Gari (Japanese pickled ginger)

This pickled ginger is specially unbeatable with nori rolls. We used to buy this at asian stores year and years ago, but soon came to realize that these are mostly packed with sugar and food coloring and consequently we stopped buying it. Then recently I thought whynot make it at home?!!!

You need Ginger. The freshest and the tenderest you can find, the better. Usually new/baby ginger is better, but I usually make it with normally found ginger and it works great!

Slice the ginger as thin as possible! If you hve a 1 or 2 mm thin slicer in your food processor, use that. If not use a knife to cut it into super thin slices.

Now put his in a small container with a tight lid.

Fill it up with Apple cider vinegar to the top of ginger.

I also used to use some brown rice vinegar and some Mirin (rice cooking wine). You may also, if you want to experiment! These days I just use Apple-cidr vinegar.
The good thing is, it's ready to eat right away with noris. And it will keep almost 20-30 days in the fridge. The longer it sits the milder it will get.

"Indian" Lemon Pickle

Ths is an excellent pickle recipe from Madhur Jaffery's excellent book "World -of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking" whch uses some very medicinal spices which have a "settling" effect on the stomach. It is salty and sour. The only "heat" it has comes from black pepper. It turns darker and better as it ages. It's really easy to make. After that all you have to do is remember to shake it every day!

I would highly recommend any of her books. She's awesome!!!

So here it goes in the very words of "Madhur Jaffery":
6 unblemished lemons or limes
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
4 large black cardamom pods (only found at indian grocery. You may try substituting it with nutpeg perhaps...)
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
A 2" piece of cinnamon broken up a bit.
12 whole cloves
6 tsp salt
2 Tsp lime/lemon juice

Wash 6 lemons and leave to dry off in the sun or in an airy place.
Put the black peppercorns, black cardamoms (skin and all), curnin seeds, cinnamon, and cloves into the container of a coffee grinder or other spice grinder. Grind as fine as possible. Empty the spices into a cup. Add the salt and mix.

Find a wide-mouthed jar or crock that will hold the 6 lemons esily with enough room to shake them.

Quarter the lemons lengthwise in such away that the 4 sections remain attached at the bottom. Remove seeds, if any.

Divide the spice mixture into six parts. "Stuff" onr portion into each of the lemons, rubbing the spices well into the cut section. Close up the lemons and put them, cut side up, into the jar. Cover the jar with a nonmetallic lid and place it in a warm, sunny spot for as many hours of sunlight as you can manage to get in the next 24 hours.



On the following day, add the 6 tablespoons of lemons juice to the pickle jar. Cover and shake well. For the next month, put the jar in a warm, sunny spot in the daytime and then, if that spot is outdoors bring the pickle in at night. Shake the jar three or four times a day. The pickle is still not ready. You may discontinue putting it out in the sun, but continue to shake the jar for another month. You may now begin to remove wedges of the pickle for eating. Do not refrigerate the pickle and remember that it will keep improving with age.

To serve four people, remove two wedges and cut each wedge into halves. Arrange these halves in a small, shallow bowl and set the bowl in the center of the table along with other chutneys and relishes.

Enjoy!!!!

"Indian" Chilli Pickle

*Smoking* hot spicy yummy.
Pickles are that "essential" addictive part of any Indian meal that if you do get addicted to it, life will be tasteless without it....



Any kind of hot peppers like Serrano, Jalapeños, Thai chilies: 1 lb
Lime/Lemon juice: 1 ½ to 2 Cups
Sesame oil or mustard oil (any good light tasty and healthy oil of your choice): ½ cup
Salt: little less than ½ Cup
Fennel seeds coarsely ground: ½ Cup
Turmeric powder: 1/8 - ¼ Cup
Onion seeds: 1 Tablespoons (optional, you can substitute with sesame seeds)
Fenugreek seeds: 2 T Dry roasted and ground
Asafetida powder (Hing): 1 Teaspoon (you can omit this if you don't have access to it)
Brown Mustard seeds coarsely ground: ½ Cup (you may substitute it with the yellow mustard seeds)

1. Cut green chilies into thin slices (either lengthwise or widthwise) and soak in lemon juice for an hour or more.
2. Combine all the remaining ingredients. Heat the mixture to a simmer about 10 minutes.3. Add the spice and oil mixture to the chilli and lemon juice and mix it all evenly.
4. Put in a Jar and tighten the lid. Place the jar on a sunny window sill for a week. Shake it once a day. The pickle will be ready in a week or so.
Enjoy!!!


NOTE: you can also add thin slices of carrots and cauliflower to the pickle, they are really good.
Oh, and this time I added sliced ginger to it.... Ah... excellent......