Spicy carrot pickle
Makes around 4 small-ish jars
This is very favourite pickle of ours that seems to go with just about everything. We think you’ll find it’s addictive;
we’ve been known to finish a jar in one sitting.
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) carrots
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
6 fresh curry leaves (or dried will
do at a pinch)
100 ml (3 . fl oz) apple juice
200 ml (7 fl oz) cider vinegar
Spice paste
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3–4 small dried red chillies
(depending on their heat)
1 teaspoon sea salt
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
50 g (1 ¾ oz) fresh ginger, peeled
and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
75 g (2 ½ oz) soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cut the carrots into roughly 6 cm (2 ½ in) lengths, then cut into matchsticks. Set aside.
To make the spice paste, combine the cumin seeds and dried chillies in a mortar and grind to a fine powder. Add the salt, garlic and ginger to the mortar and continue to grind to a fairly smooth paste. Add the turmeric and sugar and mix in well.
Heat the oil in a wide casserole pan – a cast iron Le Creuset is ideal. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and fry for 10 seconds or until they just start to pop. Add the curry leaves and fry for 1–2 minutes, until they turn translucent. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the apple juice and vinegar and bring to a vigorous simmer. Add the carrots and stir well, so that they are all
coated with the spicy liquid.
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure they cook evenly. By the end of the cooking time the carrots should be soft, but still retain some
texture and the liquid should have reduced by about one-third.
Leave to cool slightly then transfer to sterilized jars and store for up to 3 months. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 5 days.