Spicy Mixed Vegetable Pickle /सब्जियों का चटपटा अचार (Less oily nutritious vegetable pickle)

Mixed Vegetable pickle

Spicy Mixed Vegetable Pickle

Vegetables are the source of most of the vitamins, and minerals. Carrots, Cauliflower, Turnip and Radish are rich in vitamin A, Potassium, and sulfur. These vegetables are available in plenty and are very juicy in winter season, so they can be made to pickle and enjoyed in off season also. Once you have this pickle you will want to make it when red juicy carrots are available in the market. Children also love this pickle and eat all these vegetables without any cribbing. One of the best way of making children eat vegetables. My children demand for this pickle is never ending, so even when red carrots are not available I make it with Rabbit carrots (Orange carrots). The mustard present in it has medicinal value also, as it is good for blood circulation. The pickle being less oily can also be taken by those suffering from high cholesterol and heart problem also but in moderate amount.

Preparation Time: 30 min.

Making Time: 60 min.

Serving: Makes 500 gm Pickle ( Approximately)

Ingredients Required for Making Vegetable Pickle:

• 3-4 Medium size Carrots (250 gm.)

Carrots

•  2-3 Medium size Turnips (250gm.)

Turnips

• 2-3 Medium size Radishes (250 gm.)

Radish

• 250 gm. Cauliflower

• 50gm. Mustard seeds ((n case yellow mustard seeds are available then use them in preference to black mustard seeds)

• 4-5 Whole Red Chilies

• 50-75 gm. Jaggery

• 10 gm. Red chili Powder

Red Chili Powder

• 10gm. Kashmiri mirchi Powder

Kashmiri mirchi Powder

• 1 Tea spoon Turmeric powder

• Salt to taste

• 50ml. Cooking oil (Mustard oil / Ground nut oil), 20 ml. Vinegar

• Water 

Direction for Making Vegetable Pickle:

• Remove the leaves of carrot, turnip and radish.

Carrot Pieces

Turnip Pieces

Radish Pieces

• Clean nicely with lots of water.

• Cut each to 4-5 cm. long and half a centimeter thick pieces.

• Clean and wash cauliflower nicely and cut to long florets.

Cauliflower florets

• Take 500 ml. water in a container add 10 ml. Vinegar, 2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.

• Keep the container on high heat and boil it.

• When water starts boiling, put carrot, turnip and radish pieces and boil for just 2 min., with occasional stirring.

• The vegetable pieces should become bit soft to touch and will change the color.

Carrot, Turnip and Radish pieces being boiled

• Remove the vegetables from water and allow them to cool.

• Add florets of cauliflower in the same boiling water and boil for 2 min. with occasional stirring.

Cauliflower florets being boiled

• The cauliflower florets will change color but remain firm to touch.

• Remove cauliflower florets from water; drain any water if left in cauliflower florets.

• Keep all boiled vegetables together under the sun for 30min. if the sunlight is strong and 60 min. if the sunlight is weak.

Boiled Vegetables

• While the excess moisture of the vegetables is evaporating under the sun grind the mustard seeds to coarse powder.

Mustard seeds Powder

•  Break jaggery to small pieces.

• Take thick bottom wok put oil in it and heat on high flame.

Oil heated in wok

• When the oil becomes hot, put 4-5 whole red chilies and mustard seed powder.

Whole Red Chili added to Hot oil

Mustard powder added to the oil

• Cook for one min. and immediately add all boiled vegetables.

• Mix thoroughly and cook for one min.

Boiled vegetables added and mixed thoroughly

• Add red chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder and salt and mix nicely.

Chili powder, Kashmiri mirchi powder, salt added to the vegetables

spices mixed to the boiled vegetables and being cooked

• Add 50 ml. Vinegar  and mix nicely.

• Add 10 ml. Vinegar, jaggery and mix.

Vinegar and jaggery added to vegetables and spices

• Cook for just one minute. Switch off the heat. Let it cool.

Vegetables being cooked in vinegar and spices

Mixed Vegetable Pickle Ready to be cooled

• Remove from gas.

• Allow it to cool.

Mixed Vegetable Pickle ready to be bottled

• Bottle it in a dry glass bottle.

Mixed Vegetable Pickle

•  Enjoy the pickle throughout the year with pulav, http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/12/matar-pulav-rrice-with-peas-main-dish.html, http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/12/vegetable-pulavrice-cooked-with.html, Roti etc.

• This ever green pickle can be taken in any meal as side dish.

Tips:

• The amount of jaggery, salt, chili can be increased or decreased according to personal taste.

• This recipe pickle will be slightly on the sweeter side along with tangy taste, the quantity of jaggery can be reduced if you prefer less sweet taste.

• The vegetables be just little soft to touch after boiling. If they are boiled to too much softness the pickle will not taste good, also all nutritive value of vegetables will be lost.

• Even if one or the other vegetable are not available vegetable pickle can yet be made.

•  If you prefer less tangy taste decrease mustard seeds to 75gm.

• Never boil cauliflower with turnip and radish.

• Reduce the quantity of jaggery if  turnip and radish are not being put in pickle
• Use dry utensils and dry bottle for pickle..

Suggested Variations:

• Boiled pieces of beet root can also be added. It will not only give a wonderful color to pickle but increase its nutritive value.

• Boiled peas can also be added in the pickle along with rest of the vegetables.

• Clean chick peas (chole) and add before bottling, after some days they will soak the juices of pickle and swell up and taste wonderful.

• Hing (asafoetida) can be added to hot oil along with other spices to change the flavor of pickle.
• Instead of par boiling the vegetables they can be steamed. Steaming retains the nutrients, color and texture better than par boiling. 

For steaming vegetables fill a wok /pan to half of it's capacities. Place vegetables in a sieve. Place sieve with vegetables on the wok /pan as such that it remains above water. Cover the sieve and let water boil. Steam the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes. 

Rest procedure remains same.