Banana Stem Pickle

Banana stem pickle or Vazhaipindi achar is a south Indian traditional pickle made with the center stem of banana plant. It is otherwise called as Vazhaithandu Urugai in Tamilnadu and Vazhaipindi Achar in Kerala. The fiberous stem of banana plant gives the pickle the crunchiness.

Orange Peel Pachadi

Ingredients
Orange Peels - 1 cup (cut into small pieces)
Tamarind - Lemon sized (soaked in water)
Kulambu Milagai Tool/Sambhar Powder - 1 tblsp
Jaggery - 2 tblsp (powdered)
Salt - as required

Puli Inghi

Ingredients
Tamarind - 1  big lemon sized ball
Green chillies - 10 nos (finely chopped) (Use less spicy ones - adjust accoding to your taste)
Ginger - a medium size piece (finely chopped)
Jaggery - 2 pieces or  2 tblsp grated (adjust the same according to your taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - as required

Chalta Achar

Myrobalan Achar

Banana Stem

Ingredients

Banana stem – 2 cups (chopped)

Ginger – 2 tbsp (minced)

Garlic – 2 tbsp (minced)

Red chili powder – 1 tbsp

Fenugreek powder – ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 sprigs

Sesame oil – ½ cup

Vinegar – 2-3 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Method

Preparation

1. Peel the outer layers of the banana stem and cut into roundles. Remove any fiber that comes in it. 2. See detailed steps for cutting and cleaning banana stem here.

3. Cut the roundles into juliennes and then into small pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl filled with water along with 2 tbsp of curd or ¼ tsp of turmeric in it. This will prevent it from changing brown.

4. Take a wooden stick keep stirring the water for few minutes so that all the remaining fiber gets entangled to the stick.

Cooking

1. Heat oil in a kadai and crack the mustard seeds. Add the asafetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves, minced garlic and ginger. Stir fry for couple of minutes.

2. Drain the chopped banana stem and add it to the kadai. Add required salt and cook for 3-4 minutes till all the moisture dries up.

3. Add the red chili powder and fenugreek powder. Cook for another minute.

4. Finally add the vinegar and switch off. Adjust the salt, chili powder and vinegar according to your taste.

5. Let the pickle rest for a day for all the flavors to blend well before serving.

Bitter Gourd Pickle

Bittergourd (or Bitter melons) is a vegetables that is low in calorie but rich in many nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2 and B3, Vitamin C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganes, iron, calcium, beta-carotene and has high dietary fiber.  a hypoglycemic effect called charantin. It also has polypeptide, an insulin like compound that is good for diabetic patients.

Manga Thokku

Ingredients:
2 cups Grated mango
2 tsp Red chilly powder
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp Salt (adjust)

Amla Pickle

Gooseberry (Amla / Nellikai) is a very old fruit in India. It is usually eaten raw or pickled. The fruit has been tested and proven to reduce the blood sugar and cholesterol.

Amla has a thick flesh when eaten raw. When you first take a bite into the fruit, it tastes kind of bitter and sour. However after you swallow the fruit it gives a very sweet after taste. Kids often enjoy drinking a cup of water after eating the fruit. You can actually taste the sweetness of the fruit for quite some time when you swallow the water.

Tomato Pickle

Ingredients

Tomatoes - 8-10

Tamarind Pulp - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 2 tblsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek Powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 2 tblsp

Oil - 2 tblsp

Vadu Mangai

Maavadu or Vadu Mangai Urugai is a very traditional Tamil Brahmin style pickle prepared with tender baby raw mangoes. It is also made in Kerala and known as kannimanga achar or kaduku manga uppilitathu.

Ivy gourd Pickle

Ingredients
Ivy gourd - 1 lb (about 1/2 kg)
White Vineger - 3 tblsp
Oil (preferably gingelly oil) - 3 tblsp
Salt - to taste

Cranberry Pickle

Ingredients

Cranberries - 2 cups

Oil - 4 tblsp

Mustard seeds - 1 + 1 tsp

Garlic Pickle

pickles are an integral part of everyday meal. It adds so much flavour instantly to any meal. In olden days, pickle making was an art. People spent days making the perfect spice blend, adding the necessary preservatives and storing it appropriately so that it stays good for many many months with no refrigeration. In the 21st century, there is no house without a refrigerator. As a result making pickle and preserving it has become very simple. You can make instant pickles with almost any

Mango Flower Pachadi

Mango flower has a slight bitter taste (thuvarpu). So its taste may not be appreciated by everyone. I have tried to make a sweet chutney with it.

Wild Lemon Pickle

TYPE I (Vadukapuli naranga achaar with chilly powder)

Ingredients
1 small Vadukapuli Naranga
4 tblsp Chilli powder (adjust)
A generous pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt
Few curry leaves
4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustad seeds.