Fresh Yellow and White Turmeric Relish with Whole Grain Mustard.

While my father was inspiration for my love of cooking, my mom is the drive behind my passion for cooking. She always set a good example for me to follow on her foot steps. Always trying new things. This was a staple relish in our house with every Indian meal. Good thing about it is it can last at room temp for about good 4-6 wks and definitely for months in the fridge that is if it lasts that long.  You get abundance of fresh turmeric in India and now we have started getting it here in local Indian grocers.   

There is a variety fresh turmeric which is blend of  raw mango flavor and turmeric flavor. It is called Amba Haldar (Mango turmeric)    Then you get the plain fresh turmeric as well.

Regardless of what kind, it is quite a chore to peel every rhizome of fresh turmeric and then slice it in to thin julienne strips.

Last time I had made this when I found these in frozen section, which was pretty good.

This time I decided to make it from fresh yellow and white (Amba haldar) turmeric rhizome.  Since it is a chore to peel and cut into julienne slices I only bought a small amount. You can make it from the dry split mustard seeds (that you get it from local Indian grocers) but lately I have been making this and green chili pickles with whole grain mustard seeds from jar which you can get it from Walmart or Aldi and it tastes the same or even better. 

Turmeric is a flowering plant,  Curcuma longa  of the gingerr family,   the rhizomes of which are used in cooking.  The plant is a native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia  that requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and high annual rainfall  to thrive. Plants are gathered each year for their rhizones, some for propagation in the following season and some for consumption.

The greatest diversity of Curcuma species by number alone is in India, at around 40 to 45 species. Thailand  has a comparable 30 to 40 species. Other countries in tropical Asia also have numerous wild species of Curcuma. Recent studies have also shown that the taxonomy of C. longa is problematic, with only the specimens from South India being identifiable as C. longa. The phylogeny, relationships, intraspecific and interspecific variation, and even identity of other species and cultivars in other parts of the world still need to be established and validated. 

Various species currently utilized and sold as "turmeric" in other parts of Asia have been shown to belong to several physically similar taxa, with overlapping local names.Curcuma amada, or mango ginger is a plant of the ginger family  and is closely related to turneric   (Curcuma longa). The rhizomes  are very similar to common ginger but lack its pungency, and instead have a raw mango flavorThey are used in making pickles and chutneys inIndia. It is served as chutney in community feasts in Nepal's southern plains. Mango ginger and elephant foot yam pickle is popular in Nepal's southern plains. T cuisines. Mango-ginger is a popular spice and vegetable due to its rich flavor, which is described as sweet with subtle earthy floral and pepper overtones and similar to that of raw mango. It is a delicious addition to salads and stir fries. It is used in South Asian and Southeast Asian as well as Far East Asian.

Ingredients:

• ~6 rhizomes of yellow and while Turmeric
• Juice from 2 fresh juicy limes
• One tablespoon of Kosher salt
• 2 table spoon of whole grain mustard from jar with its juice.
• You can add 1 table spoon of turmeric powder but you really don't need to.
• I just made it only with turmeric but you can add slices serrano peppers with this to make green chili turmeric relish you may have to adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Method:

• Very easy !  just peel all the rhizomes and slice them with knife to make thin Julienne slices.
• Add salt, lime juice and whole grain mustard and mix well.
• Store it in airtight jar at room temp for 2-6 days or keep it it in the fridge for 4-6 wks.

.

Enjoy !!

Source of Turmeric info: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcuma_amada

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Recipe and Photographs by Surekha

Instant Gunda (Gum Berry) and Green Mango Pickle

Gunda (Gum Berry) is known as ‘Lesoda ’ in North India . These raw fruits are available for a very limited period of time from March to June in summer .

It is believed that Gunda has anti-diabetic properties .

Gunda is also known as Fragrant Manjack, Gumberry, Laboda, Cherry,Bird Lime, Clammy Berries or Cordia Dichotoma. The botanical name of gunda is Cordia dichotoma forst. It is a fruit of the genus of shrubs called Cordia. This gunda fruit belongs to the borage family. The common name of gunda is Fragrant manjack. Gunda is a glossy-green colored fruit with a jelly like pulp. It has a sour taste with a fragrant fruity aroma. Gunda fruit is used mostly in Gujrati and Andhra cuisine for making pickles. 

Benefits:– Good for diabetic patients, Delays effects of aging, Treats cough, Relieves colic pain, Treats fever, Heals wounds, Clears intestinal worms, Treats asthma.

Ingredients:

• 40-50 gum berries
• 2 bags of frozen raw mango cut pieces (it comes in 12 oz frozen bag) 
• 1/2 cup of Gujrati pickle/Achar masala (I bought  ready made "Swad" brand, but it is easy to make, I will post the recipe at end of this post) and 1/3 cup extra pickle/Achar masala for mango.
• 1/2 cup of any vegetable cooking oil 
• 1/2 cup of mustard oil
• 1/4 cup of crushed Fennel seeds (sauf)
• 1 table spoon of Koshar salt (Achar masala has salt so you don't need to add  too much salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon of asfoetida (hing)
• 2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon of mango powder

 Method:

• Wash and dry all the berries thoroughly.
• Remove the crown from each berry.
• Partially crush each berry with pestle and remove the pit. Inside of berry and pit is very sticky and gummy, you can dip your fingers in oil or salt to avoid sticky fingers when removing the pit.
• Stuff each berry with the pickle masala.
• Place them in a small wok (kadai) or sauce pan and add oil. Place it on stove and turn the stove on low to medium flame and 5-6 min, gently turning them over so all sides of berries are cooked. Turn the stove off and set aside.
• Prepare mango pieces with following steps.
• Empty frozen mango pieces in a glass bowl and cook in microwave for 6-8 min to desired tenderness, stirring in between. Take it out of microwave.

• Add 1/4 cup of extra pickle masala, turmeric, mango powder, salt, asfoetida and fennel seeds.
• Added cooked gum berries with oil and pickle masala to these mango + spices.
• Toss everything gentle and add any of remaining pickle masala and oil of needed.
• Let everything cool to room temp if still warm.
• It is ready to be served or you can put it in an air tight jar to store.

Dry Achar Masala/Gujrati and Punjabi recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup split fenugreek seeds 
• 2 cups split mustard seeds 
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tablespoon  salt
• 1 teaspoon asofetida  (hing)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup  cayenne pepper or Kashmiri pepper powder (coarse)
• Optional to make Punjabi achar masala add following blended spices
• 1/4 cup of Kalonji/Nigella seeds (onion seeds)
• 1/3 cup of crushed fennel seeds (Sauf)
• 1/3 cup of mango powder)

Instructions

• Mix all spices(except asofetida/hing) and salt in a bowl.  
• Add blended spices to a bowl. 
• Add asofetdia (hing) to center of bowl
• Heat oil on the stove to smoking point (2-3 minutes on high)
• Pour heated oil onto asofetida. 
• Mix the mixture thoroughly.
• Methi masala/ or Punjabi achar masala is ready.

Notes

The recipe makes about 2 cups so you can bottle it up and use it when needed.

 

 

Gunda berry info source: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordia 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Enjoy !! 

Recipe and photographs by Surekha.