Spicy Radish and Ginger Pickle

Submitted by Neelakumari

"There is a Japanese restaurant near my husband's work place. They make some spicy and flavorful japanese curry sauce and add beef or vegetable to it, that's their only menu. They'll garnish the rice by placing a colorful radish pickle (Fukujin zuke) over it. Now it's become my husband's favorite pickle. I started to make the pickle, but was not able to get the purple perilla leaves that gives the pickle a bright pink color, so i seasoned the pickled radish with indian spices and made it into an indian spicy pickle."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 bunch round red radish
• 2 jalapeno peppers or 2 any big bell peppers
• 3 inches ginger
• 1⁄2 cup sliced carrot
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup white vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 red chilies
• 1⁄8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1⁄2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 curry leaves
• 6 tablespoons oil, it acts as a preservative
• 2 teaspoons salt

directions

1. Wash and remove the leaves from the radish, trim the ends and slice it.
2. Wash, dry and slice the ginger, carrot and peppers.
3. Add salt to it, mix it well and put the salted vegetables in a strainer over a bowl for 2 hours.
4. Remove the vegetables from the strainer and add white vinegar to it. Pour this mixture in a dry glass container and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours, shake the bottle often to get all the pickle well coated with the vinegar.
5. At this stage we can add some sugar to this pickle and it can be used as a relish in a sandwich.
6. Drain the liquid from the vegetable through a strainer.
7. Heat oil in a pan, add coriander seeds, when it splutters add methi seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.
8. When the curry leaves and red chillies become crispy, add the sliced garlic, lower the heat and add the chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, asafoetida powder, turmeric and salt.
9. Cook for a few minutes till the masala gets incorporated with the oil, now add the drained vegetables with the masala and cook it for a few minutes, check for salt.
10. Transfer the pickle to a dry glass container and let it cool to the room temperature, close it tightly with the lid and refrigerate it.
11. Allow it to marinate in the masala at for least 10-12 hrs before serving, always use a dry spoon.