Mango Chutney

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups ripe mango, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 cup brown sugar
5 fresh red chilies, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
1/4 teaspoon asafetida
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Salt to taste

In a sauce pan, heat oil; splitter cumin seeds until dark brown. Add chilies, garlic, ginger, timur, asafetida, and salt. Fry for a minute or so. Add mango chunks, tamarind paste and brown sugar. Mix all ingredients well and allow simmering in low heat for about 30 minutes, or until mango chunks are tender. Remove from heat and let rest to cool. Puree the mango mixture into a smooth paste-like mixture. Put in a sterilized, air tight jar and refrigerate.

Tomato Shrimp Achar

PICKLING INGREDIENTS:
2 cups roasted tomatoes, peeled, and chopped
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
5 fresh red chilies, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon roasted mustard seeds
1 teaspoon timur (szechwan pepper)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Garnish:
1/2 cup small dried shrimp, rehydrated in water and drained
3 tablespoons mustard oil, or olive oil
10 dried red chilies

In a blender combine all pickling ingredients to form smooth paste-like mixture (can be made chunkier, if desired). Transfer into a large bowl. For garnish, in a non-stick pan heat oil; splitter dried red chilies until they turns dark. Add rehydrated shrimp and fry till crisp. Pour the shrimp-oil mixture over the tomato mixture. Mix well and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Cucumber Achar

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups cucumber, pealed, seeded, and sliced 1/4-in thick into 2-in lengths
1 tablespoon coarse salt for the dewatering of cucumber
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
1 tablespoon hot chili paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
3 tablespoons mustard oil, or good olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped, for garnish

In a large bowl, mix cucumber slices and salt. Let it rest for at least two hours to extract water from cucumber. Cucumber will have released a good amount of liquid; drain. Dry-roast sesame, cumin, and coriander seeds until toasted. In a blender, mix all the toasted seeds, timur, chili, tamarind and garlic pastes, oil, black pepper, asafetida, and salt into a thick pickle paste. Pour the pickling mixture into dewatered cucumber slices; mix thoroughly. For garnish, sprinkle chopped cilantro. Refrigerate in a sterilized jar.

Radish Achar

INGREDIENTS:
2 lb. daikon radish, sliced 1/4-in thick into 2-in lengths
1/2 cup ground mustard seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
5 tablespoons mustard oil
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste

In a large bowl, combine daikon with one tablespoon of salt and let rest for at least four hours. This process accomplishes the extraction of water from daikon. Press daikon pieces between palms to squeeze water as much as possible. Reserve in a bowl. To this, add ground musturd, paprika, timur, chili paste, mustard oil, asafetida and salt. Be careful in adding excessive amount of salt as daikon had already been blanched in salt. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Put the daikon mixture in a sterilized jar; close lid and allow to rest in a warm place for at least three days for fermentation before serving. Refrigerate to store.

Ginger Chili Achar

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups ginger root, peeled and pulverized
1/2 cup mustard seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon garlic paste
5 tablespoons mustard oil, or good olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste

Garnish:
1 tablespoon mustard oil, or olive oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 dry red chilies
1 tablespoon mint leaves, minced

Dry-roast mustard, cumin, and coriander seeds until toasted. In a blender, mix all the toasted seeds, timur, chili, tamarind and garlic pastes, oil, black pepper, asafetida, and salt into a thick pickle paste. Add the pulverized ginger into the pickling mixture; blend into a smooth thick pickled ginger paste. For garnish, in a non-stick pan heat one tablespoon of oil, splitter fenugreek and dry red chilies until it turns dark. Add slices of garlic and fry till light brown. Pour the chili-oil mixture and minced mint over the garlic pickle. Mix well and put in airtight jar.

Garlic Chili Achar

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup mustard seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
5 tablespoons mustard oil, or good olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste

Garnish:
1 tablespoon mustard oil, or olive oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 dry red chilies
1 tablespoon mint leaves, minced

In a pan, toast sesame seeds, cumin, coriander and mustard seeds. Spread out on a paper towel to cool down. Grind to a powder. In boiling salted water, blanch garlic cloves for about five minutes to soften and remove intense garlic rawness. Strain garlic cloves from the blanching water and place in a bowl filled with ice to prevent from being further cooked. After ice bath, drain and reserve in a clean bowl. Slowly dry-roast sesame, mustard, cumin, and coriander seeds until toasted. In a blender, mix all the ground toasted seeds, timur, chili and tamarind paste, oil, black pepper, asafetida, and salt into a thick pickle paste. Pour the pickling mixture into the blanched garlic; mix well. For garnish, in a non-stick pan heat one tablespoon of oil, splitter fenugreek and dry red chilies until it turns dark. Add slices of garlic and fry till light brown. Pour the garlic-oil mixture and minced mint over the garlic pickle. Mix well and put in airtight jar. Allow one week for the marination of garlic cloves in the pickling mixture within the jar before serving.

Tomato Achar

INGREDIENTS:
4 large ripe tomatoes or 2 cups ripe cherry tomatoes
5 fresh hot red chilies, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon timur
1/4 teaspoon asafetida
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Salt to taste

Garnish:
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Roast tomatoes in oven for about 30 minutes, or until charred. Remove charred skin and reserve flesh in a bowl. In a sauce pan, heat oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds; fry for 30 seconds or so. Add chilies, garlic, ginger, timur, asafetida, lime juice and salt; stir for a minute. In a blender, combine roasted tomatoes, chopped cilantro and mint, if used, and spice mixture; process to form smooth paste-like mixture (can be made chunkier, if desired). Transfer into a large bowl. For garnish, in a non-stick pan heat one tablespoon of oil, splitter fenugreek until it turns dark. Add slices of garlic and fry till light brown. Pour the garlic-oil mixture and chopped cilantro over the tomato mixture. Mix well and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Chili Achar
(Fresh Chilies with Herbs and Spices)

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fresh hot red chilies
1 cup fresh hot green chilies
1/2 cup mint leaves
10 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Pinch of asafetida
3 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste

In a pan, toast sesame seeds, cumin and mustard seeds. Spread out on a paper towel to cool down. Grind to a powder. In a blender, combine chilies, ground mixture of sesame, cumin, and mustard seeds, mint leaves, garlic, timur, tamarind, sugar, lime jest and juice, asafetida, oil and salt; blend into a paste with a desired texture. If desired hot and sour, increase the amount of tamarind paste. Store in sterilized jar and refrigerate.