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preserving & pickling

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby ZeroCook » Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:05 am

That looks great Gill - which recioe is that pic? The beeb's or Mamta's?

Mamta has some excellent and classic cured Indian pickle recipes - uncooked fruit (limes, mangoes, chiles, lemons etc) with oil salt, and spices that sit and do their unctuous thing over time.

We were given a whole big box of radishes last year- 30 500g bags! I pickled most of them using variations of middle eastern salt brine pickled turnip recipes - I tried it the traditional beetroot bits for colour but then opted for no beetroot and got a pretty light pink pink brine from radishes on their own. I tried salt brine with vinegar as given - very good results - and salt brine without vinegar which sours exclusively from the lactic acid produced from fermentation- amazing flavour and my favourite tho I like both and use or leave out the vinegar (use water) as the mood takes me. I leave skin on radishes and turnips and slice across in half rounds. Works well for cucumbers too - small ones or big ones cut into spears with skin left on.

https://dinnerthendessert.com/pickled-turnips/

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/pickled-t ... ip-recipe/


Clive, have you tried central European salt brine pickles? Less vinegar more salt or all salt as above will give you the sourness from lactic acid production - keep coolish in the tropics to prevent mould tho it can be scooped off.
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/arthur-schwartz-1/

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:58 am

It's the Mamta's one. It seemed better, ZCook.
I love the look of those recipes. Especially the Lebovitz one.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Apr 19, 2020 1:31 pm

Thanks, ZeroCook!
I´ve been looking for a pickle recipe like that for ages.Almost the first thing I do when I arrive in the USA is buy some dill pickles. I just love them with pastrami!

Re. Indian pickles. A month ago, I made a jar of Sharad Nanavati´s Sweet & Sour Lime Pickle.
Over the years I´ve tried almost every permutation of Indian "achar" or pickles - some cooked, some not. Those which have worked a treat, so much so that I make them again and again and again, are Brinjal Pickle (aubergine); Chettinad style Garlic pickle (it´s soooo good!),pickled green mangoes (straight from the tree!), Chile Pickle and Lime pickle.
I´ve tried carrot pickle AND onion pickle twice - not convinced.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Seatallan » Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:44 pm

I adore aubergine pickle. I'm nearly on my last jar so must make more soon. Other Indian pickles I always have a stock of include garlic & ginger pickle (again, a Mamta recipe) and chilli pickle.

I always have a few jars of cucumber pickle to hand too. It's a lovely, sweet pickle and goes a treat with cold meat and cheese. I forget who gave me the recipe now- one of the Wildies. Might even have been you Kara!
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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby ZeroCook » Sun Apr 19, 2020 5:27 pm

Salt pickle making was my great discovery last year because of the radishes. Had always loved them but never thought of making. The process which is in the great ball park of things fermented is quite simple. I did have issues with the common white mould that can form that can simply be skimmed off. I found it was more of an issue with salt-only brine in summer heat because I was trying for long ferments - two weeks or so. Cool spots are good if summer heat is high.

Gill - just asked because Mamta's photo isn't great but yours has great colour - will give it a go when I next get in courgettes. How did you like it?

I LOVE brinjal pickle - the sweet cooked type - actually it's the only Patak pickle that I really rate - and have tried making my own occasion - any recipes and links welcome please.

Thoughts on mango chutneys?
Mangoes seem to come in waves of cheap gluts in the shops and I often get loads at silly prices.

I've been looking for a truly good knockoff of sharwoods type mango chutney forever - the jammy semi transparent spicy type, no raisins.
As I don't have a mango tree - what is the perfect ripeness for that particular sort of chutney?

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby MariaK » Sun Apr 19, 2020 6:34 pm

Had a huge bunch of radishes recently. Leaves were used in "green soup", nibbled some of the radishes with bread and butter and the rest were pickled.

I use this recipe
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pic ... ger-chilli
As she weighs the radishes I find it's easier to work out the rest of the ingrédients.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby karadekoolaid » Mon Apr 20, 2020 3:59 am

Thoughts on mango chutneys?
Mangoes seem to come in waves of cheap gluts in the shops and I often get loads at silly prices.
I've been looking for a truly good knockoff of sharwoods type mango chutney forever - the jammy semi transparent spicy type, no raisins.
As I don't have a mango tree - what is the perfect ripeness for that particular sort of chutney?

Mango chutney can be made with green or ripe mangoes. i´ve made absolutely dozens of variations - because I´m lucky enough to have a mango tree in my back garden and sometimes it produces more than 200 kgs.
To be honest, my favourite chutneys/pickles are with green mangoes; and I´m talking about mangoes which have not yet ripened, rather than those which remain on the tree because they´re late developers.
Fresh, underripe green mangoes have a little of the sugar, but much of the acidity which I crave as a mango lover. When they´re still unripe, the seed in the middle is still green - a good sign. a salad of green mangoes, pineapple, ginger, chiles,coriander, cane sugar and garlic - to die for.
One of the first mango chutneys I ever made was a sweet one, with mature mangoes. But the second one was called "Chundoo". This is simply grated green mango, spices, sugar, salt - and maybe even saffron and slivered almonds.
Then I invented one with green mangoes, fennel seeds, cardamom, nigella seeds, cloves and cinnamon.
Then I found one called "Methambo" - green mango with whole spices and raw sugar (gur or jaggery in India). Probably too sweet for British palates, but hit the spot over here.
Then I was asked if a chutney with green mango, coconut and rum would work.
It did!
Finally, a few years ago, i asked Mamta what to do with so many green mangoes. On her website, you will find something called " Sweet Mango Chutney", which was her father´s recipe. It is absolutely sublime; so much so that I made some, strictly following her father´s recipe, and sent her a jar!

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Gillthepainter » Mon Apr 20, 2020 8:20 am

Maria, would you believe it, I do have mace. In powder form, but nevertheless, it's in the cupboard.

Thanks 0Cook about the photo. When I needed a new camera a couple of years ago, I spent more than my frugal self would expect on a Panasonic.

I see I'm going to have to do some more pickling. I'll try the radish next.
It might just wean Tony off of Branston pickle which he brings out too often, imo.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Apr 20, 2020 10:07 am

The first time I made Mamta's Mango Chutney I found it far, far too salty for my taste. I halved the salt second time around and it was great, and my go-to recipe if I could find green mangoes in Watford, but I've not seen them on sale for several years now.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby scullion » Mon Apr 20, 2020 10:28 am

i use delia's recipe for mango chutney when they're cheap.
was the sweet cucumber pickle the recipe i posted a few years back? i think it was adopted by a few people on the other board.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Seatallan » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:42 pm

Sakkarin wrote:The first time I made Mamta's Mango Chutney I found it far, far too salty for my taste. I halved the salt second time around and it was great, and my go-to recipe if I could find green mangoes in Watford, but I've not seen them on sale for several years now.


I make Mamta's Mango Chutney too though I have a few other variants which I also make. Have to say, never found it too salty. Matter of taste I suppose.
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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Pampy » Mon Apr 20, 2020 1:46 pm

Interesting - I found it too salty as well - even though I'm a salt lover. I wonder if the type or degree of ripeness of the mango has an impact on it?

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Uschi » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:33 pm

Back to pickled cucumbers or gherkins ... mustard seeds are a must in the German version along with dill (dill flowers, if you have them), bay leaves, peppercorns).

Green mango chutney sounds interesting! I shall investigate.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Apr 20, 2020 2:49 pm

This is the Mamta recipe I use (it's green mango...), I'm pretty sure I mentioned the salt thing to her, you can see she's added a note about the saltiness.
https://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_di ... p?id=10031

and a nice piccy of a batch I made...
http://www.sakkarin.co.uk/foodforumpix/ ... chut10.jpg

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby jeral » Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:50 pm

Re Mamta's site, is there still a printer friendly option? I think there used to be. I find it hard to read over the wallpaper.

Ta.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:24 am

Interesting - I found it too salty as well - even though I'm a salt lover. I wonder if the type or degree of ripeness of the mango has an impact on it?


The same recipe I´ve used, with a bit of additional chile powder.
Two things I think need mentioning. First of all, most Indian pickles/chutneys are salty. This may have something to do with the culture OR the temperature. Here in the tropics, i find I also need more salt than usual. When I make the chutney, however, I always use sea salt - nothing processed.
Secondly, green mangoes are best. Rock-hard, with the pit still undeveloped. I pull mine straight off the tree, but if you´re buying them in the market, I´d (a) buy them in an Indian or Caribbean market and b) look for the fruit which is dark green. Anything slightly ripe affects the flavour, imho.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Apr 21, 2020 2:35 am

MariaK that radish pickle is just what I’ve been looking for, though I can’t for the life of me see why you would need to use coarse crystal sea salt to make the brine, any salt without an anti-caking agent would surely do?

I think if pickles are to be eaten with a lot of bread or, particularly, rice they probably need to be quite salty? The starch element of an Asian meal tends not to be salty.

I heard Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina discuss making fermented pickles in the east European style last year, interesting, they both have books and I think they are making their food popular - Olia has been on Saturday Kitchen a couple of times

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby MariaK » Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:22 am

Stokey Sue wrote: by Stokey Sue » Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:35 am
MariaK that radish pickle is just what I’ve been looking for, though I can’t for the life of me see why you would need to use coarse crystal sea salt to make the brine, any salt without an anti-caking agent would surely do?


Sue,

That's odd, as you got me into pickling radishes a couple of years ago

http://www.wildfood.info/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=16053

Though it was Tezza who posted the link to that recipe. Living in the Loire estuary I tend to buy Guérande salt - the coarse cooking salt as well as fleur de sel from those who make it. The cooperative, initially set up by those who actually make the salt, is now run by men in suits - silly packaging and prices. Don't see the point of those herb mixes. So, have to admit I never gave the "coarse sea salt" a thought as that's what I'd use automatically.

That said, one of my Polish friends insists that it must be rock salt if making sauer kraut, gherkins etc - but can't remember why. Will let you know

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Gillthepainter » Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:21 am

Guérande salt


Did you find this salt rather grey?
I bought a huge bag from our Organic shop, that has amazingly different products, at amazingly expensive prices.

It was strangely dull coloured, but absolutely fine to use.

I also got salmon coloured Himalayan big salt nuggets there, that could only be broken up for kitchen purposes with a swing of a hammer.

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Re: preserving & pickling

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:35 pm

MariaK wrote:Sue,

That's odd, as you got me into pickling radishes a couple of years ago

http://www.wildfood.info/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=16053

Though it was Tezza who posted the link to that recipe. Living in the Loire estuary I tend to buy Guérande salt - the coarse cooking salt as well as fleur de sel from those who make it. The cooperative, initially set up by those who actually make the salt, is now run by men in suits - silly packaging and prices. Don't see the point of those herb mixes. So, have to admit I never gave the "coarse sea salt" a thought as that's what I'd use automatically.

That said, one of my Polish friends insists that it must be rock salt if making sauer kraut, gherkins etc - but can't remember why. Will let you know


Thing is, I had lovely pickled radishes in a restaurant, and none of my attempts were nearly as good but I didn’t try that one!

Salt is odd. You only really notice a significant difference between different salts if the crystal goes into the mouth whole and the taste is affected by the sensation of the crystal dissolving on your tongue. If you made a series of 5% solutions of the different salts you almost certainly wouldn’t be able to identify them by taste. Obviously if it has additives such as calcium silicate or sodium triphosphate to make it free running, or iodine, that can affect taste or pickling). But for brining pickles I can’t believe there’d be a noticeable difference between additive free salts - kosher, sea, or rock

Having visited the wonderful rock salt mine at Wielizcka I would expect any Polish cook to recommend rock salt - pure, local, no additives!

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