Pickles & Chutney recipes from Ismail Merchant's Indian Cuisine

[Sprite-1]

All the recipes in this topic are from my late mum's treasured cookbook, Ismail Merchant Indian Cuisine, published by Futura Publications 1986. As time allows I will post new recipes here.

Sweet Peach Chutney
(or Sweet Piglet Julie's Chutney)

NOTE. Alcohol is used so please ask your parent's permission if you are underage.

'This sweet chutney is great when used as a compliment to main dishes or to top ice cream as a dessert.'

Prep and cooking time: about 3 hours, plus cooling. Makes about 5 x 750ml/1 1/4 pt jars

4.5kg/10lb firm ripe peaches
2 cinnamon sticks
225ml/8 fl oz medium-dry sherry
6 cardamom pods
450g/1lb sugar
150g/5oz raisins
125ml/4fl oz lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond essence

Heat a large saucepan of water to the boil and remove from heat. Drop in 8 - 12 peaches, leave for 1 minute, then remove 1 peach and peel off the skin and set it aside. Repeat with the other peaches in the water.

Continue soaking the rest of the peaches, a few at a time, in the hot water, reheating if necessary, peeling and setting them aside.

Halve and stone the peaches, then chop the flesh.

Combine the peaches, cinnamon, sherry, cardamom pods, sugar, raisins, lemon juice and almond essence in a large saucepan or preserving pan. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce the heat and simmer over a medium-low heat for 2 hours or until the mixture becomes very thick, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat, if necessary, to prevent burning.

When the chutney is cool enough, transfer it to clean dry glass or ceramic jars and cover with non-metallic, airtight lids. Store in a cool dark place*

*Not the fridge, I add. Fridges do nothing for the glorious taste of chutneys and pickles and will ruin their flavour.

[Sprite-1]

Parveen's tomato chutney

Parveen ki tamatar chutni

Preparation and cooking time: 3 - 3 1/2 hours
Makes about 425ml/15 fl oz chutney.

1.6kg/3 1/2 lb tomatoes
425ml/15fl oz white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
25g/1 oz raisins
5cm/2in fresh ginger root, finely grated
1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
8 cloves
6 - 8 black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, broken in pieces
125g/4oz sugar
2 teaspoons chilli powder

Wash the tomatoes, shake them dry and put them in a large saucepan with 350ml/12 fl oz vinegar and salt. Cover and heat them until the vinegar boils, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the tomatoes become just tender, 8 - 10 minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the pan with a slotted spoon and set them aside.

Meanwhile, soak the raisins in the remaining vinegar for at least 3o minutes.

Mix the ginger, garlic and ground cumin to a fine paste, mix in the cumin seeds and reserve.

Pound the cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon together in a pestle and mortar.

Put the tomatoes in a dry saucepan, add the sugar and place over a medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar melts, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic paste and the clove mixture to the pan, then stir in the raisins and their cooking liquid and the chilli powder. Cover and cook for 2 hours or until the mixture is thick.

Remove the pan from the heat, add salt if necessary, and allow the chutney to cool completely.

Transfer the chutney to clean glass or ceramic jars and cover with non-metallic lids. Store in a cool, dark place.

[Everglow.]

These sound really good! I'm not a big fan of sweet and savoury flavours together so I usually ditch the chutney, but the tomato one sounds like it could be quite nice. Thanks for sharing.

[Dawn.]

Thank you for sharing and I would love to try it out!

[Sprite-1]

Originally Posted by Dusk.

Thank you for sharing and I would love to try it out!

Originally Posted by Everglow.

These sound really good! I'm not a big fan of sweet and savoury flavours together so I usually ditch the chutney, but the tomato one sounds like it could be quite nice. Thanks for sharing.

Hollie and Dusk, that Parveen's will mellow out after about a fortnight and longer, but after you've made it, the tomato chutney will taste fiery! Leave it for a while and I promise it will vastly improve, its flavour deepening. And when you do make it, use the ripest, reddest tomatoes.

[Sprite-1]

Here are three I typed earlier!

Cauliflower Pickle (which is delicious)

Phool gobi ka aachar

Prep and cooking time, 10 mins plus 1 week maturing. Makes about 425ml/15fl oz pickle.

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
1 green chilli (seeded optional) and finely chopped
5 - 10 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
275ml/10 fl oz vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
5cm/2in peeled fresh ginger, coarsely grated
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I prefer extra-virgin olive oil for the flavour)

Put all the ingredients and 275ml/10 fl oz vinegar into a large glass jar or jars and top with non-metallic lids. Shake to mix well and allow the pickle to mature for 1 week in a cool, dark place. (I shake the jars every day)

======================

Ginger Pickle

Adrak ka achaar

Prep and cooking time, 10 mins plus 1 week maturing.

8 x 10cm/4in fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
850ml/1½ pt distilled or white wine vinegar (I prefer white wine vinegar)
275ml/10 fl oz mustard oil (available from Asian grocer shops)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
12 garlic cloves, peels and halved lengthways
½ tablespoon salt
6 green chillis

Put all the ingredients into a large glass jar or jars and top with non-metallic lids. Shake to mix well. Allow the pickle to mature for one week in a cool, dark place, shaking occasionally.

================

Spicy carrot hors d'oevre

Gajjar ka achaar

(Carrots done this way are delicious nibbles)
Prep time, 5 - 10 minutes, plus chilling

6 medium-sized carrots
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (I prefer extra-virgin olive oil for flavour)
1 - 1½ teaspoons chilli powder
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

Cut the carrots length-ways into sticks, then halve them once and place them into a bowl.

Whisk the oil, chilli powder, caraway seeds, lemon juice and salt together.

Pour the mixture over the carrot sticks, toss it well in and refrigerate. Serve chilled, sprinkled if wished, with chopped fresh dill. Keeps refrigerated, covered, up to one week.

[Liqued]

Thank you for the info.