Tuesday, December 9, 2014

AMBRIYUN JI MITHI KHARAIRN / SWEET MANGO PICKLE / MITHI AMBRI




Sweet mango pickle is a nice accompaniment with parathas, puris, koki, theplas.. Kids love it too. The process of making it is very simple.



Ingredients:
Raw mangoes ... 2-3
Sugar ...... 3/4 cup
Water .... 2 cups
Dry whole red chillies .. 2-3
Bay leaf ... 1-2
Cinnamon stick .. 1 piece
Cumin seeds ... 1/2 tsp
Black cardamom... 1
Green cardamoms .. 3 - 4
Nigella seeds / onion seeds .. 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder .. 1/4 tsp
Vinegar .... 1 tbsp (optional)
Salt .. 2 tsps


Method:
1. Wash the mangoes well. Peel the skin and cut them into thick strips.
2. Sprinkle salt over them and spread them on a cloth. Dry them in the sun for a day or two.
3. In a pan take the sugar, pour 2 cups water and bring it to a boil. If the mago pieces are bigger in size add half cup more.
4. When the sugar melts and it starts to bubble, add the mango pieces.
5. Now add all the whole spices mentioned in the list one by one.
6. Tip in the turmeric powder and red chilli powder and continue to stir until it thickens and the mango pieces become translucent.
7.Stir in the vinegar after it cools. I did not add any.

Note: The sugar content should be adjusted according to your liking and the sourness of the mangoes Keep tasting in between and add more if required.

Monday, December 8, 2014

GUR JO LOLO / SWEET ROTI WITH JAGGERY


This is another version of Sindhi lolo made with jaggery instead of sugar. Using jaggery is a better
option too. We usually make this as a prashad on Poonai (Guru Poornima ) day to break our fast.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour ... 5 cups
Jaggery    .  250 gms  (about 1 and 1/2 cups after crushing)
Ghee / oil ... as needed (you can use half and half too mixed together if you think only ghee will be heavy )




Method:
1. Crush the jaggery. Cook it adding about 2 cups water on low flame until it melts. Remove the impurities. Strain and set aside to cool.
2. Take the flour in a big bowl and add about 1/4 cup ghee or oil and mix well. When you take a small portion in your hand and press it like a muthiya it should be firm and not crumble. This is the test that the ghee (moin ) is sufficient.
3. Now add the melted jaggery syrup little by little and make a stiff dough.
4. Divide the dough into 5 or 6 portions. Roll each portion into a thick roti.
5. Shallow fry it on a griddle spooning a little ghee or oil on low flame until it is crisp and done.



See the procedure of making lolo in the video

Friday, December 5, 2014

AMBRIYUN JI KHATAIRN / SINDHI MANGO PICKLE


This is a Sindhi style mango pickle which is very mildly spiced compared to many other pickles or the store bought ones. It is quite close to Punjabi pickle in colour and taste as the basic masala ingredients are similar. Since it is not spicy even the kids can enjoy it. This pickle takes me back to my childhood days when we used to visit nani's place every summer holidays and would pick up pieces of mangoes from the pickle jars kept for maturing in the sunlight on the terrace and relish them.. While making the pickle make sure you wash the mangoes well and wipe them with a cloth before cutting them. If you have the facility of drying the mango pieces in the sunlight it will be good. Mix salt to the cut mango pieces and spread them on a cloth and dry them for a couple of days. After making the pickle also keep the jar out in the sun daily until it matures. Make sure the oil covers the pickle well to avoid the fungus. Use mustard oil for this pickle preferably. I had to use normal cooking oil as we do not get mustard oil in Brazil. I shall update the post with the new picture after the pickle is ready...
Here goes the recipe.


Ingredients:
Raw mangoes ..  4-5
Mustard seeds .. 1 tbsp
Methi seeds / fenugreek........ 1 tsp
Fennel seeds / saunf .. 1 tbsp
Nigella seeds / onion seeds.. 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder ... 1 tsp
Red chilli powder .... 1 tsp  (you can add more if you like )
Mustard oil ......... 1/2 cup
Asafoetida .... 2-3 pinches.
Salt  .......1  and 1/2 to 2  tbsps ( depending on the size of the mangoes. One spoon while drying them and the rest to be added while pickling )

Method:
1. Wash the mangoes well and wipe them with a cloth.
2. Cut them into slightly bigger pieces or as desired. Sprinkle about one tbsp salt and spread them on a cloth to dry in the sunlight for a couple of days.
3. You can lightly dry roast the spices or use them as it is. Just grind lightly to a coarse texture.
4. Mix the asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the remaining salt to the ground spices.
5. Heat the oil to a smoking point and close the gas.
6. Meanwhile in a big vessel mix the spices and the mango pieces to coat them evenly.
7. Pour the oil over them. Put the pickle in a sterilized jar. Keep it out in the sunlight everyday and give it a shake. If you want to stir it use a wooden spoon.



Note: It take a month or more for the pickle to mature. Later you can store it in the fridge and always check that the pickle should be covered with oil to avoid it from getting fungus. If needed you can follow the same method of heating the oil and add when it is cooled.