Chayote Pickle

Chayote is a climber plant and here in Nepal we call this Iskoos not chayote like you do in that part of the world. When it grows, it grows in abundance that some may get lost what So, all you can do with so much of this  and the best way to manage the abundance of it, is to convert it into a pickle. All vegetables can be converted in pickle but not all pickle will be as good as Chayote pickle. It can be boiled, preserved or cooked. This Chayote pickle is cooked than the boiled method we have posted before. 

Ingredients : 

Chayote ( Iskus)                            :  500 grams

Salt                                              :  As per the taste 

green chili                                    :  4 - 5 pieces

sesame seeds                                :  One ablespoon

Lemon                                          :  One

Turmeric powder                          :  1/2 tea spoon

Fenugreek seeds                           :  Half teaspoon

Oil                                               :   Two tablespoon 

How to convert it into a tasty pickle ?

• Clean and cut Chayote (Iskus) in 1 or 1.25 inch thickness in size.
• Clean chili and chop it finely.
• roast and grind the sesame powder.
• Heat oil in a Karai and put fenugeek seeds on it.
• Wait until its color turns golden brown.
• Put green chili, Chayote, turmeric powder and salt on the karai.
• Saute it for some time or until it cooks.
• It should cook only about 80% not 100 %.
• Gas off.
• Put the sesame powder and squeeze lemon juice on the half cooked chayote mixture.

Now, your pickle is ready !

This recipe is prepared as told by Poonam Dhakhwa. She is a Co-owner of a Boutique named RD Chahat, which is in Durbar Marg. She is a designer, mother of two girls and a food connoisseur herself. She comes from a Newar community, who are well known for their culinary art as they have mastered the art to tease the taste buds of  gourmet.

Sweet Mango Pickle

Mango is one of the fruit which grows abundantly in Nepal and India. it is said that India grows the highest number of this fruit but Thailand also is very famus for some of the variety of this fruit. If we keep aside what is our personal favorite fruit, this fruit is also known as a king of fruit; not just for the taste but the kind of health benefit it bears with it. Mango being sour when its unripe so is one of the most commonly used fruit here to make pickles. There are plenty of ways to make pickles out of this fruit  and this is just one of the method.

Ingredient :

Ripe Mango                      : One kg [1000 grams]

Sugar                               : 500 grams

Turmeric                          :  1/2 reaspoon

Oil                                   :  half cup

anisseed                          :  one teaspoon

red chilli                         :  two table spoon

salt                                 : as per taste

How to covert it into a tasty pickle ?

• Peel the mango and chop it finely.
• Heat oil  in a heavy pan and put anise seed on it. 
• Wait until it turns golden brown in color.
• Low down the gas and then add sugar. Stir it a d let it melt down. 
• Add chili powder, and turmeric and stir it slightly.
• Now add the finely chopped mango and let it simmer in the sugar mixture for about  8 -  10 minutes.                                     

Now, your pickle is ready.


Note : This is fresh pickle which can be eaten immediately when it cools down but at the same time you can also store it for future use.

Anita Maharjan is a housewife and mother of two boys. She used to work before she became mother. She belongs to Patan area, population of which is dominated by Newars. Kathmandu is the valley where Newars have gained the reputation as people who are food connoisseur. They love to tease food at its best; so that it will delight your taste bud. 

Radish and Tomatoes pickle

I may have told you before that we have more than a dozen ways to make radish pickle. It should not surprise anyone if each pickle of radish taste so vert much different than the one we just tasted. One of the good news of radish is, that now a days we can buy it in market around the year. And its cost is so affordable also. Now, is the main season of radish so why not use our time and make one to welcome the season in real sense.  

Ingredients :

Radish                        :  half kg [ 500 grams ] 

Red tomatoes             :  One Kg [1000 grams ]

Green Chilies              :  100 grams

Salt                            :  As per the taste

ginger                         :  one big stub

garlic                          :  5 - 6 cloves

fenugreek seeds          :  half teaspoon

turmeric powder         :  one teaspoon

mustard oil                 :  half cup

How to convert all these ingredients into a pickle ?

• Cut radish in long shape or cubicle shape.
• Boil it with slight turmeric to bring color to it 
• Boil tomatoes also in a separate pan. 
• Once its boiled remove the skin of it and then put it in the mixture and then run the machine. Then strain it on the sieve.
• Clean and chop the green chili.
• Heat oil on heavy pan and burn fenugreek seeds on it.
• Put the thinly sliced garlic and ginger.
• Add chopped green chili on the pan.
• Put turmeric powder on it and stir it slightly.
• Now add boiled radish as well as tomatoes thin paste on it. 
• Put salt on it
• Let it shimmer for abot 5 - 8 minutes.
• Let it cool down before you serve it or eat it hot as you wish.

Now, your pickle is ready !

You can eat it with rice, beaten rice or roti [ flat bread], hot or cool choice is yours.

This recipe is prepared as told by Poonam Dhakhwa. She is a Co-owner of a Boutuque named RD Chahat, which is in Durbar Marg. She is a designer, mother of two girls and a food connoisseur herself. She comes from a Newar community, who are well known for their culinary art as they have mastered the art to tease the taste buds of  gourmet.

Potatoes and Carrot pickle

There are plenty of ways to eat potatoes  and how people consume it differ country to country or more precisely community to community. I would like to say that Nepal is the place where people love to make pickle of almost everything. One such vegetable to make a tasty and delicious pickle is Potatoes and carrot. Potatoes  and Carrot together as a pickle is perfect combination, for its color and health reason as well.

Ingredients : 

Potatoes                        :      500 grams

carrot                            :      200 grams

green peas - small          :     100 grams  - soaked overnight

Lapsi                              :     100 grams

salt                                :     as per taste

Chili powder                   :     one teaspoon

Hot green chili                :     5 nos

dry red chili                    :     3 nos

green coriander              :     few leaves [ Optional ]

Sesame                          :     two table spoon

Turmeric powder            :    half teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds             :     half teaspoon

Mustard oil                     :     two table spoon

How to convert all these ingredients into a pickle ?

• you should soak peas for over night.
• Clean potatoes and boil it.
• After that keep it aside to cool down.
• Boil lapsi also and let it cool down.
• once potatoes cools down then peel it and then chop one piece into four.
• Clean carrot and chop it in thin and long shape.
• remove the skin and mass lapsi when its still hot, so that you can get the most of the gooey parts out of the pulp.
• then remove the seeds out of it before you put it in the mix of carrot and potatoes.
• Roast sesame seeds and grind it so that you can get its powder. put this also in the bowl of pickle.
• Put salt , chili powder and green chili and then mix everything in the bowl now.
• Heat the oil on the pan and put fenugreek seeds on it.
• When the fenugreek seeds becomes black, put the dry chili on it and then turmeric powder.
• Now pour it over the mixture on the bowl.
• if you like you can sprinkle green coriander on top of it and then serve.

Now your pickle is ready !

Lapsi Pickle

Lapsi is very sour and acidic fruit which is best to make pickle during its season. Because this is lapsi season [ October till December] so, lets enjoy one more variety of lapsi pickle. This variety will be better for those who do not like sweet lapsi pickle. Mostly youngsters  love it for its tangy and acidic taste. This variety of pickle is very easy and simple to make which takes about fifteen minutes only. You can eat all or share with family choice is yours. 

Ingredients :

Lapsi           : 100 grams

Chili            : 2-3 nos

Salt             : as per the taste

Sugar          : One big teaspoon

Timur         : 5 piece only [ optional ]

How to convert all these ingredients into a pickle ? 

• Clean and boil lapsi on medium heat gas for 10 - 12 minutes.
• Onces its skin opens up then keep it aside for about five to seven minutes.
• When its mild hot then mash it using fork or your hand. this needs to mashed up when its still hot enough so that you can get the most gooey object out of the pulp.You can add handful of water to make it more gravy.
• Grind chili, timur, sugar and salt using mixture.
• Pour all the mixture in the bowl where lapsi is alrady in massed form then mix it well.

Now your pickle is ready.

Potatoes pickle

Potatoes pickles are very much common in Nepal when there is special day in family. There are plenty of ways to make its pickle and then enjoy it as per the time and mood. If you are health concision and avoiding potatoes fearing it might make you fat then keep in mind that boiled potatoes do not add extra pound in your body its only that you should stay away from fried potatoes for that matter.

What ingredients will you need to make a potato pickle that wins the heart of of people who will be at the guest list ? Here I go with the ingredients :

Potatoes                       :        One kg [ 1000 grams]

Green chilies                :        5 - 6 
Salt                              :        As per the taste

Sesame seeds               :        Four tablespoons white

Lemon                          :        Two medium size

Turmeric powder          :        1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds           :        1/2 teaspoon

Mustard Oil                   :        Two tablespoons

How can you convert it into a delicious and tasty pickle ?

• Clean potatoes and boil it. if you do it in a pressure cooker it will be done in three whistle. After that keep it aside to cool.
• Peel it and cut it into four and six pieces according to the size of potatoes. Put it into a big bowl.
• Put salt, squeeze lemon juice over the potatoes and keep it aside.
• Roast sesame seeds on a dry hot pan until most of it pops up. Stir it constantly so that the fragile seeds wont burn out.
• Once its done put it in the mixture to grind. if need be add some water to
  make a fine paste out of it.
• Clean chilies and chop it.
• Add sesame paste and chili  into a bowl.  And mix it well.
• Now heat a pan and then put a fenugreek seeds on it then wait until its color becomes total black in other word burn it and then gas off.
• Put turmeric on the hot oil and pour it over the bowl where all the pickle mix is kept.
• Put the lid on the bowl for a minute or two.
• Now mix everything for one more time. 

Now your pickle is ready !

Sweet and Sour Lapsi Pickle

Lapsi is available in the market from October till December. I have heard that this is rare fruit which is available only in Nepal. Because, I have never been in other part of the world, so; I am going to believe that what I have heard until other people come claiming they have seen it grow in their part of the world. Keeping aside the availability part of it, this is the fruit which can be used for many purposes like candy, sauce, pickle.  

We love it whatever form or taste it comes to our table. Lapsi Titaura is another very famous finger food here in Nepal. However, people love it mostly coated or added sugar in any form. Had this fruit been found in other part of the world like US or UK, they would have made jam out of it, but we are Nepali and have the taste bud for tasty and delicious pickle and we love pickle of all kind. Not surprisingly, we only know how to make pickle out of it.

What you need to  Sweet Lapsi Pickles ?

Ingredients 

Lapsi                          :  One and half kg [ 1500 gram]
Green Chili                 :  200 gram
Sugar                         :  One kg [1000 gram]

Sea Salt                      :  Two teaspoon
Black [rock ] Salt        :  Two teaspoon
Annis seeds [Sauf]      :  One teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds        :  Half teaspoon
Turmeric powder        :  Half teaspoon
sunflower oil               : 3-4 table spoon [100 ml]


How to convert these ingredients into a pickle ?

• Clean Lapsi and then boil it for about 10 - 12 minutes only. Its a very soft fruit so its skin cracks up very fast.  When you boil it put only one cup of water [ 275 ml ] on it and a teaspoon of sea salt. You can use that water later on when you mash the pulp.
• Keep it aside once its skin opens up.
• Clean green chilies and put it in mixture to make fine paste.
• Once lapsi cools down then mash it using fork or your hand. If you do not like its pit then you can remove it. But, let me tell you, you may like to suck its pit when you enjoy the sweet pickle. If you consider yourself royal then you can also remove the skin of it. However, I like the taste of it in any form so I keep it on my pickle.
• In another pan heat oil. Put fenugreek seeds on it, when its color is brown then add annis seeds [ Sauf ] and wait until both color is golden brown.
• Add green chili in the pan and stir it for about  three minutes.
• Add all the sugar in it and stir it until it melts well.
• Add the mashed lapsi on it. Stir it well and mix properly with the suger and chillies.
• Cook it for about ten to fifteen minutes, so that all the sugar and salt will enter into the soft and sour lapsi pulp.
• After that gas off and keep the lid on until it cools down.

Now, your Sweet lapsi pickle is ready !

 

Note : 

1. use the hard anodized cookware to cook sour and acidic fruit. other metal vessel are not suitable for sour fruit like lapsi, lemon or amala.  
2. This is a fresh pickle which can be ready to eat once its cooked but you can also put it in glass or plastic bottle. 
3. Unlike other pickles its not something you can enjoy with rice.  You can enjoy this tasty and delicious pickle when you feel sleepy during day time. 
4. Do you know you can make a different pickle using only the skin of this sour and tangy fruit ? go ahead and try this one.  

Sweet Amala Pickle

Amala [ goose berry ] is very very rich in vitamin C and iron. Its really good for cold. Some ancient Indian medicine puts amala in very high list for its good health benefits. Consumption of this also good for your throat and hair also. It is believed that this strengthen your hair and it also makes our hair black and strong. 

 
This small sour, acidic fruit is available in the market during the month of October and November. Its time in the market is very short I mean one day you see it and next time you go looking for it you cant find it in the market. So, when you see it buy it and enjoy making its pickle and preserve it as much as you can.

Ingredients 

Amala                       :  two kg [ 2000 gram]
Green Chili                :  200 gram
Sugar                        :  1000 gram
Annis seed [Sauf]      :  two teaspoon
Fenugreek Seed        :  one teaspoon
Sea Salt                     :  two teaspoon
Black [rock ] Salt       :  one and half teaspoon 
Turmeric powder       :  Half teaspoon
sunflower oil              :  2-3 table spoon [ 75 ml]


How to convert these ingredients into a pickle ?

• Clean Amala and boil it  in a pressure cooker. When you hear one whistle then put gas on low heat and after another two whistle gas off. When you boil it put only one cup of water [ 275 ml ] on it and a teaspoon of sea salt. 
• Mash it with fork or you can use your hand too. 
• Remove pits from it, if you do not like its pit. But, if like to suck its pit when you enjoy the sweet pickle when you are working on your computer or basking in the sun.
• Clean and chop green chilies. You can make its paste also.
• In another pan heat oil. Put fenugreek seeds on it, when its color is light brown then add annis seeds [ Sauf ] and wait until both color turns into golden brown. Darker the better.
• Put turmeric powder in it.
• Add green chili in the pan and stir it for about three minutes.
• Add sugar in it and stir it properly until it melts well.
• Add the mashed amala in it.
• Cook it for about ten minutes with lid on, so that; Amala soaks all the sugar and salt into it. 

Now your Sweet Amala pickle is ready !

Note : 

1. When you cook it use hard anodized cookware instead of other metal vessel. Sour and acidic fruit are not good in all type of metal to cook.
2. This is a fresh pickle which can be ready to eat once its cools down but you can also put it in bottle and use it for about a month. 
3. Unlike other pickles this not something you can enjoy with rice. You can enjoy this tasty and delicious pickle when you work in computer or bask in the sun or feel sleepy during day time. 

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.