In a Pickle - Panch Phoron and Rutbaga Pickle

Indian Pickle recipes are like heirlooms, passed on for generations. Some households have their organized seasonal calendars of pickle making usually in summer to stock up for the cool winter season to have something to warm their cockles during the cooler winter months.

Unfortunately, while quick chutneys were popular in my childhood home, traditional Indian pickles were not something that my father and I were terribly interested in and it just was not something my mother invested time in.

My husband however loves pickles and relishes especially to savor with his lentils on a weekend. Over the years I have taught and learnt 2 or three pickle recipes that I think are interesting and I make them in small amounts so that we have an assortment of them in different times of the year.

This recipe combines one of my favorite spices Panch Phoron(Bengali 5-spice) with black pepper, I know these are both somewhat uncommon as the main source of spicing in an Indian savory pickle, but once I tried it I thought it worked rather well. I guess for that matter, rutabagas are really not something we see that often in India.

Panch Phoron like the chinese 5-spice is an equal combination of nigella seeds, cumin, fenugreek, mustard and fennel. It is usually used whole although I have ground it for this recipe. What is interesting about this mix is that its characteristic balanced flavor works only in combination, if any of these spices are missing the taste is not the same. It is used in the cooking of Eastern India (Bengal, Orissa and Bihar) precisely for this purpose to provide an even balance of tastes and palates. The characteristic of traditional bengali spicing involved fairly strict traditions related to the combination of spices and their use between non-vegetarian (especially meat) and vegetarian food. This spice is reserved for vegetarian dishes and fish.

Rutabaga Achar.

Makes a large jar of Pickle

Ingredients

15 dates
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 rutabaga(wax turnip) peeled and cut into thick wedges
1/2 cup mustard oil

3 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 cup powdered jaggery

1 tbsp black peppercorns
1.5 tbsp panch phoron (Bengali 5-spice mix)

Method of preparation

1. Make a paste with the dates, raisins and white vinegar.

2. Apply the salt to the rutabaga and set aside for an hour on a colander to drain the water.

3. Heat the oil and fry the garlic lightly and then add the turnip.

4. Fry well for 10 minutes till the water has evaporated.

5. Powder the peppercorns and panch phoron.

6. Mix in all the ingredients in a non reactive container.

8. Pour into a pickle jar and close tightly.

9. Let this sit in the sun for 6-7 days and then the pickle should be ready.

Well, baby it has been cold outside, in this part of the world the past few days, a warm bowl of dal, rice, and the pickle does help one try to find a cockle if not warm it completely. Rosie of Bitching in the Kitchen with Rosie, is hosting the Spice is Right event and I will send this off to her today.