1,000 Indian Recipes (74 page)

Khajjur ki Sonth

Makes about 4 cups

This simple puréed chutney, typically served over
bhel-poori
(a savory street salad made with puffed rice, broken flour chips, potatoes, and special chutneys), is sweet enough to counter the fire started by the red and green chile pepper chutneys that are also added to
bhel-poori
. Look for tamarind pulp in Indian or ethnic markets.

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons cumin seeds, dry-roasted and coarsely ground (
Dry-Roasting Spices
)

2 cups chopped pitted dates

¹
⁄
₂
cup seedless tamarind pulp

2 cups hot water

¹
⁄
₂
to
³
⁄
₄
cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1.
Prepare the cumin seeds. Soak the dates and tamarind pulp in 1 cup hot water, about 1 hour to soften.

2.
With clean fingers, mush the pulp to release it from the fibrous parts of the dates and to separate any tamarind seeds that may still be present. Then pass the softened date-tamarind pulp through a fine-mesh strainer or a food mill (I prefer the food mill, especially for large quantities) into a large bowl to extract a smooth paste. Pour the remaining hot water over the fibrous remains in the food mill and collect any remaining pulp and mix into the already extracted paste.

3.
Transfer to a small saucepan, add the sugar, cumin, and salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer about 5 minutes. Mix in up to 1 cup of water if the chutney thickens too quickly. Adjust the seasoning, then let cool. Serve at room temperature, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate about 2 months, or freeze about 1 year.

Mango Pickles

Indian Pickles

Pickle-making is an art passed from mother to daughter in India, inspired by the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables available to them. Although the actual process of making pickles is not very time consuming, it always turns out to be a day-long family project, mostly because pickles are always made in large batches and generously distributed among family and friends.

Indian pickles are traditionally placed in glazed earthenware jars, and the mouth of the jar is covered with a piece of muslin and matured in the sun. (The muslin allows any excess moisture to escape and keeps the bugs away.) In America, I generally use glass jars which work fine.

Quick Mango Pickle

Aam ka Achaar

Makes about 2 cups

As children growing up in New Delhi, we loved this pickle. Our neighborhood
halvai
(a professional snack and sweet maker) always served it with his breakfast plate of
poori
-
aalu
(deep-fried breads and potatoes). The
poori-aalu
was delicious, but his pickle, with its fragrant and sour undertones, was always the greater attraction.

Most authentic mango pickles are made with the mango peel left on, but because here you peel the mangoes, this takes much less time to cure.

2 tablespoons
Bengali 5-Spices
(Panch-Phoran), coarsely ground

2 large unripe green mangoes (about
³
⁄
₄
pound each), washed and wiped dry

1 cup mustard or olive oil

3 large cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon ground asafoetida

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1.
Prepare the 5-spices. Then, with a vegetable peeler, peel the mango, then cut the fruit around the center seed into thin
¹
⁄
₂
-inch-by-2-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the garlic, panch-phoran, peppercorns, turmeric, and asafoetida. They should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil.

2.
Quickly add the mangoes and the salt, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the mangoes absorb all the flavors, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool and allow to marinate at room temperature at least 2 days before serving. Store in the refrigerator about 1 month. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Mama's Punjabi Mango Pickle

Mama ka Punjabi Aam ka Achaar

Makes about 6 cups

All mango pickles are made with unripe green mangoes, and in that respect this pickle is no different. Yet to me it is very special, because this is how it has been made in my family for as long as my mother can remember. To this day, my mother makes it every year and sends it to me in America. In Mama's authentic version, the mangoes are cut through the center seed (by the produce vendors, who use special knives), but for ease and convenience, I discard the seeds when I make this.

No part of this pickle ever gets wasted. All the pieces get eaten, and the leftover
masala
spices and the oil find their way into cooked dishes and bread dough, or are added to rice
pullaos
(pilafs),
samosas
(stuffed deep-fried triangular pastries), and
pakoras
(batter-fried fritters). After all the mango pieces are gone, tiny pearl onions are tossed into the pickle jar, and allowed to marinate about 4 days before serving.

There are a few important steps to keep in mind when making this pickle. Don't skimp on the salt and the oil; they are the only preservatives. The salt should be on the high side and there should be at least half an inch of oil floating on top of the pickle.

4 large unripe green mangoes (about
³
⁄
₄
pound each), washed and wiped dry

¹
⁄
₂
cup fennel seeds

¹
⁄
₄
cup fenugreek seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons kalonji seeds

¹
⁄
₂
cup salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 small piece of muslin or 4 layers of cheesecloth (enough to cover the mouth of the jar)

1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 cups mustard oil or olive oil

1.
Cut each unpeeled mango around the center seed into 1-inch-by-
¹
⁄
₂
-inch pieces. Discard the center seeds. In a spice or coffee grinder, very coarsely grind together all the whole spices. Remove to a bowl and mix in the salt, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.

2.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat until just smoking, and add the spice mixture. It should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil. Remove from the heat and stir, about 30 seconds. Add the mangoes and mix well, making sure all the pieces are well coated with the spices.

3.
Let cool and transfer to a large sterile glass jar. There should be at least
¹
⁄
₂
inch of oil on the surface. (Heat and add more oil, if needed.) Cover the jar with the muslin, securing it with a rubber band, and place in a warm, sunny spot in the kitchen or outside in the sun, shaking the jar once or twice a day until the spices are plump and soft and the mango pieces are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 days. (If the pickle jar is outside in the sun, bring it inside in the evening.) This pickle stays fresh at room temperature about 2 years.

Mama-in-Law's Mango Pickle with Roasted Spices

Saasu-Ma ka Aam ka Achaar

Makes about 6 cups