Instant Pickled Gooseberries

One more lip-smacking pickle from Daddy dearest! Instant and easy-peasy pickled gooseberries, and what’s more…it’s finger-licking-good! I call them ‘Khara Jamoons’ (‘Khara’ is Kannada for hot/spicy). Before marriage, whenever Daddy was cooking up something, I had the honour of being the official sampler to check if there was anything missing, or if it tasted fine, and I would feel really important to give him the verdict! Hahaha…gone are those pre-nuptial days now; what fun they were!

Ingredients:

• Gooseberries/Awla – 25 pcs/1 kilo (the really big, lime-sized variety)
• Red Chilli powder – 3-4 tbsps
• Methi/Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp (dry roasted for a minute or two, cooled and then powdered)
• Turmeric powder –  1/2 tsp
• Salt – 2 tbsps (I usually say ‘salt – to taste’. However, since this a pickle, I’m being specific)
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Asafoetida – a generous pinch
• Oil – 1/2 cup

Procedure:

• Wash the gooseberries and pressure cook with adequate water. Give it one hoot and remove from flame. Set aside and allow the pressure to come down naturally.
• In the meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok. Pop the mustard seeds. Add the asafoetida and methi powder.
• Add the steam-cooked gooseberries into the wok, along with the water it was cooked in, and cook on a high flame.
• Add the turmeric powder and salt. Stir for a minute, till incorporated.
• Add the red chilli powder. Stir well and allow the pickle to season on a low flame for about 15-20 minutes, stirring in between.
• Once done, allow to cool and transfer to a dry, air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator. The pickle gets better and better with age.

Whenever khara jamoons were made, we would enjoy it hot/warm with the next meal at home. Tastes like bliss with thayirnchaadam/curd rice!

I’m sending these yummy pickled gooseberries to ‘CWS: Cooking with Fenugreek‘ event guest-hosted at SE’s blog this month. The monthly ‘Cooking with seeds‘ event is Priya’s brainchild.

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