Tips for Making Pickles at Home

How to make Pickles at home ? Every Indian home makes Pickles out of Mangoe, Lemon, Cherries and other fruits like Tamrind. There are two types of Pickles - Pickles which can be taken the same day and Pickles which can be preserved. My grandmother used to prepare a type of Pickle called in Oriya, Alasua Achara, literally meaning Idle Pickle. It is prepared out of large sized raw mango, which is cut partially into four pieces, and powder made of spices is forced into it. The Achara is put in a large Jar containing Mustard Oil, and is allowed to season itself under the hot sun. After a few weeks the Alasua Achara is ready. The mango skin becomes as soft as cotton wool.

The Pickles to be taken soon after preparation, whether they are made of mango or lemon, are made differently. Mango or lemon, or both are boiled a bit, and are cut into small pieces. Then Gingeli oil, cut onion and garlic pieces are added to it. Well, the Pickles are ready.

In The Statesman of yesterday, there is an illustrated feature on Oriya Mango Pickles. In Oriya homes, small sized raw mangoes are cut into two halves, and are allowed to dry in the sun, after some curd and salt are added to it. Its local name is Ambula, and it serves as a good additive for cooking several dishes.

Another chery, called Bara Koli is an excellent material for preparing Pickles with Tamrind or Tentuli. The ingredients are mixed with Mustard Oil and al and allowed to be seasoned under the Sun.

Among the branded Pickles, the Bedekars of Maharashtra have a large sector in the Indian and foreign market. There is another product of Nagpur. The story is well known how Ramoji Rao of e/TV Bangla and the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, started his business with preparation and marketing of Pickles and built his empire with diversified interests.

Pickles making is a grandmother's art. In Punjab, many vegetables are added to the Pickles. So, to keep this grandmother's art alive, all the Home Science institutions should encourage the preparation of different varieties of Pickles. Whatever may be the size of an enterprize, it is the product quality which matters. Small is beautiful.

Well pickles are most easily connected with nostalgia and if made badly can lead to nausea. so here are some tips I inherited and some I read.

while making pickles avoid moisture like plague. so if it a mango pickle that you are making dry mango pieces partially in the sun for half a day.

use sea salt. since we are all so health conscious mix normal iodized salt with sea salt which is non iodized and not processed.

use freshly ground chilli powder, mustard etc. this will keep the pickle fresh longer and give a stronger flavour.

for those of my friends with continental taste buds whilst making pickles that use parsley .roast parsley a little and then use as given in the recipe . this as you must have guessed reduces parsleys water content.

for pickles requiring olive oils avoid using extra virgin olive oils as they are very mild and lack flavour as compared to olive oils with husk i.e. non virgin olive oils.also they are less expensive than their virgin counterparts.

follow these tips and let me know how your pickles turn out. actually parcel me those pickles cause I guarantee u ur pickles will be simply the best.

Well I actually wanted to do wome time pass when I happen to see that an opinion is wanted on 'home made pickles'...pickels they remind of the rich spicy aroma coming out of the earthern pot my mum keeps pickles in... she one time used to put these on her own but now with age n all she asks her sister or my father's sister to put for her when do for their families.....

Pickles have been a part of our food for a long long time and its the sweet n sour taste which makes it so very popular amongst all age groups. Can we imagine our daal-roti routine without one!! No ofcourse not.... it simply fills in the gap which no other dish can or ever.

And when we talk about something home-made its not just that they taste diff. from what is available in the market its actually the hard work n love with which are mothers have been making it for the family n especially for their kids!! Sometime sweet sometimes sour and sometimes simply boiled and kept in vinegar.. these savouries are irresistable. They even cure gas problems for some of us... the spices used along with the mustard oil used in home made pickles make them very healthy indeed rather as compared to what we get in bottles outside!

I think I wrote enough ... cheezzz people jao, have fun n enjoy :-)

Elgiva

Uhmm..... I can still remember how I salivate when I just think about curd rice and mango thokku. It is probably one of the most easiest of make......

it is not that you have to eat it with practically anything...

here is the receipe...

Raw Mango - 2

Asafoetida chunk, fried and ground - Small piece

Chilli powder (if extra hot) - 3 tsps.

(if mild Chilli Powder) - 6 tsps.

Methi seeds (to be fried dry. Color should become dark brown, then finely ground) - 2 tsps.

Turmeric - 1 tsp.

Oil - 1/2 cup

Mustard seeds - For seasoning

Method:

Peel the mango skin. Grate the Mango whole, finely. Pressure cook the grated Mango with little Water. Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Add mustard seeds and then add the cooked Mango. Add salt and let it boil for 5 minutes. Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida powder and let it boil for 10 minutes. Add the Chilli powder and let it boil until the mixture starts oozing out oil. Finally add the Methi powder and keep the mixture for about 5 minutes and then turn off the stove. Thokku will turn out well only if the oil starts to ooze out.

As commented by few of my MS friends this is not the right category I have asked MS to put in EASY COOKING BY BACHELORS CATEGORY.

Title: Good review Author: yamraaj

Oct-4-02 6:26 PM

Comment: hi

the review is good and wud have fetched higher rating from me if it had been in right category.

anywayz thanx for the tips, I too know cooking(though not an expert).

king of hell

yamraaj

Title: Burp! Author: dazzlingpiscean

Oct-4-02 7:27 PM

Comment: Hi Alpa!

The review is fantastic but I guess, instead of giving information about ’’Tips for making pickles at home’’(General tips), you wrote about your favorite recipes(And, it seems very delicious too).

Keep writing & take care.

Bye & cheers,

Azhar.

Pickles is nummy,

Pickles is sweet,

They makes me shiver,

Right down to my feet.

They taste so good,

And they look so green,

So go eats a pickle,

And sees what I mean.

When it touches your tongue,

Lectricity's felt,

Now your cheeks are pulled in,

As if tied by a belt.

Your eyes are half shut,

Your mouth in a kiss,

Quick run to a mirror,

You'll wanna see this.

Your face is tied up,

Your cheeks are all blue,

You cant spit it out,

You must sees it through.

You feels a mite dizzy,

Like your rocked in a boat,

Its fighting that thing,

In the back of your throat.

You might wanna stop,

But one thing to do,

Gotta swallow that piece,

You dont even chew.

For all this to happen,

In the width of a blink,

You look at your pickle,

And then you must think.

The feeling has passed ,

You can now feel your feet,

You smile at your pickle,

Cause,

PICKLES IS NEAT!

I learned the rite of the Dill Crock from a writer friend of mine. The results are as memorable as he promised they would be. Making it has become as significant a part of summer for me as fireflies or shooting stars and fireworks. The aroma of the dill bouquet fills my kitchen every year about this time, and although my crock is smaller than the giant one my friend had, it does the job just fine. My sister found it for me; it’s a gallon sized one in a muddy colored salt glaze with a blue line ‘round the top.

A pickle crock is something the settlers of the USA used to pickle vegetables. It's fired and glazed pottery jar that holds from one quart to five gallons depending on size. To Make the brine you need to figure out how big your crock is. If you can fill it with a four quarts of water, then figure 4 cups to a quart and proceed, leaving enough room for the dill and whatever vegetables you want to use. Use 10 parts of water to 3/4 part of salt and then a scant 1/4 measure of vinegar (I like cider vinegar). Whatever the size, just use the measurements above and you should have no problems.

Pour the brine into your crock and add a good supply of fresh dill and a few cloves of fresh garlic, but don’t use too much. Now add whatever fresh vegetables your garden, green market or grocery store has been able to supply you with. Pack the veggies in layers with a little dill and a clove or so of garlic in between each layer.

When the green markets here are in full swing, I come home with bags full of fresh produce. I have fresh baby carrots, snap peas, spring onions (red and white), garlic, and best of all, fresh dill and baby green and wax beans. My favorites are the beans (par-boiled just a minute or so to get the fuzz off). I also add tiny spring onions, baby carrots and those snap peas. Cauliflower pieces, cucumber chunks, or little finger sized pickles and small green tomatoes are great, too. You can experiment with a handful of well-washed grape or cherry leaves if you have access to them.

Put a plate on top of the last layer to keep everything submerged. Let everything soak for a few days - the longer the better. As the aroma of the Dill Crock fills your kitchen, it will be hard to keep from digging you hand in to have a taste. Be patient, the wait is worth it. The beans come out crisp and tangy with the taste of dill. They are in NO way anything like those horrible Dilly Beans that flooded the market a few years back.

I even make a sandwich of them. You take two pieces of good white bread (something with some body, not that cottony stuff), spread them with mayonnaise and line some dill beans up on the surface. Cut the sandwich in half and take it out to the hammock you just put up in the back yard. A bowl of these vegetables on the table at dinner is nice, and I often visit this big, restorative vessel in the middle of a hot summer night when I can't sleep.

Hello Divya, this is in reponse to your request, regarding the ingredients needed for preparing the mango pickle. I am sure, there are some more people, who would like to know that. So, here I am with the tasty info! Just giving the ingredients to make the pickle will not complete the review. Hence, I am also going to give you the recipe for the pickle. Hope this is helpful to everybody.

Ingredients needed:

4 medium sized raw mangoes

25 grams Mustard powder

50 grams Red chilli powder

10 grams Iodised salt ( adjust to your taste)

10 grams Fenugreek ( Methi seeds - Venthium in Tamil)

Oil 1/2 cup ( preferably sesame seed oil)

Whole chick peas , peeled garlic flakes ( optional)

Method:

First, you have to wash the raw mangoes in water and dry them with a clean cloth. Then, you can cut them into 1-2 inches sized pieces. Remove the seed and clean the cut pieces with dry cloth again.

In a big bowl, mix the mustard powder, red chilli powder, salt and fenugreek seeds together. Add 1/2 a cup of oil and mix well.

Take a few mango pieces at a time and coat them well with the prepared mixture. Put them in a big ceramic jar. Repeat this till all the mango pieces are over. If there is any remaining mixture, it can be added on top of the mangoes. You can pour one inch oil above it and cover with a tight lid. You can also tie a neat clean cloth over it to store it.

On the third day, open it, and mix it well. This is the time to check for salt. You can taste the pickle and add more salt , if it needs to be added. If you wish to add garlic flakes or chick peas, you can do that now. In that case, you need to add extra oil. This pickle, made with sour mangoes tastes really good! Enjoy your hot mango pickle, with cold yogurt rice!

Few Tips:

1) You need to use a ceramic jar, clean and dry with a proper lid. You can store in clean bottles as well. Don't store the pickle in plastic containers.

2) Mangoes should be cleaned and dried well. There should not be any dampness.

3)The quantity is more on the day it is prepared. On the fourth day, the level comes down. You have to mix it thoroughly. Mixing in a big jar makes it easy. Then, you can transfer the pickle to smaller jars or bottles.