Green chilli and beetroot pickle

Name: Green chilli and beetroot pickle
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: ½ nigella seeds; ½ aniseed; ½ tsp coriander (cilantro) seeds; 2–3 fresh beetroot, peeled and cut into tiny squares; 2–3 tbsp mustard oil; ½ tsp mustard seeds; ½ cumin seeds; ½ tsp ground turmeric; salt, to taste; 4 green chillies

Preparation info

Serves
3–4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
20 min

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

This uses a simple South Asian oil-based pickling technique. It’s a pickle both my grandmothers made, both using seasonal homegrown beetroot… but never homegrown chilli, as my Dadi (paternal grandmother) always said: never grow chilli at home, it causes couples to fight!

Ingredients

2–3 tbsp mustard oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ cumin seeds

Asia
Pakistan
Preserve
Vegan
Gluten-free
Summer

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add all the seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they pop. Add the beetroot, chillies, salt and turmeric and warm through.

Spoon the pickle into a sterilised jar and keep in a cool place for up to 6 months.