic. Saute till it turns light brown. Reduce the heat and add chilly pdr, turmeric pdr, hing and salt. Roast it well and pour rqd amount of water (water which was used to cook the gooseberry) and vinegar into it and boil well. Add the cooked gooseberry into it and mix well. Remove it from fire and cool it. Store it in an air tight container.

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Kaduku Manga Achar / Kerala Mango Pickle

Ingredients:-

Raw Mango / Green Mango - 1/2 kg ( or 1 large mango )
Salt - 1/4 tea spoon
Gingelly oil / nalenna / sesame oil - 2 table spoon + 2 table spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Garlic sliced - 6-7 cloves or 1 whole pod( i add a lot , since i love the bite of it )
Ginger julienned - a thumb sized piece( adjust ginger n garlic as per your choice)
Green chili chopped - 2
Curry leaves - a handful
Turmeric powder - 1/8 teas poon
Red chilli powder -1.5 to 2 table spoon ( I add more than 2 table spoon , add as per your heat level)
Kaayam /hing - a large pinch
Vinegar 2 tea spoon ( optional)
Salt to taste

Directions :-

Clean and cut the mango into small pieces with the skin.

Add salt and combine well. Keep it a jar overnight or for a day or two.( This step is optional , but i do it all the time ) ...When you are ready to make the pickle -

Heat 2 table spoon of gingelly oil ( i use idayam nalenna) in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add fenugreek seeds ( or you can use 1/8 th tea spoon powdered fenugreek at the end) and curry leaves.

Add sliced garlic, ginger and green chiles and saute till the raw smell disappears.
Make a paste with red chili powder by adding some water and add to the pan , or you can add directly as powder.

Then add turmeric powder and combine well. Add 1/4 cup hot water and bring to boil. Simmer till it is thick.

Switch off the flame and add Hing/ kaayam and if you are using fenugreek powder add now.

Add the mango pieces when it is still hot and mix well. You can add vinegar if you are using .

Leave it in the pan for couple of hours and then transfer to a glass jar with tight lid.

Heat 2 table spoon of gingelly oil and add to the pickle. ( i love it be oily ). You can keep it outside for a couple of days and refrigerate it to last long.

Notes:-

As i have already said , this is a family recipe , and it may not be the way you make it .
I add a lot of ginger and garlic in pickles , just because we love it and its really good for your health. I love my pickle to be spicy , and add spices as per your taste level .

(Source: Sarah Naveen)

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Kerala Beef Pickle - Irachi Achar ( Dry version)

Kerala Style Beef Pickle

Ingredients:-

Bowl 1
Beef - 1/2 kg ( I prefer stew meat )
Meat Masala - 1/2 tea spoon
Turmeric - a generous pinch
Ginger - Garlic paste - 1/2 to 1 tea spoon
Vinegar - 1/2 tea spoon
Salt to taste

To fry meat

Oil - 2 tablespoon

To make masala

Gingelly oil / Sesame oil - 2-3 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - a large pinch
Curry leaves - lots
Garlic chopped - 10 cloves
Ginger sliced - a thumb sized piece ( adjust ginger and garlic as per ur likes)
Green chili chopped - 3-4
Kashmiri Red chili powder - 1.5 tablespoon( if using hot chili powder 1 or 2 tea spoons would be enough)
Vinegar - 1 -2 tablespoons ( add more if you like more, I prefer 2 tablespoons of the normal white distilled one or red wine vinegar)
Whole Black peppercorns - 1 tea spoon
Garam masala - a pinch
Salt to taste

Method :-

Clean and cut the beef into bite sized pieces. Marinate with all in Bowl 1 and keep aside for 20-30 minutes. Pressure cook in a medium flame with 2 tablespoons of water , for 2-3 whistles or until done.

Drain in a colander and reserve the stock( 1/2 cup maximum)

Heat 2 tablespoons of any cooking oil in a non-stick pan and fry the beef pieces till brown.

Meanwhile , heat 2-3 tablespoons of gingelly oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop up add fenugreek seeds , fry for 10 seconds , followed by curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Fry till the raw smell is gone. I love them to be a bit crunchy.

Make a paste with 1 tablespoon of reserved stock , vinegar and red chili powder and add to the pan and fry till the oil separates. Add the remaining stock , bring to boil and add the fried beef pieces along with any oil in the pan . Crush the whole black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and add to the pan , along with a pinch of garam masala. Simmer for a couple of minutes , stirring often , till it is thick or dry as you like it . Let cool , transfer to clean glass jars and keep in cool dark place or in the fridge.

Notes:-

For more shelf life add more vinegar ( i say not more than 1/4 cup ), & 2 more tbsp of sesame oil.

I don't add coriander powder or shallots to any of the pickles ; it tastes different the next day.

In hot and humid area , better keep this dry version in fridge.

To make gravy , increase the vinegar and stock qty .

Instead pf pressure cooking and frying the meat, you can bake it @ 375 degree for an hour or more and proceed with the process

(Source: Sarah, Vazhayila)

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Chemmeen Achar - Kerala Style Prawns Pickle

Kerala Konju / Chemmeen Achar

(dry version with optional sun dried method)

Bowl 1 ( marinate and sun dry)

Shrimp / Chemmeen - 1/2 kg ( fresh or cooked)
Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - a large pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Bowl 2

(Kashmiri )Red chili powder - 2 tea spoon ( use as per your heat level)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Vinegar - 2 table spoon
Crushed pepper - 1/4 tea spoon ( optional)

Bowl 3

Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tea spoon or powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Garlic sliced - 8-10 cloves
Ginger sliced - 2 tea spoon
Green chili sliced - 1 or 2
Curry leaves - 2-3 strings
Hing / kaayam - a large pinch
Vinegar - 2 table spoon( optional)
Nalenna /Gingelly oil - 2 or 3 table spoon
Salt to taste

Directions:-

If using fresh shrimp , clean , devein it and wash it thoroughly. I used frozen cooked salad shrimp , so i just thawed it overnight in the fridge .

Marinate it with all other ingredients in Bowl 1 , arrange it on a tray or cookie sheet and leave it open in the sun for a day or two. I keep it from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm for nearly 2 days . Every evening take it inside ,leave it on your counter top , covered or uncovered.

So if you don't wanna wait till then , marinate the shrimp , keep it for some time and the fry it. ( See notes @ the end to see other options)

When your ready to make it , fry the shrimp in oil. You can either deep fry or shallow fry it.But i prefer deep frying for this. Drain on paper towels. Set aside

Grind all the ingredients in Bowl 2 to a fine paste. Sprinkle a table spoon of water if necessary.

Heat some oil from the fried shrimp pan , or you can use nalenna / sesame oil for this step.

Add mustard seeds ,when they splutter add fenugreek seeds. ( if using fenugreek powder use at the end of cooking)

Slide in chopped ginger, garlic,green chiles and curry leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes on medium flame till the raw smell disappears . Add the Bowl 2 - chili paste and mix well. Sprinkle 1/4 cup water and bring to boil.....

Stir in the fried Prawns and combine well , Saute for 3-4 minutes, till it is heated through ( add fenugreek powder if you are using it now ) Give a salt check . Switch off the flame . Let it cool.

When it is in room temperature add hing and 2 more table spoon of vinegar (optional) and mix well.

Leave it on the stove top for a day and then transfer it into glass jars.

Pour 2 or 3 table spoons of Nalenna/ Gingelly oil over it and keep outside for a day or two and then keep refrigerated .



Notes :-

I use the smallest salad shrimp available and if you are using big shrimp , cut it into small pieces.
To expedite the process you can bake the marinated shrimp , till it is dry or even it is brown and fried and omit the sun drying and frying part.
I am not so sure about the life span of this pickle , since it wont even last for a week in my nest
If you are gonna use it up within 2-3 days , you can substitute lemon juice for vinegar.
This recipe is a dry version and if you want a bit gravy with it add more water and vinegar.
Always take pickle with clean spoons.

(Source: Sarah, Vazhayila)

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