May 18, 2016

Munaga Aavakaya (Drumstick Pickle)

This is my second pickle recipe for Pickles and preserves theme for this month Blogging Marathon. We Andhra people will make pickles with almost all vegetables. Not only with vegetables we make pickles with non-veg, like eggs, fish, chicken, shrimps. In vegetable pickles eggplant, gongura, ivy gourd, cauliflower, carrot, mixed vegetable, bitter gourd and many more like this. most of the pickles are in  spicy version. Of course we make some pickles like ginger pickle a dn bellam aavakaya and one more mango pickle with little sweet with using jaggery. But most of the pickles are spicy pickles. This Drumstick pickle is one of them... 
So lets check the recipe......


INGREDIENTS:--
Drumsticks(munakkayalu) --- 4
Tamarind juice  ---  1 cup (soak 50 grams of tamarind in warm water and extract tick juice with one cup of water.
Red chilli powder  ---  100 grams
Salt --- 75 grams
Turmeric powder  --- 1 tea sp
Mustard powder  --- 50 grams
Fenugreek powder  -- 1 tea sp
Oil  ---  120 ml (peanut oil or sesame oil)
Garlic ---  20 to 25 cloves
Mustard seeds  ---  1 tea sp
Dry red chillies  --  3 broken
Asafoetida  --- 1/4 tea sp
Lemon juice  --  1/3 cup
Curry leaves  --- 2 springs

METHOD:--
1. Clean and cut drum sticks in to two inch pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry drumstick pieces in the oil till they turn in to light golden and cooked. 

3. Remove drumstick pieces from oil  in to a big mixing bowl and let them cool.
4. Add salt, red chilli powder, mustard powder, fenugreek powder, turmeric powder mix well and set a side for one hour.


5. Now heat the same oil in which we fried drumstick pieces and add mustard seeds, dry red chilli pieces, garlic cloves, curry leaves and asafoetida fry for a while.
6. Then add tamarind juice cook till oil leaves from the sides of the pan (like pulihora paste).
7. Now add lemon juice and switch off the heat and let it cool completely.
8. Now add this seasoning to drumstick pieces and mix well to combine every thing.
9. Now cover this pickle with a lid and set a side for two days .
10. After two days remove the lid now you can see the oil on the top of the pickle.
Mix well and check and adjust the seasoning.
Store this pickle in a clean jar and store it in a clean and dry place.
This will stay for one year in room temperature.
If you feel oil is less in the pickle you can heat 1/2 cup more oil  and add it to the pickle on the third day.
Enjoy munaga aavakaya with hot steamed plain rice. 

May 17, 2016

Mixed Vegetable Pickle

Mixed vegetable pickle is my all time favorite winter pickles. Usually we make different pickles in summer, but we also make some seasonal pickles like Amala pickle, lemon pickle. This mixed vegetable pickle I have adopted from North Indian cuisine and changed it in to South Indian style. Instead of using kalonji and fennel seeds I used mustard powder and fenugreek powder like our mango aavakaya. You can use any other vegetables like green chillies, bittergourd, turnips to make this pickle.
This is my first recipe under Pickles and Preserves after a month long mega blogging marathon


INGREDIENTS:---
Cauliflower  ---  1 small cut in to florets
Carrot  ---  1 big or 2 small cut in to cubes
Capsicum  ---  1 big cut in to small cubes
Garlic  --  20 cloves peeled
Red chilli powder   ---  3/4 cup (80 grams)
Turmeric powder  ---  1/2 tea sp
Salt  ---  40 grams
Mustard powder  ---  1 and half tab sp
Fenugreek powder  --  1/2 tea sp
Oil   ---  120 ml
Dry red chillies  --  2 broken
Asafoetida  --  1/3 tea sp
Lemon juice  ---  1/2 cup(50 ml)
METHOD:--
1. Boil water in a pan, bring to full boil add a pinch of salt and switch off the heat. Add cauliflower florets leave it for five minutes and drain all the water and spread the florets on a clean cloth let them dry for over night.
2. Wash and clean carrots and capsicum let them also dry.


3. Next day morning heat oil in a pan add asafoetida and broken red chillies fry for a while then add cauliflower florets stir for one second and switch off the heat.


4. Cut carrot in to small cubes and capsicum in to small cubes.
Add carrot cubes to the pan.



5. Add capsicum cubes to the pan and mix well.


6. Add mustard powder


Add fenugreek powder





7. Then add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well to combine every thing.


8. Finally add lemon juice, garlic cloves mix well to combine every thing.
9. After you mix all ingredients pickle will look like in the up picture.
10. Close with a lid and set a side for one day.
11. After 24 hours check the pickle mix well with a clean spoon and adjust the seasoning.
After 24 hours oil will come on the surface, mix well and store it in a clean jar .
You can leave this pickle out side for two days after two days store it in the fridge .
This pickle will stay good in the fridge for two months.
This pickle will be a very good combination with any parathas specially aloo paratha.....
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#64