Mixed- Vegetable Oorugai (Indian Style Pickle)

In demand from my friends, I thought would publish my mixed-vegetable pickle recipe. It was one of those days a few months back when there were those left over fresh veggies, that I was cutting to either cook kurma or just a vegetable fry. My pickle bottle (then near empty) was on my counter and suddenly I decided to make fresh pickle. I got some lemon and green chillies out of my fridge so I don't forget the pickle I wanted to make. Back home in Madras, amma would always make fresh raw mango pickle in the summer, manga-kari. This was just finely cut raw mango pieces with their skin to which spices have been added. This is exactly what I wanted to do with the lemon and chillies.

By the time I finished cutting the veggie for fry, my mind was made up. I wanted to make vegetable pickle, but such that the process and ingredients was easy. So I combined the fresh pickle and preserved pickle process. Here is what I used -

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables (cut into 1/2" cubes or long) - 2 cups (I used lemon, green chillies, carrot, beans, beet-root, cucumber, ginger)
Gingelly oil - 1/2 cup
Salt - more than necessary for taste (used to soak/cook vegetables)
Mustard seeds - 2-3 tsp (for seasoning)
Red chilli powder - 3-4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Honey - 2 tbsp (I used this instead of jaggery)
Lemon juice - 5 tsp (I got the juice from the lemon before cutting the lemon)

Procedure:

Step 1-

* Boil enough water that would cover the vegetables. Add salt to this. Switch off stove.
* Add turmeric powder to the water.
* Add the vegetables to the water. Keep aside for a few hours, so the vegetables will half cook in the boiled water.

Step 2- when the vegetables are ready

* Vegetables cooked in the water should be firm to touch, but can pinch into it or bite into it. Drain the vegetables. Vegetables will also taste salty and will have taken the color of the turmeric. This is the preservation process I used. Otherwise in a easy and fresh pickle process absorption of salt is difficult in big sized vegetable pieces.
* In a pan heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add chilli powder, fry for a few seconds, add asafoetida and switch off stove. Fry these in the heat of the pan.
* Add the hot oil to the vegetable mixture.
* Pour Lemon juice and honey over the vegetables. Mix vegetables, oil, honey and lemon juice. Keep aside to soak for a few hours. This will help the vegetables blending together and drinking into some of the spice in the oil.
* Bottle the pickle. If enough oil has been used, refrigeration is not necessary, otherwise do refrigerate.
* Start using the vegetable pickle 2 days after bottling.

Note:
* I use only 1/4 of a beet since beet would make the pickle reddish which I don't like. So more beets if you like it's coloring.
* Salt, Oil, Lemon juice and Honey act as preservatives in the pickle, so use enough if you make large quantities.

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