Instant Chili Pickle; well almost

Winter definitely calls for something fiery something spicy. Which will shake away the winter laziness and remind us of our very existence. If that is something you believe in then this chili pickle is for you. A hot, spicy, tangy almost instant chili pickle which pairs really well with out of the wok stuffed parathas and khichris.

Am not quite aware of the varieties of chillies available around and not very fond of them either. All I like is the beautiful flavour of the green chilies and the round taste that it provides when added to curries. Never ever dared to touch that fiery red smashed potato that my in laws make with lots of fried dry red chillies. As a layman the thumb rule for me is, the shorter the chilies, higher the heat. That way I always keep away from the small round chillies that are found in Kolkata markets. Even for this green chili pickle I chose the longer variety of green chilies which has a beautiful aroma but less heat.

For obvious reason my family never ever believed that I like chili pickle unless one winter morning I made hot fluffy alu parathas, Delhi style and had them only with this chili pickle. After my years in Delhi am a true believer that stuffed parathas are best eaten with hot and spicy pickles especially chili pickle. Though I often make stuffed parathas at home during winters still I miss those small eateries around the colleges where they served out of the pan hot, greasy, enormous alu parathas. As much as I try am yet to infuse that smoky flavour in my parathas. But what I can make easily is this green chili pickle, which is almost instant. This is my own recipe and I prefer to make it in small quantity for that crunch.

Yes am hooked for life.

Instant chili pickle:

Ingredients:

Chopped Green chillies: 1 cup (make ½” pieces) almost 25-30 pieces

Lemon: 1

Vinegar: 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 11/2 tbsp

Methi (fenugreek) seeds: ½ tbsp

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Salt: 11/2 tsp

Broken or split mustard or rai ke chawal: 11/2 tbsp * see notes (this is also known as kaduku parippu, got to know from Nisha's blog :-)

Methi ke chawal or split fenugreek seeds: ½ tbsp* see notes; added a picture of split mustard and fenugreek seeds below.

Mustard oil: ½ cup

Method:

Wash and spread the chillies on a newspaper to dry. Once they are dry cut them in small ½” pieces. Place in a non-reactive bowl. Pour in the vinegar and the salt. Mix and keep aside for 1 hour.

Dry roast the methi seeds and mustard seeds till they are a couple of shades darker. Cool and grind to a coarse powder.

Peel the lemon (yes peel. Trust me it’s not that difficult for only one lemon). Cut them in segments, discard the seeds and mix in to the chopped chillies.

After 1 hour mix in the ground masala, turmeric powder, methi and sarshon ke chawal and give it a good stir to mix everything together. Keep aside.

Heat the mustard oil till smoking. Take off from heat and pour on the chillies. Mix well and keep aside uncovered to cool.

Once cold pour in a sterilized glass jar. Place it in a hot sunny place for a couple of days before enjoying the pickle. You can have it instantly as well but this resting time matures the flavour.

A Homemaker's Notes:
Methi and sarson ke chawal are the skinned and split seeds. I bought mine from M.K.Ahmed supermarket in Bangalore. Most probably they all store the  thing but may be under different name.


To make your own split fenugreek and mustard seeds, roast the seeds on very low flame for a minute or so just to make it warm. Take them out in a mortar and using the pestle press the seeds couple of times. The skin of the seeds will break and you will get split seeds. this adds a beautiful aroma to the pickle.


Like all pickles make sure all the utensils you are using is dry. Sterilize the glass jar by boiling it in a hot water for a few minutes. This will increase the shelf life of the pickle.

After the resting period check the salt. if needed add more.


Events:

Indrani's Spotlight Winter vegetables

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