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.