Royal pickle - Radish, green peas and Lapsi

Tihar Special

When I was child this pickle used to be the most part of the festival during Dashain as well as Tihar. No wonder, this really has lasted in my mind. The woman who used to make it used take time of her own when she made it and never making a mistake in its taste. No wonder, we used to like it so much, even today after decades of eating it, it has lasting in my mind which thinks without this pickle the biggest festival wears a faded look. Here I go, as I remember the woman named Chandra didi used to make it.

Ingredients : 

Radish : 700 grams

Green Peas           : 300 grams [small or big but soaked overnight ]

Lapsi                  : 200 grams

Green chili           : 100 grams

Garlic                : 6 big cloves

Ginger               : one big piece
Dry long red chili : 5 - 6 nos
Salt                  : As per taste
Turmeric powder : Half teaspoon
Fenugreek         : One teaspoon
Mustard  Oil      : Two tablespoon

How to convert all these ingredients into pickles ?

• Boil lapsi in a pan with lid on for 10-12 minutes only. When its skin opens up gas off and keep it aside for some time to cool down.
• Clean and cut the radish in long shape.
• Chop green chili in round shape but not too thin.
• Mash the lapsi when it's still warm. You get more of gooey mass of the lapsi if you mash it when it's still warm. Use some water if you want to get more of the mass out of lapsi pulp.
• Separate the pit from the lapsi and throw it.
• If, I mean if only; you consider yourself royal remove the skin out of it. However, I, not being a royal and lover of tangy taste of lapsi, I keep it in pickle.
• Put all the ingredients in a steel bowl a mix it well.
• Peel off the garlic and ginger.
• Make a paste of it and put it on top of the mixed radish.
• spread the turmeric powder on top of the garlic and ginger paste.
• Heat a pan and pour oil in it.
  When its hot enough put fenugreek seeds on it.
• When the fenugreek seeds turns total black and oil starts smoking off, pour the super hot oil on the center of the radish, peas and lapsi mixture. When you pour it make sure you target it on turmeric, ginger and garlic paste.
• Cover it for about a minute or two.
• Now, mix all the ingredients one last time properly. This time you have to make sure the turmeric color is spread on every ingredients.

Now, your royal pickle is ready !

Warning :

1. The good scent might seduce you so much that you want to finish it all in one sitting.  
2. This is fresh pickle but if you put it in refrigerator with tight lid jar it can be used for about a month.

Royal Pickle Alloo, Peas and Lapsi

    
Dashain and Tihar Special

There are plenty of ways to make potatoes and peas pickles but I yet have to taste the one which is any better than the one I am talking about. I call this royal pickle because a woman who used to work in palace introduce it to my platter. Her name was Chandra Didi.

Ingredients

Potatoes [Alloo] : 600 grams

Green peas    : 300 grams [ overnight soaked ]

Lapsi : 150 grams

Green chili : 100 grams

Sesame seeds  : 50 grams

Red chili powder : one teaspoon
dry red chili : 5 - 6 pece

Salt : as per taste

Turmeric powder : half teaspoon

Fenugreek : one teaspoon

Mustard or : three tablespoon

sunflower Oil

How to convert all these ingredients into pickles ?

• Boil lapsi in a pan with lid on for 10-12 minutes only. When its skin opens up gas off and keep it aside for some time to cool down.
• Boil medium size round potatoes in a pressure cooker on medium heat. 3 whistle and gas off. Let it aside to cool down also.
• Once the potatoes cools down, peel its skin and then cut each one into four piece.
• Put the cut potatoes into another clean and dry bowl.
• Chop green chili in round shape but not too thin.
• Mash the lapsi when it's still warm but you can work on it. You get more of gooey part of the lapsi if you mash it when it's still warm. Use some water if you need to get more of object. Separate the pit from the lapsi and if you want to separate the skin of it this is also fine. However, I keep the skin of it in pickle.
• Roast sesame seeds and grind it make its paste.
• Put all the ingredients in a bowl and then mix it.
• Make a paste of garlic and ginger and put it on top of the mixed potatoes.
• Heat the oil in a pan and put fenugreek seek on it.
• When the fenugreek seeds turns total black and oil starts smoking off, add red chili on it. as its dry so it will burn fast.
• Pour the super hot oil on the center of the peas and potatoes mixture. When you pour it make sure you target it on turmeric which is on the center of the pickle.
• Cover it for a minutes.
• Now mix all the ingredients one last time properly. This time you have to make sure the turmeric color spread well on every ingredients.

Now, your pickle is ready !

Note : This is fresh pickle but if you put it in refrigerator with tight lid it can be used for about a month.

Fresh Coriander Pickles

Coriander is available almost around the year in Nepal. It is one of the most used herbs in our foods. People loves it for it's nice scent. So, we should not be surprised if it's widely used for multiple purpose. Some prefer to sprinkle it in every other meal and some prefer it on easy pickle when we are feeling not so enthusiast to cook.  Its pickles is one of the most used in our society as its one of the most easy pickle to make. Some people call pasty pickles like this chutney  instead of pickles. Once a gourmet friend of mine tried to convince me the difference between chutney and pickles. Chutney is when, you dip your finger in it and then lick your finger but pickles is you can take a bite of a piece of it.

Ingredients :

Coriander leaves : Handful of  [ an adult women’s hand ]

Garlic   : 2 cloves

Green chili : 3 nos

Cumin seeds : Half tea spoon

Salt : As per the taste

Dried lapsi skin : one teaspoon

Or Lemon juice : one medium size lemon’s juice

How to make pickles out of these ingredients ?

• Clean coriander leaves and chili.
• Peel garlic.
• Put green coriander leaves, chili, cumin dust, garlic and salt into the mixture.
• Switch on the mixture just for about 20 seconds.
• Squeeze lemon juice on the  paste and then mix it with a spoon.
• Pour it on the bowl.

Now, your pickle is ready.  

Mixed Pickle of tomatoes

Tomato pickles, as you know; is inseparable part of Nepali food, without this no meal in Nepali kitchen is complete. Good news is tomatoes are available around the year. Even better news is there is more ways than one to eat and enjoy this delicious fruit in our meal. here we give you one more variety of tomato pickles.

Ingredients :

Tomatoes : One kg

White radish : 100 grams

Cauliflower : 100 grams

Ginger : 100 grams

Garlic : 100 grams

Hot green chili : 10 nos

Red chili powder : two teaspoon

Turmeric powder : two teaspoon

Salt : as per taste [ two tablespoon ]

Mustard oil : half cup [ 200 ML]

Sugar : two teaspoon

Lemon juice : one

Glass jar : two kg capacity clean & dry

How to make a bottled tomatoes pickles ?

• Clean all the tomatoes and cut each into four piece.
• Clean and skin the radish before you chop it in small pieces.
• Wash cauliflower and chop it into small pieces.
• Peel and chop ginger and garlic also in small pieces.
• Clean and cut chili into pieces.
• Take a big steel bowl, put all the cut vegetables and other spices into it.
• Put oil also in the bowl and mix everything.
• Put it in clean and dry bottle.
• Keep it under sun for a day and keep it in cool and dry place for about a week.

Now your pickle is ready.

The recipe is shared by Ramina Bajracharya. She is a fashion designer, a mother,  a housewife and food lover herself. She belongs to Newar community, who are known for their culinary art as they have mastered the art to tease the taste buds of gourmet.