Rhubarb Pickle: Indian Style
A tart spiced rhubarb pickle with just a soupçon of sugar to take the edge off. It's not a fiery relish, but it's full of bold, complex flavour and works beautifully with cheese as well as Indian curries. This easy achar recipe keeps well for several weeks, making it a handy fridge condiment.
Servings: 25 servings
Calories: 35kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 75 ml sunflower oil or other neutral cooking oil
- 1½ tsp black mustard seeds
- 400 g rhubarb trimmed and cut into 2-3 cm (1 inch) chunks
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- ¾ tsp sea or rock salt
- 1½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
Instructions
- Lightly crush the top four seeds in a pestle and mortar, but don't grind them to a powder.1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil to a medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait thirty seconds or so until they start popping.75 ml sunflower oil, 1½ tsp black mustard seeds
- Immediately add the crushed seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Add the chopped rhubarb, clamp on the lid and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for seven minutes or so until the rhubarb starts to break up.400 g rhubarb
- Add all remaining ingredients, give a good stir and put the lid back on. Allow to simmer for a further five minutes, by which time the rhubarb will have broken down. Taste test at this point. If the pickle is too tart, stir in a further tablespoon of sugar.2 tbsp light brown sugar, ¾ tsp sea or rock salt, 1½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ¼ tsp asafoetida
- Take off the heat and remove the saucepan lid, allowing some of the steam to escape.
- Pour or spoon into sterilised glass jars and leave to cool before screwing the lids on tightly.
Notes
Use small jars, so that you won't have any problem using up the pickle once opened. I filled five 100ml jars which holds five to six tablespoons depending on how full you fill them.
Can eat straight away, or store unopened in fridge for up to six weeks. Once opened, eat within a week. As with anything, if you see any mould growing, discard and do not use.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 58mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.2mg