Indian cuisine is known to have an array of pickles in its cache. Being a country full of diverse regions and communities, the Indian platter boasts of a colourful palette of pickles made from fruits, vegetables, fish and meat where the ingredients, condiments and culinary technique carry the signature of its place of origin. This month, Cookastory brings to you the sweet and sour, Naranga Eenthappazham achar, also known as Lemon Dates pickle from the shores of Malabar, the southern state of Kerala.
This pickle has a mystery in every bite. The sour lemon jumps onto the sweet date, all rolling in a tangy gravy that is bound to tease your tastebuds, making you relish another serving. This goes really well with biryanis and ghee-rice with chicken fry but is not restricted to it. In fact, this pickle is a compatible partner to any dish, even the humble lentil curry (dal). There are many recipes for this pickle but the one shared here bears the expertise of its creator. After several experiments, permutations and combinations, Kavitha found that perfect blend of spices where the dates and lemons complement each other without stealing from one another making the pickle a must-have in every meal. So here goes the recipe.
Ingredients:
- Ginger: 2tbsp, (cut into long pieces)
- Garlic: 2 tbsp, (cut into long pieces)
- Green chillies: big size, 4 pieces,( cut into big pieces)
- Jaggery: 250 gms (grated, crushed or cut into cubes)
- Dates: 250 gms (cut into small pieces)
- Lemon: 1 big (cut into small cubes, marinate with salt for 20 minutes).
- Coconut Oil: ½ cup
- Fenugreek Seeds: 1tsp
- Mustard Seeds: 1tsp
- Curry leaves: A handful
- Turmeric: ½ tsp
- Kashmiri Red chilli powder: 4-5 tsp
- Water: 2 cups
- Salt to taste.
Process:
Pour ½ cup coconut oil to a wok which is already hot. Add 1 tsp of Fenugreek and 1 tsp of Mustard seeds. As the seeds start to splutter, add the curry leaves. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute on medium high heat till the colour changes while making sure that the fenugreek seeds do not burn. Reduce heat and add the spice powders, turmeric and red chilli powder. Stir well for a minute or so and then add the chopped dates. Stir for 4 to 6 minutes or till the spice powders have blended well with the dates giving it a bit of a gooey texture. Add the chopped lemon with 1½ a cup of warm water. Mix well and add salt. Now add the jaggery and fold it in the mixture, add ½ cup of warm water and give it a good stir. Let the jaggery melt into the mixture and keep stirring it for 10 to 15 minutes or till the gravy reduces a bit, on low heat. Check the salt. Let it cool. Next, pour the pickle into an airtight jar and let it rest for 5 to 6 days. This will allow the spices to soak into the dates and lemons and blend well into the gravy. After the first 2 days, do keep the pickle inside the fridge and let it rest. Consume after 4 days.
The Lemon Dates Pickle is now ready. Pair it with a Malabar biryani, ghee-rice and chicken fry or the humble dal-rice. The pickle is enough to satiate your taste, tummy and heart. Do try out this recipe and let us know your experience. Ciao!
Note: Any type of dates can be used. If using dates with seeds, it is recommended to remove the seeds before chopping.