punjabi winter vegetable pickle

Until I was in my late teens, our annual supply of pickles came from my Amamma (maternal grandmother) when we went to the village for our summer break.  A tradition my mother continues by sending a big box of different pickles by courier from India every summer:)  And although we all enjoy it whenever our meals are south Indian, when I make rotis or parathas, we crave the north Indian pickles – particularly the mixed vegetable one made in winter with carrots, cauliflower and turnips.  My husband grew up in the north and I had Punjabi neighbors and my best friend since fourth grade, S., so as was common, we often ate at the different aunties homes when we went over to play with their kids.

Until now, I was very intimidated by the idea of making this pickle.  I often made a variation of it with just the cauliflower and carrots but never this one.  And this year, I decided make some.  A small batch… just in case it failed.  But it didn’t……all the years I had deprived myself of this goodness!  It was so delicious and got over so fast, I made a second batch…and doubled it!

The carrots are cut into longer fingers, the cauliflower in large florets and the turnips into large pieces.  It’s important to keep the pieces large because they will shrink in size.  I had to deviate from the classic recipe a couple of times to accommodate the different conditions here.  Especially with the vegetables which seem to have much more water leading to a lot of vegetable juice seeping out upon salting.  I had to drain the vegetables and cook down the juice to remove a lot of moisture.  I made sure to store the pickles in the fridge since they are made with fresh vegetables, and are prone to get moldy – again the whole excess moisture thing.  I also used canola oil instead of the mustard oil that is traditionally used in India.

The spicy-tangy-sweet combination feels more like a relish and you will find yourself picking pieces right out of the jar 🙂 The fennel and onion seeds give the pickle a very distinct flavor and although the other spices complement the pickle very well, for me, those two are the stars!

My favorite way to have it is with a plain paratha but they are spectacularly good with stuffed parathas, puris, bhaturas or naan.  You don’t even have to limit this pickle to Indian food!  I am sure it would taste great in a pita wrap along with some other fillings of your choice.  Or even in a sandwich!  So although carrots, turnips and cauliflower are easily available all year round, I hope you do try making some this winter 🙂

Winter Vegetable Pickle (Gobi Gajar Shalgam Achaar)

Printable Recipe

450 gms cauliflower (1 medium size cauliflower)
450 gms carrots (3 large carrots)
450 gms turnip (3 medium size turnips)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbsp fresh ginger (roughly grated)
3/4 to 1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup light-colored jaggery, grated or chopped fine
2 tbsp black mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp fennel seeeds
1 1/2 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
salt to taste (I used Hain iodized sea salt and used 5-6 tsp)

Bring a large vessel of water to a boil and cut the vegetables in the meantime.  Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the vegetables and blanch them just for a minute and half.

Drain the water and immediately spread the vegetables on a clean towel or soft cloth.  Dry in sunlight for 4-5 hours.  It is fine if away from direct sunlight but make sure the vegetables are completely dry to the touch.

Mix the jaggery and vinegar in a saucepan and boil until it looks syrupy.  It is kind of smelly though :).  Let it cool to room temperature.

Grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder in a spice grinder.

Heat the oil in a vessel large enough to hold the vegetables.  I used a shallow one with a larger surface area.  Add the fenugreek seeds.  Once it turns a light brown, add the fennel seeds, onion seeds, garlic and ginger.

Saute on medium flame for a couple of minutes until they the ginger and garlic have shrunk a bit.

Add the vegetables and saute for a minute or two.  Add the salt and turmeric, stir and turn off the flame.  Add the jaggery-vinegar mixture and let it come to room temperature.

You will find a lot of the water has come out of the vegetables.  Drain the vegetables with a slotted spoon into another container, trying to press out as much water as possible without squishing them.

Start boiling the liquid until it turns into a thick, caramel-like mixture.  It took me about 5 minutes but it might take you less or more time depending on the size of your vessel.

Let it cool to room temperature again and add the vegetables, red chilli powder and mustard powder.  Stir well and check if the amount of salt is enough.  Add more if needed.

Transfer the pickle to clean glass jars and cover with lid.  I wash the jars in the dishwasher and let them dry completely.  I also wipe them again with a paper towel just to be doubly sure.

The filled pickle jars are usually left out in the sunlight for a couple of days to cook further but leaving them inside at room temperature is fine too.

Transfer the jars to the fridge after a couple of days.  The vegetables will be crisp but completely infused with the spices.

* My friend, Meeta, had a fabulous idea to dry the vegetables – In the oven at a low temperature until just dry!

Yum