Mixed Fruit & Vegetable Pickle

Where will we Indians be without our pickles? Spiced preserves are one of our unique specialties. Almost any fruit and vegetable can be spiced and preserved to be tongue-clicking-ly good! 

In lieu of tart green mangoes, we used tart Granny Smith apple along with carrots, lemon and ginger! Thanks to my in-laws for making this awesome pickle. We have been going at it as if it were regular curry! An entire bottle of pickle is fast disappearing - that's how awesome it is! Highly recommended, and not to mention, extremely simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

1. 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into small pieces
2. 1 Granny Smith apple, finely chopped
3. ¼ cup finely chopped ginger
4. 1 lemon, finely chopped
5. 1/3 cup sesame oil
6. 3 - 4 teaspoons chilli powder
7. 5 - 6 teaspoons salt
8. 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
9. 1 teaspoon methi / vendhayam / fenugreek seeds
10. ½ teaspoon hing / asafoetida
11. 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Preparation:

1. Cut the vegetables and fruits into small pieces/slices. Take a clean, dry jar and keep ready. 
2. Layer the veggies & fruits in the jar. That is, add carrots into the jar, then add some salt. On top of it, add the chopped apple and then salt. Repeat until all the veggies & fruits are put into the jar with a layer of salt in between. 
3. Now add turmeric powder to the jar and mix everything. Next, add chilli powder and mix well. Shake and stir to mix everything. 
4. On medium heat, dry roast the fenugreek seeds with hing. Allow to cool and grind to a smooth powder (mortar and pestle works well to do this). 
5. Add the fenugreek-hing powder to the pickle and mix well. 
6. Heat sesame oil in a pan. When hot, splutter mustard seeds. Add this to the pickle in the jar. Mix well. 
7. Close the jar tightly and let the pickle sit at room temperature for about 1 week, stirring/mixing everyday. This helps the pickle to marinate well and absorb the spices and become soft and yummy. If you live in a humid and hot place, do not keep the pickle at room temperature for more than 3 days, or check periodically to make sure it doesn't turn bad. When the pickle is marinated, store in the fridge. We started using the pickle within a couple of days and it was still very good!

This pickle is crunchy, tasty, and an all-round side-dish!