Re: [CH] pozilla's stomping grounds...
Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Mon, 26 Sep 2005 12:23:59 -0700
> Anyone know of a good pickled pepper recipe?
Here is a tasty Indian (India) chile pickle recipe I've posted a few times
to chile-heads, but last time was several years ago, so here it is again
(in three variants).
--- Brent
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** Green Chile Pickle (India)
(from Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking)
The original recipe is below, with notes describing how I actually
make it, when different.
This pickle is wonderful -- we eat it with sandwiches, soup, and
all sorts of meals, not just Indian.
1/2 lb. chiles, green (about 2 well-packed cups)
4 Tbs. mustard seeds, black, whole
4 tsp. salt (NOT iodized)
1 tsp. cayenne or other hot ground red pepper
1-inch ginger, fresh, peeled, minced (i.e., start with a 1-inch cube) (see note)
2 Tbs. oil, mustard
3 Tbs. lime (or lemon) juice
Wipe off each chile with a damp cloth. Spread out on a tray and leave to
dry in a sunny or airy place for an hour or so (i.e. just drying the fresh
surface dampness, not the entire chile).
Grind the black mustard seeds to a powder (a spice/coffee grinder does this
quickest).
Trim the stems from the chiles then slice crosswise into 1/6" rounds.
[N.B.: I leave them whole, simply cutting a slit lengthwise down each
chile. For rocotos, I cut one slit into each of the [usually three] seed
cavities.]
Combine green chiles, ground mustard, salt (IMPORTANT: _##NOT##_ iodized),
ground cayenne, and ginger in a bowl and mix well.
Heat the mustard oil in a small skillet over medium heat; as soon as the
oil begins to smoke, turn off the heat and let the oil cool completely.
Pour the oil over the seasoned chiles and mix well.
Put the chile mixture into a jar or crock and cover with a non-metallic
lid. Put the jar in a warm sunny spot and let it get as many hours of
sunlight as you can manage in the next 24 hours. Shake the jar a few times
during this period. (See my note below.)
On the following day, add the lemon juice. Put the lid back on and shake
the jar thoroughly. For the next few days, put the jar out in a warm,
sunny spot in the daytime and, if that spot is outdoors, bring the jar in
at night. The pickle should take 3-4 days to mature in the summer and up
to 7 days in winter.
The pickle is ready when it has turned slightly sour and the green chiles
have lost their bright-green color. It should now be refrigerated.
My PREPARATION NOTES ------------------------------
This recipe is equally good with no ginger added -- for a slightly
different flavor. But I think I prefer it with the ginger.
I originally got a pickle recipe essentially identical to this (except no
ginger and higher chile ratio) from an Indian friend.
In my friend's recipe, the chiles are salted and drained overnight,
everything including lemon juice is mixed together all in one step, it is
kept in the sun one day, then refrigerated, with the pickle maturing within
several days. I sometimes don't salt and drain the chiles -- it reduces
the pungency. In wintertime, I just mix everything and refrigerate
immediately. In my limited experience, this shortcut technique seems to
give the same results on this green chile pickle as the more rigorous and
traditional technique detailed by Madhur Jaffrey. Since I believe this
pickle always requires refrigeration, I may likely just use the one-step
shortcut even in summer time.
INGREDIENT NOTES ------------------------------
Cayenne chiles are the traditional chiles used in India, and they work
well, and they are my favorites along with green ("yellow") Tabasco and
green rocoto. The most important thing is to use varieties which will
remain crisp because slightly crisp ones are more enjoyable to eat -- after
all, you need to make enough pickle to last all the way from end of harvest
in fall until beginning of harvest next summer, so there will be plenty of
time to get mushy if the chile variety you use is so inclined. Of the ones
I've tried, most C. frutescens other than unripe Tabasco and many
non-cayenne C. annuum fruits tend to get soft/mushy after a while, and they
aren't as desirable to eat then as those that remain crisp. For all
varieties I know, once the chiles begin to turn red, they quickly get soft
in this pickle.
Black/brown mustard seeds are available at every Indian grocery.
Mustard oil is usually available at Indian groceries, but you can use a
light vegetable oil if you wish. Personally, I even like to use a fruity
olive oil here, though olive oil solidifies when refrigerated, making the
pickle look pretty wierd while still cold. But mustard oil is the best for
this pickle and I always use mustard oil if it is available.
DO NOT USE IODIZED SALT for pickling. Iodized salt usually makes the
chiles turn ugly blotchy brown. I don't know if it also adversely affects
the flavor or texture, but DON'T use it.
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Green Chile Mustard Pickle (Ila Patel, San Martin, CA, 24Oct94)
1 lb. chile, green, fresh, preferably the tiny tiny ones
1 Tbs. salt (not iodized)
2 tsp. mustard seeds, black or brown, coarsely ground (or more?)
1 tsp. lemon juice (or more?)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp. oil, vegetable (e.g. peanut, canola, sesame) (or more?)
Wash and dry the chiles. Cut a slit in the side of each chile, then mix
with the salt and let stand overnight; drain and discard the brine.
Mix ground mustard, lemon juice, sugar, oil, and chiles; let stand in a
warm place for a day to soften a bit, then refrigerate until all eaten up.
WARNING: all measurements are just approximate guesstimates by Ila, who
nevers measures anything because she just knows the right amounts through
years of practice.
NOTES: my current guesses are that mustard should be at least 1 Tbs., lemon
juice 1 Tbs., and oil 2 Tbs.
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Red Chile Mustard Pickle (Ila Patel, San Martin, CA, 24Oct94)
1 lb. chile, red, fresh
1 Tbs. salt (or less?)
2 tsp. mustard seeds, black or brown, coarsely ground (or more?)
1 tsp. lemon juice (or more?)
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp. oil, vegetable (e.g. peanut, canola, sesame) (or more?)
?? methi (fenugreek), ground
?? jeera (cumin), ground
?? other spices ??
Wash and dry the chiles. Cut a slit in the side of each chile, then mix
with the salt and let stand overnight; drain and discard the brine.
Mix ground mustard, lemon juice, sugar, oil, methi, and jeera; stuff a bit
into each chiles, then mix the chiles up with the rest of the spice mixture
and let stand in a warm place for a day to soften a bit, then refrigerate
until all eaten up.
WARNING: all measurements are just approximate guesstimates by Ila, who
nevers measures anything because she just knows the right amounts through
years of practice.
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