Ginger dates pickle

My kitchen table would always be filled varieties of pickles. We would have mango ,lemon and butter gourd pickles , on the dining table , waiting to be dug in.  But as years pass by , we started controlling it. Too much was not good .  All the more my mom used to make a year's supply of mango pickles and reserved in the fridge . My daughter loves anytime salty pickles and salty veggies in pickled vinegar.  Though I am not a big fan of it. I don't know from where she gets it. As a kid I didn't wake up much to it too. Zehna and the boys ,till today will have that red chilli powdered smears in mangoes. Gosh I would warn them of ulcers and rashes .  But all in vain ,they wouldn't care at all . Whatever comes.  They will have it. Pacha manga and uppum mullakm...(green mangoes and salt and  red chilli powder.).

My uncle happens to be a good tactic at these. He would care too..I would gleefully say it's good not to have them and he would just shove me off and say that I am crazy and as born a gulfie what would I know about Pacha manga and uppum mullakm !  Certainly a loss from not growing up here I Kerala.  My family are all foodees to nature 

The pickle I had made was so good and spicy as it turns out  to be a ginger spice . Not that I have not glued to it at the table front. I love them but not  as crazy as my kins. This version is a standard measurement. You can half it and reserve in two medium size bottles . I would suggest not to omit the dates as some people do not like that part. The ginger and dates balance the spicy  the natural sugars in it. After making it, it has to be stored in bottle for atleast a week before using it.

Ingredients

• 1 kilo ginger sliced finely
• 1 kilo garlic chopped finely
• 100 grams green chilli chooped finely
• 2 packets pickle powder
• 400 ml Sesame oil
• 1 litre vinegar
• 5 dates
• A bunch curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
• 3 teaspoon mustard seeds

Method

• Heat oil add the Fenugreek , mustards, green chillies ,curry leaves and one tablespoon crushed garlic .
• Saute for few minutes .
• Add the ginger and remaining of the garlic . Saute for ten minutes till well combined .
• Semi Grind the dates in litttle vinegar .
• Lower the flame , add the pickle powder .
• Add rest of the vinegar and add the semi grinded dates paste .
• Add salt to your taste .
• Usually pickles are loaded with salt...I just added a little lesser than normal pickles .
• Let it cool completely.
• Transfer to a dry container and pour a tablespoon of hot sesame oil on top the pickle ,a tip for it to last longer.

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Instant pickled mango cucumber

Its that part of the year where as a mum i am so busy. As my kids have a series of tests and examinations going on, i fret a lot. They do well all the time .But nowadays its not enough. I sometimes wonder am i over working myself? I want everything perfect. I feel sometimes my staff think of me as a monster. My kids think i am over worked. All this sometimes get on my mental and physical health.  This is unusually rare just because i never felt like this way before. Handling teens is mindblowing in literary sense , at times especially when one has to manage  sibling rivalry but Alhamdullillah Aj helps me a lot of  time. He takes them to classes that are apt on such issues . Balancing their emotions and their needs is very important  so they don't clash with each other. Also sometimes as kids grow up, their behavior do get on our nerves, hehe , it may be too much talk or it could be complaints of other siblings. As a mom of three kids two teens and a 5 year old , i find it really hard to manage their emotions.  Especially when i cannot yell at one and let go of the other... All has to get equal treatment and this is the part of married life that's  the toughest ... i guess.

Today's recipe is my favorite pickled mango  which is  always prepared this time of year .
The mango used for the recipe but is really fleshy one. Vengara palli as the local name goes , its considered to be the king of mangoes. One ripe one could just weigh around 1 kilo . So kick starting this month with a mango recipe .

Ingredients

1 cup mango sliced 

1 cup cucumber diced
Few Slit chillies
Salt to taste
2 tablespoon Vinegar
Boiled Water for soaking..

Method

Just mix all the ingredients at once.
Let it soak for atleast an hour for better results .
This pickle has to be used up within 2 or 3 days .

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