Fresh Vegetable Pickle (Achar Subz): Recipes by Mridula Baljekar

Fresh Vegetable Pickle (Achar Subz)

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Makes: 450g

Each serving contains: Kcals: 8; g fat: 0.15; g saturated fat: 0.02

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt (namak)

1 teaspoon sugar (cheeni)

1 cm cube of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated (chheela hua and grate kiya hua adrak)

1-2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped (daane nikalke bareek katue hue hari mirch)

½ teaspoon ground turmeric (peesi hui haldi)

½ teaspoon asafetida (hing)

¼-½ teaspoon chilli powder (mirch powder)

1 tablespoon cornflour (make ka atta)

2 teaspoons made English mustard (Sarson ka powder jisme haldi, vinegar, madhu, lal mirch powder milaya gaya ho)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (nimbu kas ras)

170g cauliflower, cut into very small florets, about 3mm (phoolgobi pushpak)

170g carrots, very finely chopped (bareek kate hue gajar)

125g fine green beans, finely chopped (bareek kate hue beans)

Method:

. Put the salt and sugar in a medium saucepan & add 240ml water. Bring to the boil, then boil for 5 minutes

. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the ginger, green chillies, turmeric, asafoetida and chilli powder

. Blend the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little cold water and add to the pan with mustard. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened, then add the lemon juice, and remove from the heat

. Put the vegetables in a heatproof bowl and the sauce. Mix and cool

. Leave the pickle at room temperature for 24 hours, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until required

Cabbage Salad (Bandhgobi Salat)

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes, plus chilling

Serves: 4

Each serving contains:

Kcals: 52; g fat: 2.7; g saturated fat: 8

Ingredients:

15g desiccated coconut (sukha nariyal)

25ml hot water (garam paani)

280g white cabbage, finely shredded (kata hua bandhgobi)

1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped (bareek kate hue hari mirch)

1 small red onion, finely chopped (bareek kate hue lal pyaaz)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (bareek kate hue dhaniye ke patte)

1 tablespoon lemon juice (nimbu ka ras)

½ teaspoon salt (namak)

4-6 cherry tomatoes, halved (cherry tamatar)

Method:

. In a small bowl, mix the coconut with the hot water and set aside for 10 minutes

. In a large mixing bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, except the salt and cherry tomatoes. Add the coconut and mix well. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour

. Stir in the salt and transfer the salad to a serving dish. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes and serve.