This Bengal Pickle goes amazingly with any kind of curry, such as a Rogan Josh, a Bhuna, a fiery Madras and more. Plus it also works great with other hot and cold meats as an accompaniment to spice up dishes.
Bengal Pickle Recipe:
This makes 6 medium jars of Tracklements’ Bengal Pickle
Difficulty: Easy-Intermediate
Time (Cooking): 30 minutes (approx., not including overnight time)
Ingredients:
– 1 kg carrots, grated
– 550ml cider vinegar
– 2 chillies, deseeded and chopped finely
– 1 level tsps. of coriander seeds
– 25g sea salt
– 25g garlic, peeled and chopped
– 25g ginger, peeled and chopped
– 200ml cider vinegar
– 380g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
– 750g raw cane sugar
Method:
- Put the grated carrots, the chillies and the coriander seed into a large bowl, mix in the salt and cover with the 550ml of cider vinegar.
- Leave overnight, covering with a wet cloth.
- Next day, put the contents of the bowl into your preserving pan and add the garlic and ginger, and then bring the mixture to the boil.
- Whilst the mixture is coming to the boil, chop the apples into pieces, and then whizz with a hand blender.
- Add the remaining 200ml cider vinegar, the sugar and the apples, and then stir well. Bring back to the boil, stirring all the time, until the mixture is thick and jam-like.
- Take off the heat and put straight into glass jars.
Advice on preparing and enjoying your Bengal Pickle:
When creating the Tracklements jellies, jams and chutneys it often feels like we’re modelling ourselves on the formidable Durga. This Bengali goddess has 10 arms, which would be very useful for juggling children, dog, partner, job and home or whatever else might be around. And, like Durga, we must channel her same emotions as we are fearless, patient, never lose our sense of humour and maintain a meditative smile!
With this thought in mind, this recipe divulges the delectable Bengal Pickle, which we produce for serving with poppadums’ and curries. This fruity, spicy confection mixes the safe old carrot with more heady partners – apples, ginger, chillies, garlic, and coriander.
If you need to, halve the recipe amounts that are below as you may decide even the keenest pickle maker might find 2 kg of carrots rather a lot to prepare. There is something vaguely meditative in doing the same thing over and over again, and after grating 12 carrots you might be a little bit more Durga-like.
Pickles nearly always feature vegetables rather than fruit, and the vegetables must be fresh. In order to preserve them, we always talk about the need to ‘kill it’ or in more technical terms, to create an environment where no living organism can grow. The vegetables are chopped and left in a brine or dry salt overnight. (Dry salting gives a crunchier pickle). This, by a simple process of osmosis, draws out the liquid and removes the chance for spoilage.
The rest of the pickle-making process is simple and quick, and there is something very calming and fulfilling about creating something to keep in your cupboard for months, or so we think. Assuming it lasts that long, which in our experience, is never true as it always disappears rather quickly.
The pickle will make the perfect curry-party accompaniment, or jazz up a take-away on a busy week day night. Stir 2 tablespoons of the pickle in to some basmati rice, added some small pieces of pan fried chicken, a few peas, some crushed cashews, and a twist of lime for a quick and delicious supper.
We know you’ll simply love this Bengal Pickle recipe from Tracklements! If you’ve got any super suggestions or tasty thoughts of what this can go with, we’d love to hear!
