Oman dining: Rustic flavours of pickles

Lifestyle Monday 22/May/2017 19:31 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman dining: Rustic flavours of pickles

SWEET PICKLE RELISH
Nothing fancy, just a humble homemade sweet pickle relish that will keep you asking for more.

Ingredients
1kg cucumbers, peeled, centre row of seeds removed, and finely diced
1 large onion
1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
¼ cup salt
3 cups white granulated sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 bay leaf

Preparation
Place the diced cucumbers, onion, and red bell pepper in a large mixing bowl. Combine with salt and pour water over the mixture until covered. Let sit for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander, rinse thoroughly with water, and drain again. In a large stock pot, add the sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and 1 bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the drained cucumber mixture and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Ladle the hot relish into sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and seal tightly with the lids. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Sealed jars will store in a cool, dark place for a year. If the seal is broken, the relish will keep in the fridge for a month.

GARLIC PICKLE
Crisp, tender garlic deliciously blends with the finest of spices to recreate the magic of traditional India.

Ingredients
250g garlic, peeled
Turmeric powder – a pinch
25g salt
10g chilli powder
11/2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds, dry roasted and powdered
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup gingerly oil or sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

Preparation
Steam garlic for 6-8 minutes in idli pan or steamer. Spread it on a cloth and let it cool. Leave it for 1-2 hours. The garlic should retain its shape and not be mushy. So do not overcook the garlic.
Add turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder, fenugreek powder, vinegar to the steamed garlic. Mix well. Heat oil well, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, when mustard seeds splutters, pour the oil over the garlic evenly and keep it aside. Do not mix. After half an hour, mix it well and bottle it. Delicious garlic pickle is ready in no time.

Storage and shelf life — Store it in a clean glass bottle or air tight container. It stays fresh in the refrigerator for more than a month.

INSTANT MANGO PICKLE
Quick and easy to make, this pickle complements all your meals with perfection.

Ingredients
1 big raw mango
2 pinches roasted fenugreek seeds powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt, as needed
2 pinches asafoetida
To temper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chilli (optional)
3 pinches asafoetida

Preparation
Chop the cleaned mango and place in a mixing bowl. In a pan, heat oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table in order. Switch off the stove and add fenugreek seeds powder, turmeric, red chilli powder, and mix well. Add salt and asafoetida and mix everything with the chopped mango. Your pickle is ready.

HYDERABADI MEAT PICKLE
Mutton pickle recipe is a Hyderabadi spicy mutton pickle made with boneless mutton pieces and it has got all the flavours of the pickle and is also called as gosht ka achar in Hyderabad.

Ingredients
500g boneless mutton pieces cut into small cubes
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste

For Dry Roast
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon onion seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds

Other ingredients
2 tablespoons red chilli powder
2½ cups oil
5 - 6 lemon extracted juice
3 - garlic pods medium size

Preparation
Firstly dry roast fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, onion seeds, and coriander seeds for a few seconds, cool them, blend them into a fine powder and put it aside. Also make garlic paste and put it aside for later use. Wash the boneless mutton pieces very well. Take a pan, add mutton pieces, salt as per taste, turmeric powder, and ginger garlic paste. Stir the mixture and roast it for about ten minutes until there is no water remaining in it. Take a wok, add oil generously and heat it. Add the roasted mutton into the oil and fry the mutton until the mutton turns golden reddish colour. Add red chilli powder and mix well. Add the blended powder. Also add garlic paste into it. Add lemon extracted juice generously into the cooking mutton. Mix well and cook until oil appears at the corners on a low flame. Do not overcook as the masala may stick to the base. Let the pickle cool for a while. Store in an air tight container.
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