Last October, I mention that I had made a green chilli pickle in this post here. Since it was my own recipe and I had never tried it before, I was reluctant to post a recipe without first finding out whether it was any good!
Well, I have to confess now that about three weeks after I made the pickle, I tried a bit and it was great. I let it mature a little longer, and then I wolfed the whole jar in a very short period of time! A couple of weeks ago I got round to starting off another batch, because it was so good. So I think now would be an excellent time to share the recipe.
The recipe is very simple and quick to make. In addition, the pickle also matures reasonably quickly. This is because the chillis are briefly cooked in lemon juice. This process softens them, and also gets the acid right into the chillies more quickly, allowing them to continue to soften and get a pleasently sour flavour much more quickly than if you just put raw chillies in a jar of lemon juice.
Now, you may be wondering why I chose to cook the chillies in lemon juice. Was it just to get a quick pickle? Actually, it wasn't. After an intensive period of pickle making last year, I stumbled across a few snippets about botulism that made me quite worried.
Botulism is a serious and rather unpleasent illness that is caused by the botulinum toxin, which is produced by the bacterium clostridium botulinum. Now, there is a certain amount of information on the web that you are more than welcome to read if you want to know the gory details, but the main jist of it is that you definitely do not want to get botulism. To get a brief overview, I reccomend checking out the wikipedia article.
But why are we talking about botulism? Well, the toxin itself (but not the spores - which require cooking at high pressure to destroy) is destroyed by cooking, so it is not so much of an issue with freshly cooked food that is eaten promptly. But botulism can be a risk with preserved foods, such as pickles. You see, under certain conditions, the bacteria responsible for creating the botulinum toxin can thrive and multiply, and produce lots of the toxin. Conditions that are favourable for creating botulinum toxin are an anaerobic, non-acidic environment. Anaerobic means that there isn't oxygen. In terms of making pickles, this can occur when oil is used in the pickle, as a layer of oil coats the item being pickled and therefore the surface of the item will be an anaerobic environment. The bacteria also become dormant at cooler temperatures, so refrigerating foods can help, though it is not reccommended as a sole way of preventing botulism, as some toxin can still be produced.
When you are pickling an acidic ingredient such as green mango or lemons, then the acidity makes the pickle a hostile environment for botulism spores and bacteria. So, you do not need to take extra care with these items, though good food hygeine should still be followed. Also, if you are not using oil in your pickle there is less risk as the pickling environment will not be anaerobic. However, when you take a low or medium low acid food such as garlic, chilli or carrot and pickle it with oil, there are risks. In fact, I have read that garlic and chillies are particularly risky foods.
But luckily, there is a solution. If you acidify the item to be pickled before adding oil, you will ensure that the environment is not suitable for botulinum toxin to be produced. Of course, another method is to kill of all toxin and spores present in the pickle by cooking it at pressure, but a pressure canning setup can be tricky at home. To acidify something, all you have to do is cook it in acid for a short period of time. I found out about this technique on this website. I suggest that you read this page if you wish to know more about the role of acids in pickles.
So there you go, that is how I came up with cooking the chillies in lemon juice! Having said all of the above, please remember that I am not a healthcare expert or a scientist, and I am only passing on information that I have read. Please read carefully about botulism in other sources before making any high risk foods such as herbs preserved in oils. As I said, with high acid pickles that are acidic before the addition of oil (if it is added), the risk is low and there should not be too much cause for worry. But food safety when preserving is a big issue and it is important to get information from a reliable source.
Anyhoo, on with the pickle recipe, which is very simple indeed!
Ingredients:
This pickle is a fantastic way to perk up meals that need a bit of a kick. I love it with rice and kadhi, or in fact any yoghurt-y dish. It's also really delicious in a cheddar cheese sandwhich!
Well, I have to confess now that about three weeks after I made the pickle, I tried a bit and it was great. I let it mature a little longer, and then I wolfed the whole jar in a very short period of time! A couple of weeks ago I got round to starting off another batch, because it was so good. So I think now would be an excellent time to share the recipe.
The recipe is very simple and quick to make. In addition, the pickle also matures reasonably quickly. This is because the chillis are briefly cooked in lemon juice. This process softens them, and also gets the acid right into the chillies more quickly, allowing them to continue to soften and get a pleasently sour flavour much more quickly than if you just put raw chillies in a jar of lemon juice.
Now, you may be wondering why I chose to cook the chillies in lemon juice. Was it just to get a quick pickle? Actually, it wasn't. After an intensive period of pickle making last year, I stumbled across a few snippets about botulism that made me quite worried.
Botulism is a serious and rather unpleasent illness that is caused by the botulinum toxin, which is produced by the bacterium clostridium botulinum. Now, there is a certain amount of information on the web that you are more than welcome to read if you want to know the gory details, but the main jist of it is that you definitely do not want to get botulism. To get a brief overview, I reccomend checking out the wikipedia article.
But why are we talking about botulism? Well, the toxin itself (but not the spores - which require cooking at high pressure to destroy) is destroyed by cooking, so it is not so much of an issue with freshly cooked food that is eaten promptly. But botulism can be a risk with preserved foods, such as pickles. You see, under certain conditions, the bacteria responsible for creating the botulinum toxin can thrive and multiply, and produce lots of the toxin. Conditions that are favourable for creating botulinum toxin are an anaerobic, non-acidic environment. Anaerobic means that there isn't oxygen. In terms of making pickles, this can occur when oil is used in the pickle, as a layer of oil coats the item being pickled and therefore the surface of the item will be an anaerobic environment. The bacteria also become dormant at cooler temperatures, so refrigerating foods can help, though it is not reccommended as a sole way of preventing botulism, as some toxin can still be produced.
When you are pickling an acidic ingredient such as green mango or lemons, then the acidity makes the pickle a hostile environment for botulism spores and bacteria. So, you do not need to take extra care with these items, though good food hygeine should still be followed. Also, if you are not using oil in your pickle there is less risk as the pickling environment will not be anaerobic. However, when you take a low or medium low acid food such as garlic, chilli or carrot and pickle it with oil, there are risks. In fact, I have read that garlic and chillies are particularly risky foods.
But luckily, there is a solution. If you acidify the item to be pickled before adding oil, you will ensure that the environment is not suitable for botulinum toxin to be produced. Of course, another method is to kill of all toxin and spores present in the pickle by cooking it at pressure, but a pressure canning setup can be tricky at home. To acidify something, all you have to do is cook it in acid for a short period of time. I found out about this technique on this website. I suggest that you read this page if you wish to know more about the role of acids in pickles.
So there you go, that is how I came up with cooking the chillies in lemon juice! Having said all of the above, please remember that I am not a healthcare expert or a scientist, and I am only passing on information that I have read. Please read carefully about botulism in other sources before making any high risk foods such as herbs preserved in oils. As I said, with high acid pickles that are acidic before the addition of oil (if it is added), the risk is low and there should not be too much cause for worry. But food safety when preserving is a big issue and it is important to get information from a reliable source.
Anyhoo, on with the pickle recipe, which is very simple indeed!
Ingredients:
200g fresh green chillies
Juice of 5 lemons (around 200ml)
3 tblspoons salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
A lump of asafetida
4 tblspoons mustard dal
50g mustard oil
Clean and dry the chillies. Cut them into short lengths. Put in a pan with the lemon juice, turmeric and salt. Bring to the boil. Cook for 30 seconds or so, then turn off the heat. The chillies will discolour and will not look particularly attractive. In fact, they almost look as if they have been pickling for quite a while already. Allow to cool almost completely.
Roast the fenugreek and powder it with the asafetida. Add along with the mustard dal to the chilli mixture. Allow to cool completely whilst you prepare the oil.
Heat the oil in a small pan. When it is hot, turn off the heat. Allow to cool and then add to the chillies. Put in a large sterilised jar (kilner jars are ideal for pickles) and keep in the sun, if possible, for two weeks. Shake the jar a couple of times a day.
After three or four weeks, you can try some of the pickle. The chillies should have softened and have a good pickle-y flavour, but will probably still be rather hot (depending of course on the type of chillies you used). With time, the heat will mellow, although the pickle will still have a kick to it. You can leave the pickle for a few weeks more to get it mellowed to the flavour that you desire, or use it as it is. Remember to transfer the pickle to steralised, smaller jars for storage, and keep the pickle in a cool place. Once a jar is opened, it is best to keep it in the fridge.
After three or four weeks, you can try some of the pickle. The chillies should have softened and have a good pickle-y flavour, but will probably still be rather hot (depending of course on the type of chillies you used). With time, the heat will mellow, although the pickle will still have a kick to it. You can leave the pickle for a few weeks more to get it mellowed to the flavour that you desire, or use it as it is. Remember to transfer the pickle to steralised, smaller jars for storage, and keep the pickle in a cool place. Once a jar is opened, it is best to keep it in the fridge.
This pickle is a fantastic way to perk up meals that need a bit of a kick. I love it with rice and kadhi, or in fact any yoghurt-y dish. It's also really delicious in a cheddar cheese sandwhich!
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