GAJAR, GOBHI AUR SHALGAM KA KHATTA MEETHA ACHAR

INGREDIENTS

1 kg carrots 1 kg cauliflower 1 kg turnips 25 gm brown mustard seeds 50 gm jaggery ½ cup white vinegar 100 gm ginger 100 gm garlic 250 gm red onions 100 gm mustard oil 25 gm garam masala 2 tbsp red chilli powder Salt to taste

METHOD

Peel the carrots and dice. Cut the cauliflower into florets and turnips into wedges. Blanch the vegetables for two minutes. Drain them thoroughly, spread the vegetables on an absorbent cloth and let them dry out in the sun for a few hours. Remember that the water should completely evaporate and the vegetables should become a little limp.

Grind the onions, ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Heat the mustard oil in a kadai, take it to smoking point and then switch off the flame. Let it cool down.

Now, heat the oil again, add ginger, garlic and onion paste and sauté till it turns light brown. Tip in the red chilli powder, garam masala, salt and powdered mustard. Keep frying until the mixture starts leaving oil from the sides. Then add the vegetables, turn the flame to a simmer and cover the pan. Let it cook for two to three minutes.

Meanwhile, boil jaggery and vinegar till it melts completely. Don’t forget to stir continuously. Add the syrup to the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes, without the lid. The goal is to let the water evaporate completely, soften the vegetables a bit, but they should still be slightly crunchy. The pickle is ready when the syrup-oil mixture comes on top. Transfer the pickle into a clean, dry glass jar or a martaban.