Gajar (carrot) Gobhi (cauliflower) pickle

• Servings:
• Preparation time: 28 minutes.
• Drying into sun time: 2 hours.
• Frying time: 14 minutes..
• Total time: 42  minutes.

‘Gajar (carrot) Gobhi (cauliflower) pickle’ is bonafide hero of winter…This traditional pickle is staple in our household during the winter season when fresh carrots and cauliflower are plentiful.

Decades ago, I learned the recipe from one of my neighbour, it has since become a cherished part of my cooking collection.

This Punjabi-style pickle, with its bold and tangy flavours, quickly became a family favorite. Over time, I’ve perfected the balance of mustard oil, spices, and the natural crunch of the vegetables, recreating the exact taste that first won me over years ago.

Every time I make it, I’m reminded of the warmth and generosity of my neighbour who shared this flavourful recipe with me. This pickle is often enjoyed as a side dish, adding a zing to simple meals like Parathas, Dal, or Plain Rice.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower: 750 gm
• Carrot: 200 gm
• Salt: 60 gm
• Yellow mustard powder: 50 gm
• Red chilli powder: 30 gm
• Turmeric powder: 10 gm
• Asafoetida: 1 pinch
• Fennel seed: 10 gm
• Onion seed: 5 gm
• Garam masala powder: 10 gm
• Black pepper powder: 5 gm
• Mustard oil: 150 gm
• Onion: 50 gm
• Ginger: 50 gm
• Garlic: 10 gm
• Vinegar: 2 table spoon
• Jaggery:  20 gm (optional)
• Tamarind: 20 gm

Preparation:

1.  Clean and peel the carrots; chop into 3 inch( thin) pieces longitudinally, keep aside.
2. Chop the cauliflower into medium pieces, keep aside.
3. Grind onion, ginger and garlic together to make masala paste. Keep aside.
4. Soak Jaggery and tamarind into the vinegar for some time(about 1/2 an hour); mix properly with hand and sieve this, the  pulp is ready for use. Keep aside this pulp.
5. Blanch (put the vegetables into the boiling water for 2 minutes. And immediately put into chilled water and then in running water) the carrot and cauliflower separately.
6. Then put these vegetables in to the sun for 2-3 hours for drying to get rid of extra water.

Method:

1. Take a fry pan. Put oil in it, when oil starts smoking, put asafoetida and grounded masala in it.
2. Fry on medium flame till it becomes golden brown and separates oil from the masala( about 5-6 minutes).
3. Add all dry masala and continue to fry for couple of minutes; add carrot and cauliflower. continue to stir fry for 2-3  minutes on medium flame., put off the flame.
4. When it comes on normal temperature, and then add prepared tamarind  pulp in it.
5. Carrot and cauliflower pickle is ready.
6. Store this pickle in a glass container.

Gajar (carrot) Gobhi (cauliflower) pickle by Nag Ratna Sahu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.