Bilimbi pickle

June 01, 2021

Bilimbi pickle

Ingredients

Bilimbi : 40 (3 cups chopped)

Salt : 3 tsp

Masala:

Asafetida (shankar brand hing) : 1 cm piece

Pepper : 12

Fenugreek : 1/8 tsp

Mustard : 3 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Kashmiri chili powder : around 4 tblsp

Oil : 1/4 cup

Procedure :

Cut the bilimbi into 2 or 4 lengthwise pieces , put salt. Cover them with a plastic plate or some piece of wood and put some weight over them. During this process it will produce brine.

Next day separate the brine from the salted pieces, boil and cool it; and reserve for later use.

Sundry 2 tsp mustard or just warm them up on a hot pan and crush them to make a course powder using a mortar or grinding stone.

Heat 1 tblsp oil in a saucepan and put in the asafetida and pepper corns, when they start cracking add fenugreek seeds and 1 tsp mustard and fry till the mustard change to a gray colour. Then add turmeric powder and switch the flame off. Grind the fried spices on a grinding stone.

Add the ground spices to the salted bilimbi along with the crushed mustard and chili powder.

Mean while heat the remaining oil (just until you see some tiny bubbles at the bottom of the pan) and allow it to cool, after cooling add it to the pickle and also some brine to adjust the salt and consistency. Put the pickle in sterilized jars and top it with some of the oil and store. Refrigeration will preserve it longer.