Kanthari Chilli Pickle
A hot, sweet and sour bird's-eye chilli and garlic pickle
Ingredients
- 200 g Kanthari (bird's eye) chillies, washed and dried
- 20 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced lengthwise into two
- a handful of fresh curry leaves, washed and dried
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin strips
- 1 largish sized ball of tamarind soaked in 150 ml warm water and thick pulp extracted
- 3 tbsp cold pressed til / gingelly / black sesame oil
- 1¼ tsp black mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp methi / fenugreek seeds
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp hing / asafoetida powder
- ½ tsp methi / fenugreek powder
- 2 tbsp jaggery, powdered
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan on medium flame and gently fry the chillies for 3-4 mins. Remove and set aside
- Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and crackle the fenugreek and mustard seeds followed by the hing (asafoetida). Take care not to burn the fenugreek seeds. Toss in the ginger, garlic and curry leaves and sauté for a couple of mins till the garlic is lightly golden.
- Now keeping the flame low to medium, add the ground turmeric, chilli and fenugreek . Cook the dry spices for 10-15 seconds and pour in the tamarind pulp. Bring this to a simmer and add the chillies and salt. Cook till the raw taste of tamarind disappears and mixture has thickened to a saucy consistency.
- Mix in the jaggery and cook for a couple of minutes more. Check and correct the seasoning if needed, pour in the vinegar, mix well and turn off the heat.
- Cool he pickle before bottling. let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 days before eating. This will help the pickle to cure and develop in flavour. Store in a refrigerator.