Naranga Curry / Wild Lemon Curry / Vadukapuli Naranga Achar

 

 

Ingredients

1. Karinaranga / vadukapuli  - 1 small, cubed
2. Green chillies - 4 - 5 , sliced to rounds
3. Garlic - 10 - 15, small cloves
4. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
5. Chilly powder - 4 - 5 tsp
6. Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Hing / asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt - To taste
10. Gingelly oil (nallenna) - 1.5 tbsp

Method

 

Heat gingelly oil in a pan and splutter mustards. Add the garlic cloves and saute until they turn light brown. Now add the cubed lemon pieces, green chillies and curry leaves. Give it a stir and add around 1 cup water. Bring it to a boil and add the chilly powder, fenugreek powder, salt and hing. Stir well and cook for a few more minutes. Switch off when the gravy thickens. Cool down and store in a bottle. You can use it right away but remember to use a dry spoon while serving. It will keep for 2 - 3 weeks in a refrigerator.

 

 

Adamanga Achar /Dried Mango Pickle

 

  This is one recipe that is surely going to bring nostalgic memories to at least a few malayalees. Most of the homes in Kerala used to prepare adamanga during the mango season so that it could be relished upon even when the season was over. Once the best mangoes are pickled, the next thing that people did was drying of raw mango slices, which is fondly called adamanga. Raw mangoes are sliced with their peels on, mixed with salt, chilly powder(optional) and dried in the sun for about 10 -12 days. They can be preserved for at least 2 years or so. You can make pickle with them whenever you want. It’s taste is completely different from the regular mango pickles and it goes best with steamed rice and curd.

Ingredients

1. Adamanga / dried mango slices - 1 handful or around 20 - 25 slices
2. Garlic - 12 - 15 (Slice the garlic flakes if they are large)
3. Curry leaves - 1 sprig (optional)
4. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp (Adjust it according to your spice tolerance)
5. Fenugreek powder / uluva podi - 1/4 tsp
6. Hing / asafoetida - 1-2 pinches
7. Gingelly oil /  nallenna - 1 tbsp
8. Dry red chilly - 1 - 2
9. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
10. Salt - To taste

Method

1. Wash the adamanga and squeeze out the water. In a pan heat 1 tbsp gingely oil. Splutter mustards and fry dry red chilly. Add the garlic and curry leaves, if you are using them. Brown the garlic flakes.

 

2. Add chilly powder, fenugreek powder and hing. Add about 2 cups of  water immediately. Bring it to a boil and add the adamanga pieces. Cook the adamanga pieces in the gravy for around 30 - 45 minutes until they become really soft. The spice powders should really coat the adamanga pieces (pirandirikkanam). Switch off the stove. Cool down and transfer to a pickle jar. Enjoy it with curd rice or plain steamed rice. Remember to use a clean and dry spoon every time you take out pickle from the jar.

 

Kaduku Manga Achar / Mango Pickle

Ingredients

1. Raw mango – 1
2. Chilly powder – 1 tbsp
3. Fenugreek powder – ½ tsp
4. Hing – ¼ tsp
5. Salt – To taste
6. Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
7. Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
8. Dry red chillies – 1
9. Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Method

Chop the mango into small pieces. Mix the chopped mango pieces with chilly powder, fenugreek powder, hing and salt in a bowl. Keep it aside for a few hours. In a pan heat sesame oil, splutter mustards, fry dry red chillies and add curry leaves. Add the mango pieces and mix well. Alternatively, you can pour this tadka over the pickle that’s kept aside and mix well. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Tips:

You could add around 2 tbsp yoghurt to 3 tbsp or so of this pickle for an extra taste but consume it within 1-2 days. Add extra salt if needed.

Fish Pickle/Meen Achar

Here is a spicy and extremely tasty fish pickle recipe for all the pickle lovers out there..

Ingredients

1. Fish - 2.5 kg (I used tuna/choora)
2. Garlic - Around 60 - 70 small pods 
3. Ginger - 6-7 inch piece thinly sliced
4. Fresh ginger-garlic paste - 5-6 tsp
5. Curry leaves - 10 - 15 sprigs
6. Chilly powder- 6 - 7 tbsp (Adjust it according to your spice preference.  Use Kashmiri chilly powder if you prefer a less spicy pickle)
7. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

8. Green chillies - 7-8 slit (optional)
9. Pepper powder or chilli powder - 4 - 5 tsp ( I used pepper powder for the fish marinade)
10. Fenugreek powder - 1 tsp
11. Vinegar - 1/2 - 3/4  cup

12. Mustard seeds - 3 tsp
13. Salt -  to taste
14. Sesame oil - For deep frying

15. Salt - To taste

Method

1. Clean and cut the fish into small cubes(remove the excess water with a tissue). Marinate them with salt, turmeric powder and 4 - 5 tsp pepper/chilli powder for at least 30 mts. Fry them in oil. Keep aside.

2. In another pan pour some oil (you can use the oil which was used for frying the fish) and shallow fry the  ginger, garlic and curry leaves(You can also add ginger, garlic and curry leaves after spluttering the mustard seeds but I always shallow fry them separately first).

 

 

3. Now splutter the mustard seeds in the remaining oil(after shallow frying ginger and garlic). Add the ginger-garlic paste, green chillies ( if you are adding them) and cook until their raw taste is gone. Now remove from heat, add chilli powder and fenugreek powder. Mix well, add the fried ginger, garlic, curry leaves,fried fish and again mix well. Check for salt, add vinegar and mix well. Bring to a boil and switch off. If you would like to have more gravy you can add around 1/2 cup hot water and heat it. Store in an airtight container when it cools down completely. Use it after at least 2 weeks for the flavors to set in. Refrigerate if you want to keep it for long.

 

 

Green Apple Pickle

      When I read about Nithu Bala's event and that the main ingredient to be used is fruit, the first thing that came to my mind is apple pickle. It was my cousin Biji who told me that we could pickle apples too. Being a pickle lover, I bought green apples and tried it. To tell you the truth, it wasn’t that good when I tasted it immediately after preparing it. That depressed me..but amazingly after a few hours or so, after the pickle had cooled up, hesitantly I tried it again! Voila, my effort didn't go unrewarded. The pickle had turned out excellent! It tasted sweet, tangy........To add a twist to the apple pickle, I took a little pickle in a bowl and added sour yoghurt to it, as my mother used to do with kaduku mango pickle. So that makes it two recipes :). Try it and I am sure you will enjoy it too.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Green Apple - 1 chopped (Sour green apples are best for this pickle and I usually peel off the apple skin since they are coated with wax.)
2. Chilli powder - 2 tsp
3. Fenugreek powder - 1/4 tsp
4. Hing/Asafoetida - 2 pinches
5. Vinegar - 1tsp
6. Salt - To taste
7. Mustard - 1/2 tsp
8. Dry red chillies - 1
9. Gingelly/Sesame oil - 2 tsp

 

Method

 

1. Combine the chopped green apple with chilli powder, fenugreek powder, hing and salt. Keep it aside for a few hours.

 

 

 

 

 

2. In a pan add gingelly oil and splutter the mustards. Add dry red chillies and then the chopped green apple. Mix well and switch off. I added a tsp of vinegar for extra sourness.

 

 

3. You could add around 2 tbsp yoghurt to 3 tbsp of this pickle for an extra taste but consume it within 2-3 days. Add extra salt if needed.

 

 

Sending this recipe to Nithubala’s event.

 

Inji/Ginger Curry

   Ginger has many medicinal properties and  is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. Inji curry is an inevitable part of the Kerala sadhya and is made from ginger, green chillies, tamarind and jaggery which lends it a hot, sour and sweet taste. I have heard that it is included in a sadhya in order to help aid digestion of the heavy feast. There is also a saying in Kerala that inji curry is equivalent to having a 101 curries. It is also known as puli inji in the northern part of Kerala and has many regional variations. This is my mother’s recipe for a hot and spicy inji curry. It goes well with idli/dosa too. It is one of my favorites. I am waiting to upload this post to have this inji curry with rice, yoghurt, pappad and idichakka-cherrupayar thoran. I think I will have my lunch first :)

Ingredients

1. Inji/Ginger - 3/4 lb chopped into small slices
2. Shallots - 8 chopped fine (optional)
3. Green chillies - 4-5 chopped fine
4. Chilli powder - 3 - 4 tsp (adjust it according to your spice tolerance)
5. Fenugreek powder/uluva podi - 1/2 tsp
6. Hing/Asafoetida - A pinch
7. Tamarind/puli - lemon-sized or to taste
8. Jaggery - 2 tbsp or to taste
9. Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
10. Mustard - 1 tsp
11. Dry red chillies - 2
12. Coconut oil - As required
13. Salt - To taste

Method

1.  Chop the ginger and fry in oil until brown and crispy.  When it cools down, grind or crush in a mixer.

 

2.  Soak the tamarind in warm water(around 2 cups) and extract its juice. 

3. Heat oil in a deep pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dry red chillies, shallots and saute until the shallots turn brown. Now add the green chillies, curry leaves and saute for a few more minutes.

 

 

4. Pour the strained tamarind extract to it. Bring it to a boil and add chilli powder, fenugreek powder and hing. Now add the ground ginger and jaggery. Mix well. Check for salt. Cook for another 10 - 15 minutes stirring in between and switch off. Adjust the gravy according to your consistency. You can store it in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks. Use it like a pickle though I have it like a curry :).

 

 

 

Tips:

1) You could also grate ginger instead of chopping it. Squeeze out the juice, fry and crush them in a mixer.

2) Add more green chillies, if you wish to avoid using chilli powder.

Lemon Pickle/Naranga Achar

 

         It’s pickle time guys ! I am a  huge fan of pickles.  I eat pickles with rice, chappathis, dosa, bread, anything and everything. My hubby dear who is not very fond of pickles (good for me coz I can have it all ;-)) keeps reminding me of the health hazards I would have to face later ! But still it’s difficult to control that craving for pickles. I know many would agree with me on this.
        One thing I miss here in Seattle is the home-made pickles.  I came here carrying lots of  pickles but everything was finished in a month. I started buying pickles from the stores but the store-bought ones were not as tasty as the home-made pickles.  Also they were a way too salty to consume so i resorted to preparing pickles. I pestered my mom for her pickle recipes. And soon my refrigerator started getting crowded with pickles(kaduku manga, lemon, prawn, cranberry to name a few).

          Biryani without lemon pickle is unimaginable for me!  Back home my mother used to make different kinds of lemon pickles - with  or without oil, sweet lemon pickle and white lemon pickle using  garlic and fiery green chillies(kanthari mulaku).

 

 

 

Ingredients

1. Lemon - 6 (Wash and pat dry)
2. Garlic - 6 - 8 small cloves
3. Chilly powder - 1.5  - 2 tbsp
4. Fenugreek powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Asafoetida/hing - 1 - 2 pinches
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Dry red chillies - 2
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Gingely/sesame oil/Nallenna - 1 tbsp
10. Salt - To taste

Method

1.  Steam the lemon for around 10  mts. The lemons should not break.

2.  When it cools down, cut each lemon to around  8 pieces.

3.  In a pan heat gingely oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add dry red chillies, garlic and curry leaves.  Saute until the garlic turns brown.  Lower the heat.

4.  Now add chilly powder, fenugreek powder and hing.  Saute for a few seconds and add 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil. When the gravy is thick, switch off. 

 

5.  When it cools down, add the lemon pieces.  Mix well. Check for salt.  Keep the pickle intact in an airtight jar at least 2 weeks for the flavor to set in.

 

 

 

Tips:

 

1)  You can add more chilly powder to this pickle if you wish. I usually add less chilly powder to my pickles since I consume them daily  in huge quantities.  Even if you add more chilly powder it wont be spicy since the sourness of the lemon will compensate its heat. Same is the case with salt.  

 

2) You can also opt not to cook the lemons but the lemons available here are thick-skinned than the ones available in India so it would be better if you steam or cook them. You can also add ginger if you wish.

 

3) Adding water is optional. If you do not want a gravy just add the spice powders, stir for a few seconds and switch off. Cool down this mixture and add the lemon pieces.