Mixed Vegetable Pickle (without Oil) - Konkani style

Mixed Vegetable Pickle is a popular Konkani pickle prepared with all winter fresh vegetables you can find. This is the way Ma makes it for us when the fresh bounty of winter vegetables surfaced in the markets. Of late, she has stopped making large batches of pickle because both of them cannot finish the batch and then it just gets wasted. The pickle Ma made was without oil and had lot of pickle liquor (nonche kholu). If there is one item which I refuse to buy from store then its got to be Pickle. I feel the flavor of home made pickle is a sure shot winner and you can also control the amount of sodium and oil content that goes in.

Every time I tell her I making a batch of pickle at home, she reminds me to sun dry the jars or sanitize them crisp and dry in the dishwasher. She even goes the extra mile by storing them in special pickle jars (Bharani) and covers the porcelain jars with tight cheesecloth on top to be used only during the rainy season, next year around. The husband is not a big fan of pickle, so I made a small batch just for me over the weekend. I did not add water so the pickle has a semi-dry consistency. Soon after the jar is ready, I store it in refrigerator after two days. The shelf life of this pickle is 1-2 months and goes well with Dosa, Idli, Paej and Parathas. Check here for elaborate notes on different types of Konkani pickles.

~ Mixed Vegetable Pickle (without Oil) - Konkani style ~

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Processing time: 5 minutes

The measurements are good for 4 cups of vegetables (approx.)

Ingredients:

Cauliflower (chopped into tiny florets) - 2 cups

Ivy Gourd [Tendle] (chopped into thin strips) - 1 cup

Carrot (chopped into thin strips)  - 3/4 cup

Ginger (peeled and chopped into tiny bits) - 1/4 cup

Lime (juiced and chopped into tiny bits) - 1/4 cup

Lime juice - 2 medium Limes

Salt

For Pickle Masala -

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Red Chillies (Byadgi) - 10

Red Chillies (Harekala/ Guddi Mirsang) - 5

Asafoetida - 1/5 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Chop the vegetables and wash them well. Air dry on a cheesecloth or a paper napkin till the water content is gone. Add salt and lime juice, give a good toss and set aside for 2 hours.

2. In a mixer, add the red chillies and grind to a fine powder, add asafoetida now and turmeric powder and blitz for a while to mix it all up. Now, add mustard seeds and run the mixer once to crush it all up to a fine powder. Spread this powder on a plate and allow to cool completely. Once cooled off, mix the powder to the chopped vegetables and adjust salt as per taste (leave for 2 hours undisturbed). 

3. In a dry non-reactive jar, transfer the pickle. After 2 days, refrigerate for further use. Finish within 1-2 months. 

Note: If you live in tropical/ hot terrains, heat 1/3 cup of neutral oil (Vegetable or Canola oil). Allow to cool and pour over the pickle stored to prevent from any bacteria/ fungi attack and store in a cool place. Any kind of moisture ruins the pickle, so store it well.