Healthy least oily Tomato Pickle

Tomato pickle

Pickles make regular appearance in the dining table and are most welcome guests. They have an intrinsic property to make a most dull platter of food look enticing and change the taste to mouthwatering. We Indians are blessed with different variety of food because of the diversity in weather, culture and eating habits of people of different part of our country. Tomato soup, ketchup, sauce etc. are well known as frequently used form of tomato but tomato pickle? It was a surprise to me in late seventies, when I had tomato pickle at my friends place while doing Ph.D. and wondered how the lady converted tomatoes to such innovative yum tasting pickle have. Later when I got married tips from my Andhrite friends and habit of experimenting in the kitchen resulted in this less oily healthy pickle.

 I love having it not only with rice and chapatti but love  using it for making sandwich also. My family loves having curd and rice with tangy spicy Tomato pickle.

Preparation Time: 15 min.

Cooking Time: 45 min

Servings  500 gm. pickle.

Materials Required for Making Tomato Pickle:

• 500 gm. Red Ripe Fleshy Tomatoes

• 100 gm. Tamarind

• 100 gm. Jaggery

• 50 gm. Salt

• 25 gm. Red chili powder

• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

• 1 tea spoon Chana dal

• 1 Tea spoon Dhuli Urd dal ( Urd dal without green / black cover)

• 15-20Whole Red chilies

Spices for seasoning

• 50 ml. Cooking oil (Ground nut oil / sesame oil / soya oil / olive oil/ Mustard oil)

• 1/4Teaspoon Asafoetida powder

• 5-10 Kadi Patta (Curry leaves)

• 4 Teaspoon Mustard seeds

• 10 ml. Vinegar

Directions For Masking Tomato Pickle:

• Wash and dry tomatoes nicely.

• Cut tomatoes thin long pieces.

Tomato pieces for Pickle

• Take thinly cut pieces of tomatoes in a glass / stainless steel container and mix 25 gm. salt and 1 tea spoon turmeric powder in the tomato.

• If the pickle is being made in hot weather / summers then cut and mix salt and turmeric in night cover and leave overnight but if pickle is being made in cold weather / winters then cut and mix salt and turmeric in morning cover and leave for 24 hrs.

After 24 hrs of soaking Juices squeezed from tomato pieces

• Sieve the juices and squeeze the tomato pieces by pressing between the palms.

• Mix the squeezed juice to the sieved juice.

• Keep the squeezed tomato pieces under the s8un for drying on a stainless plate / plastic sheet / glass plate for 4-5 hrs. when the temperature is high ( 40 ^o C or more), 7-8 hrs. in winters when the temperature is 30^o C – 35^oC.

Tomato pieces kept under the sun for drying after squeezing the juices

• Clean the tamarind of the seeds and soak cleaned tamarind and whole red chilies in the tomato juices for 5-6 hrs.  under the sun.

Tamarind and whole red chilli soaking in tomato juices under the sun

• Tomato pieces will become semi dry and the tamarind will soak the juices of tomato and become soft.

Tomato pieces drying under the sun

Dried Tomato Pieces

• Blend the soaked tamarind and chilies to pulp along with juices. Keep extra juices aside.

Juice from tomato pieces , chilies and Tamarind pulp

• Take oil in a thick bottom wok (I always cook in anodized / non-stick wok / pans) and heat on high flame.

• When the oil is smoking hot lower the flame and add mustard seeds. Mustard seeds will splutter immediately.

• Add chana dal and urd dal and cook on low flame till touch of pink starts coming on them.

• Add 4-5 whole red chilies and kadi patta.

• Cook for 30 seconds.

• 

Seasoning getting ready for pickle

Add Asafoetida and immediately add semi dried tomato pieces.

Ready for Tomato pieces to be added

• Stir and mix spices and tomato pieces nicely. Cook with continuous stirring for 3-4 minutes on low flame.

Tomato pieces added to the seasoning

• Add the mixture of tamarind pulp and tomato juices.

Tomato juice left after making pulp of the soaked tamarind added

After 10 min of cooking 

• Mix nicely and cook for 3-4 minutes.

• Add

• Salt red chili powder

• Jaggery

• Mix and cook with regular stirring till all juices are absorbed and the pickle starts leaving the edges of wok.

• Add vinegar and mix nicely.

• Cook again for one minute with continuous stirring.

• Switch off the gas and let the pickle cool without covering the wok.

Pickle ready for bottling

• Store the cooled tomato pickle in a dry glass bottle.

Tomato Pickle

• Enjoy the Tomato pickle with Dosa/ Pesarattu / Idli / da-chawal / mutton or chicken biryan / Stuffed paranthas.It goes well with all vegetarian and non- vegetarian foods.

Tips:

• Do not dry the tomato pieces so much that they become hard.

• Remove the seeds and hard cover of tamarind before soaking in tomato juices.

• Preferably used fruit based vinegar rather than synthetic vinegar because fruit based vinegar has nutritional values.

• Pound /cut the jaggery before adding to the pickle it will dissolve faster.

• Always break whole red chili before adding to oil otherwise it may burst and cause accident.

• Tomato taken for pickling should be fleshier. Lesser fleshy and more juicy the tomato will require more cooking time and hard work.

• Jaggery, salt and red chili powder can be increased or decreased according to the taste.

• Always add red chili powder in small amounts and check the taste for hotness before adding all  said amount of chili powder. The grade of hotness for chili powder differs from one chili powder brand to other and homemade chili powder may have altogether different degree of hotness.

Suggested Variations:

• Peeled whole or sliced garlic can be added to the pickle just before adding the vinegar.

Ready to be bottled

• Grated 4-5 cm. piece of ginger can be added to the oil after adding kadi patta and cooked till the foam due to the moisture of ginger stops coming from oil. Then the semi dried tomato pieces can be added.

• Sugar / brown sugar can be taken in the absence of jaggery.

Mooli Ka parantha /मूली पराठा (Radish stuffed Pan Fried Indian Flat Bread)

Mooli Paratha

Mooli (Radish) Paratha of the dough made of flour and Grated Radish (mooli) 

Stuffed parathas are the fast food of Northern India which are not only good to taste but provide nutrition also. Thus making these Indian fast food different than the other fast foods which provide calories and fats but very less other nutrients. Vegetable or dal stuffed parathas used to be regular feature in our school lunch box because they were easy to be packed and convenient for us to roll in a napkin and eat fast so that we Have maximum time for playing during lunch break. In my house stuffed parathas are welcome be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I consider myself very lucky because in less labor I can satiate not only the hunger but also the taste buds of my family.

Preparation Time: 30 min.

Cooking Time: 45 min

Servings: 10 parathas

Ingredients Required for Making Mooli Paratha:

• 200 g. Whole wheat Flour

• 2 Large Radishes (Mooli)

Mooli (Radish)

• 2 Green Chilies

• 3-4 Sprigs of Fresh Green Coriander

• 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder (Optional)

• 1/2Teaspoon Caraway Seeds

• Salt to taste

• Water for making dough

• Olive oil / Ghee / Any cooking oil

Direction for Making Dough for Paratha:

• Take wheat flour and 1/2Teaspoon salt in a big plate or bowl.

• Add water in little portion and keep on mixing and kneading.

• Knead the dough till soft pliable dough is obtained. (Roughly 150 ml. water will be required).

• If the dough is hard add little water and knead till soft dough is obtained.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2012/12/making-dough-for-roti-and-paratha-dough.html

Directions for making Mooli Filling For Mooli Paratha:

• Remove the leaves from Radishes. (Mooli)

• Wash the mooli nicely to remove all dirt attached to it.

Mooli (Radish) scraped cleaned

• Grate washed mooli.

Grated Mooli

• Wash the sprigs of fresh coriander. Drain water from it and cut finely.

• Cut green chili finely.

• Tame 500ml. water in a big pan, Add 1 tea spoon of salt in the water.

• Boil the salt and water mixture.

• When water starts boiling add grated mooli in it.

• Cook till grated mooli becomes soft to touch and changes color.(Approximately 5 min.)

• Remove the container from the gas and drain all water from boiled grated mooli.

Boiled grated Mooli

Boiled Mooli being sieved for removing water and allowed to cool

• Let the drained boiled grated mooli cool.

• Take the grated and boiled Mooli in a cloth and squeeze maximum water from boiled grated mooli.

• In a bowl take

• Boiled grated mooli from which all water has been squeezed.

• Finely cut coriander.

• Finely cut green chilies.

• Ajwain

• Red chili powder

• Red Chili powder

• Salt

• Mix nicely to make a uniform mixture.

Spices with boiled Mooli (radish)

• Filling for mooli paratha is ready.

Mooli mix for Mooli stuffed Paratha

Direction for Making Mooli Paratha:

• Heat the tawa on high flame and when hot reduce the flame.

• Divide the dough to 5 parts.

• Make round ball form one part.

Dough ball for mooli paratha

• Sprinkle dry flour on your dough ball and rolling board.

• Roll the dough ball to 3 cm. diameter round.

Dough ball flattened and mooli mix kept for filling

• Put 3-4 teaspoons of filling in the center of the rolled dough.

Mooli mix being stuffed

• Close the edges and seal nicely by pressing them together.

Rolled dough ball  dough stuffed with mooli mix and edges sealed

• Press between your palms to flatten the sealed dough roll stuffed with the mooli filling.

Mooli mix stuffed in wheat flour dough ball and flattened

• Sprinkle dry flour on the board and the filled dough cup and roll it to 4-5 cm. diameters round.

Mooli stuffed dough ball rolled for making paratha

• Sprinkle 2-3 drops of oil on the hot tawa and spread it on the tawa.

• Place the rolled filled paratha on the hot tawa and cook on low flame till golden spots start appearing on the side touching the tawa.

Mooli stuffed Parartha being pan fried

• Flip and cook the other side also till golden spot start appearing.

• Spread 1/2Teaspoon oil / ghee on the paratha and flip it.

• Press the paratha with a spatula and cook for 30 sec.

• Apply oil / ghee on the other side also.

• Flip it, press with spatula and cook for 30 sec.

Mooli stuffed Paratha cooked on both sides

• Crisp, soft yummy mooli paratha is ready.

Mooli (Radish) stuffed Paratha

• Take it out on a serving plate and serve hot paratha with curd, pickle, chutney.

 Repeat the same with rest of the dough also.

Serve the parathas with pickles/chutney/curd

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/spicy-mixed-vegetable-pickle-less-oily.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/tangy-mango-pickle-maharashra-style.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/mango-pickle-north-indian-style.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html

Tips:

• Squeeze maximum water from boiled mooli.

• Add salt just before you want to make paratha. If you will add salt beforehand then the filling will become watery and difficult to fill and roll the paratha.

• Dough should never be hard else during rolling the filled dough ball the edges will crack and filling will come out.

• Cook the paratha on low or medium flame if cooked on high flame then it will become dark brown color or get burnt from outside and remain uncooked from inside.

Suggested Variations:

• 1 Tea spoon caraway seeds (ajwain) can be added to the flour before making the dough.

• Grated mooli can be added to dough along with the spices and the flour kneaded to dough.

• Once all juices of grated radish are soaked by flour while making the dough then add water in small portions to make soft pliable dough.

Dough with mooli

Dough with mooli mix rolled for making Mooli Paratha

• The dough can be divided to the required number and each part made to ball,rolled to a round of 10-15 cm and cooked on tawa to make a paratha.

Mooli Paratha being made from dough of flour and mooli

Mooli (Radish) Paratha of the dough made of flour and Grated Radish (mooli) 

• To make Mooli Paratha like this is easier and faster.

• Instead of whole wheat flour, 1:1:2 mixture if refined flour, suji / besan, wheat flour or mixed grain flour can be taken.

Tangy Mango Pickle /आम का achar ( Maharashtrian style)

Pickle with chick peas

Pickle ready for bottling

From May end to June end all over India lady of the house gets busy making mango pickle for the entire year. Before the monsoon sets in it should be made bottled and kept in a dry place. I wonder what life would be without mango pickle! Be it the lunch box, picnic basket, or dining table pickle is an omnipresent side dish. In Maharashtra as well as southern part of India mango pickle is made with Mustard seeds and other spices unlike northern India where it is made with fennel seeds and other spices. The oil which is used again makes the taste different from Maharashtra to southern India. In Maharashtra normally ground nut oil is used whereas in southern part sesame oil is used. Whatever may be the ingredients mango pickle will remain mango pickle, which tickles the taste buds of old, young and kids alike.

Preparation Time: 30 min.( For preparing the spices and cutting Mangoes)

Making Time: 90 min. (Time to marinate the mango pieces not included)

Servings: 1.5 kg. Pickle will be made (approximately)

Ingredients Required for Making Mango Pickle:

• 1 kg. Raw Mangoes

Raw mangoes for pickle

• 100 gm. Mustard seeds

• 100 gm. Red chili powder

Red chili powder

• 50 gm. Red Kashmiri mirchi Powder

Kashmiri  Mirchi powder

• 100 gm. Salt (or to taste)

• 1Tea spoon Asafoetida

• 50 gm. Turmeric powder

• 50 gm. Ginger

• 10-15 Kadi Patta (curry leaves)

• 500 ml. Ground nut oil

Direction for making Mango Pickle:

• Wash and wipe the mangoes dry with a clean cloth.

• Cut the top end where the stalk is connected to the mango.

• Keep the mangoes under the sun on a clean cloth /plastic/plate for 30min. to make sure they are dry from outside.

• Cut the mangoes to the required size.

Mango pieces

• Take the mango pieces in a steel/glass bowl and add 50 gm. salt turmeric powder and mix thoroughly.

Salt and Turmeric added to the mango pieces for marination

• Cover with a plate or cloth and keep under the sun for 5-6 hr.

• Liquid from mango mixture will separate out.

Liquid from marination of mango pieces

• Remove the mango pieces and keep in a dry plate.

Marinated mango pieces

• While the mango pieces are marinating make coarse powder of mustard seeds.

• Clean, dry, peel and make paste of ginger.

Ginger paste

• To the liquid add mustard powder, salt, 10 gm. chili powder, 10 gm. Kashmiri mirchi powder and mix.

Salt, Red chili powder, Mustard seed powder

Spices in liquid from marination

• Add 100 ml. oil and mix to make a fine paste.

Oil added to the spices and liquid from marination

Spices paste ready to be added to the marinated mango pieces

• Mix the paste of spices to the marinated mango pieces.

Spices paste mixed with mango pieces

• Keep under the sun covered with cloth /plate for 4-5 hr.

• Take 400ml. oil in a wok and heat it on high flame till it is smoking hot.

• When smoking hot switch off the gas and let it cool for 10 min.

Oil heated to smoking hot and being cooled before Kadi patta is added

• Keep the wok with oil on low flame if the oil becomes cold.

• Add Kadi patta, asafoetida, and cook for 1 min. 

kadi Patta added to hot oil

• Add ginger paste and cook till all moisture evaporates.

Ginger paste added to kadi patta

Ginger paste cooked and ready for chili powder to be added

• Add red chili powder and Kashmiri mirchi powder and cook 30sec.

• Pour the hot oil spices mixture to the mango pieces with spices paste and mix thoroughly.

Chili powder and Kashmiri mirchi powder added and ready to be added to the mango pieces

• Cool it to room temperature before bottling.

Pickle ready for bottling

Pickle with chick peas

• Pickle takes 30 days for maturing.

Serve the pickle with Pulav, Parathas, Dosa, Uttapa it enhances the taste of every meal. That is why it is 

said : Sabka Yar Achar

Tips:

• Mango for pickle should have hard kernel else pickle will not last long.

Mango with hard Kernel for Pickle

• Mustard seed powder or mustard seeds cleaned and halved (Dali of Rai as it is called in Maharashtra) is available in the market. It can be used for making pickle.

• While adding chili powder to hot oil, make sure the oil is not smoking hot else the chili powder will become black leaving unpleasant color and taste to the pickle.

• All utensils used should be dry.

• Spices should be sun dried.

• If you get the mangoes cut from market wash them with water and vinegar mixture (1:10 ratio of vinegar and water) and then dry under the sun.

• Do not bottle the pickle in a plastic container. Plastic contains harmful chemicals which dissolve in pickle.

Suggested Variations:

• Jaggery can be added to the pickle just before it is being bottled. For one Kg. mango 200-250gm. jaggery can be added. Addition of jaggery gives the pickle sweetish sour taste.

• Garlic paste can be added along with ginger paste.

• Ginger and garlic amount can be increased to the taste. More the ginger and garlic amount better it is for the health also.

• Garlic cloves can be added to the pickle before bottling.

• Chick peas can be added to the pickle after cleaning them with clean cloth, just before bottling.

• Garlic and chick absorb the juices of pickle and swell up in a month time and taste very nice.

• White vinegar can be added to the pickle before bottling to increase the shelf life of the pickle. For one Kg. of mango 50 ml. of vinegar is enough.