Indian Seafood Pickle Cheatsheet

Model Recipes

Sayantani's Bengali Prawn pickle uses mango as a souring agent and mustard paste as a preservative. Her use of water, green chillies and coconut would no doubt make the pickle tasty, but would dramatically shorten the shelf life of the pickle. If you cut out coconut, replace green chilies with chili powder and water with vinegar, the shelf life would greatly improve.

Ramana Dukkipati's prawn pickle uses lemon juice as a preservative. Though warming lemon juice ( he has the innovative technique of adding lemon juice to hot pickle to warm it !) increases the shelf life, the water content in lemon juice does not permit the pickles to be stored for long. Replace lemon juice with vinegar or citric acid crystals dissolved in vinegar for a longer shelf life. Instead of rinsing and simmering prawns in water, using vinegar would dramatically improve shelf life.

Nisha's Tuna Pickle demonstrates there is just a thin line between a curry and a pickle.


Yummy Team's fish pickle reduces water content of the fresh fish first by blotting it with a tissue and then by deep frying it. However, Fish, green chilies, garlic and ginger do retain some of their water content, even after cooking. This water would shorten the shelf life, but the generous addition of vinegar balances it out.

If I am to judge pickles by how long they last, the easy winner is Addie's dry fish pickle. This would keep the longest as he only avoids using water in the recipe, but uses dry fish to ensure the recipe has virtually zero water. This pickle will easily last years in a refrigerator, getting better with age ! Remember, water is poison to pickles.

Think of any pickle as a really sour, really spicy curry, cooked with very little water ! In fact you can easily turn any curry into a pickle by adding a generous dose of souring agent & pickling spices.

Indian Pickles Cheatsheet

Model recipes :

Indra’s red chili pickle, would last longer if vinegar is used to wash chilies instead of water, and the lemon juice is warmed before being added.

Divya’s Tomatillo pickle is a fine example of sticking true to the spirit of a recipe. Though her tomatillo pickle uses a ‘foreign’ ingredient, it will be no doubt accepted as an authentic Indian pickle.

Sireesha’s Andhra mango pickle. mixes the spices with the oil first and this paste is mixed in with the mangoes. The oil film would delay absorption of salt & spices by mango. A faster way would be to mix in salt with the mango pieces and wait for a couple of days so that the juices are drawn out and then mix in the spices, wait for a couple of days till they get absorbed and lastly to mix in the oil. Again, washing mango in vinegar instead of water would help getting a longer shelf life.

Indian Prawn Pickles

Indian Pickles - your way !

Non Vegetarian Pickles

One Page Cookbooks Non- Veg Pickle varieties Treat this as a primer. Learning the nuances takes a lifetime!
This table lists 1000 simple Indian Pickles from 000 to 999. The three digits denote the base, flavouring & additives respectively. Master Recipe:: Prepare a base from column 1. Add flavouring from column 2 & additives from column 3. Add the two spoons of tamarind paste or half a cup (100 ml) of vinegar. Mix salt and chili powder to taste. (Optionally mix in a pinch of sodium benzoate or citric acid (preservative). Stir and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Let cool and bottle. All recipes copyrighted. No reproduction / commercial use without permission. Siramki@Gmail.com 1 cup = 200 ml
Base	Flavouring	Additives
0.: Fresh Fish Take a handful of fresh , fish cubes. Wipe dry. Mix in with half a handful of salt, three pinches of turmeric powder and the juice of a lemon. Keep covered for 5 hours. Dip each piece in vinegar to remove excess salt.	0.: Mustard Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard. (South Indian flavouring)	0.: None
1.: Crab Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of crab meat. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.	1.: Curry Leaf Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and four torn curry leaves. (South Indian flavouring)	1.: Amchoor Take two pinches of mango powder.
2.: Prawns Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of cleaned prawns. Stir and cook for 5 minutes .	2.: Lentils Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches each of mustard, urad dal and chana dal. (South Indian flavouring)	2.: Garlic cloves Take four chopped garlic cloves.
3.: Chicken mince Heat a spoon of oil. Add two handfuls of chicken mince. Stir and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.	3.: Asafetida Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches each of mustard and asafetida. (South Indian flavouring)	3.:Pickling powder Take three pinches of pickling powder ( see below).
4.: Mutton Mince Heat three spoons of oil. Add two handfuls of mutton mince. Stir and cook for 5 - 8 minutes.	4.: Turmeric Take two pinches of turmeric powder.	4.: Lemon Take a spoon of lemon juice.
5.: Eggs Take two handfuls of chopped, hard boiled egg whites.	5.: Ginger – Garlic Heat a spoon of oil. Add two pinches of mustard and half a spoon of ginger garlic paste.	5.: Fenugreek Take three pinches of fenugreek powder
6.: Dried fish / Shrimp Take two handfuls of dried fish / shrimp. Let soak in a cup of vinegar for a day. Drain vinegar.	6.: Cloves Take four whole cloves or four crushed cardamom. (North Indian flavouring).	6.: Mustard Take six pinches of mustard powder.
7.: Chicken Take two handfuls of chopped chicken. Mix in two pinches of salt, four pinches of chicken masala and the juice of a lemon. Rest for an hour. Add to a pressure cooker and cook for two whistles.	7.: Garam Masala Take two pinches of garam masala. (North Indian flavouring)	7.: Black Salt Take two pinches of kala namak ( black salt).
8.: Mutton Take two handfuls of chopped mutton. Mix in two pinches of turmeric, and four pinches of mutton masala. Rest for an hour. Add to a pressure cooker with half a cup of vinegar. Cook for three whistles.	8.: Powders Take two pinches of cumin / fennel / ginger powders. (North Indian flavouring)	8.: Oil Take half a cup of sesame / Mustard oil. The oil can also be heated till it smokes, cooled and then added.
9.: Fusion Take a handful of your favourite chopped, cooked meats or use any combo of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite flavouring or use any combo of the above.	9.: Fusion Use your favourite oil / vinegar / any combo of the above.
Pickling : Look at pickle as a curry, slow cooked by acid over months. The principle behind non – veg or veg pickles is the same – steep foodstuff in a medium which inhibits the growth of micro organisms. Here, the acidic medium, absence of water, the preservatives and spice powders used preserve the foodstuff. The acid gently cooks the foodstuff over time, the flavours come together, making the pickle tastier as it ages. Though not necessary for a well made pickle, refrigerating is an easy way to make pickles last much longer. It is also very forgiving, making even poorly made pickles last long.	South Indian Pickling powder : Take a handful of mustard seeds, half a handful of fenugreek, two handful of red chilies and a handful of sea salt. Dry the mixture in the sun for a day.( Or microwave for a minute). Let cool and grind to a powder. North Indian Pickling powder Take a handful of red chilies. Add two pinches each of onion seeds ( kalonji), fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns, four pinches of mango powder and half a handful of sea salt. Let dry in the sun for a day (or microwave for a minute). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder.

Tamil Thokku ( Thick, sour curries)

The logic behind  thokku : Stir fry chopped veggies till dry, blend to a paste with tamarind, red chilies and salt. 

Thokku is halfway between a thogayal and a pickle. Like a thogayal, goodies are blended to a paste with tamarind, but like a pickle, no water is added and the water content of ingredients used is reduced by slow cooking. The reduced water content and the acidic environment inhibit spoilage. Most thokku last for a week un refrigerated and for over a month refrigerated. Follow a few simple rules to make your thokku last long:
1. Use fresh, unblemished vegetables.
2. Wash and completely dry vegetables, bottles and spoons.
3. Never use a wet spoon or your bare hands to touch the thokku. Even a tiny bit of water can spoil it.
4. Aluminum, plastic or brass vessels react with the acid in thokku and should be avoided. Use glass / stainless steel  / porcelain jars.
5. Salt always has moisture in it. So dry roast it / dry it in sun for a day before using it.
6. Refrigerate thokku to make them last much longer.
7. Have a layer of oil over thokku to seal the surface. 

Tips :

1. Thokku can be used as a dip, spread, curry or a pickle. You can eat it with flatbreads, with Idli / dosa /upma, curd rice, spread it over bread or eat it mixed with hot rice and ghee.

2. Almost all vegetables without too much water content can be turned into Thokkus. Experiment with exotic vegetables as long as you remain true to the spirit of the recipe.

3. When using sour stuff as the base, you need not add tamarind. If you do not have tamarind paste, just add a bit or raw tamarind (with the seeds / fibers removed)

4. Experiment using a variety of souring agents like mango / vinegar / lemon juice in place of tamarind.

5. Mix in a pinch of preservatives like sodium benzoate / citric acid to make your thokku last longer.

 Replace the vegetables with cooked meat and a variety of non veg thokkus like chicken thokku, mutton thokku, fish thokku or prawn thokku can be produced. The principle is the same – reduce moisture, add a souring agent and cook into a thick gravy.

 The variations of the following thokkus are listed in this cookbook

Onion thokku / Shallot thokku / Garlic thokku

Cilantro thokku / Pudina thokku

Thakkali thokku

Milagai thokku

Nellikkai thokku / kilakkai thokku / manga thokku /

Inji thokku

Chenai thokku

Mahali kilangu thokku

Sundaikkai thokku 

Fusion thokku ( Zucchini thokku, Cranberry thokku, Celery thokku, Bell pepper thokku..)

Since thokkus are built on red chiles, they are perfect for  Kitchen Chronicles' "Think Spice- Red Chilies", an  event  started by Sunita Bhuyan.

Indian Sour Fruit Pickle Varieties

This cookbook lists variations of sour fruit pickles listed below. The technique is greatly simplified, so that a first time cook can easily prepare them. These are the simplest pickles of them all. Just mix in salt, turmeric powder with sour fruits, add flavouring, mix in additives and your pickle is ready in a few days! 

0.: Chopped raw mango pickle.
1.: Lemon pickle ( Elumichai Oorugai)
2.: Large Citron Pickle (Narthangai oorugai).  
3.: Small Gooseberry Pickle ( Aru nellikai Oorgai)
4.: Baby mango pickle ( vadu manga).
5.: Avakkai Pickle
6.: Grated mango pickle ( Manga Thokku)
7.: Large Gooseberry Pickle ( Peru nellikkai oorugai)
8.: Karanda Pickle (Kilakkai Oorguai)
9.: Fusion Pickles 

Core Logic: Salt sour fruits to draw out their natural acid. Mx in spice powders. Let soak and use. 

Pickling Basics: Pickles were invented as a way to preserve vegetables without refrigeration.  Enzymes within food / Microorganisms from outside spoil food.  So, the goal of all pickling is to retard the microbial/ enzyme actions.

Pickling in an acid (vinegar / wine) arose in the west. History records that these pickles were eaten by Roman soldiers and even by Cleopatra.

An interesting preservation technique is to let the food ferment, so that lactic acid bacteria can create an acid, which acts as a preservative. This process is similar to turning milk into yogurt, but a lot slower. Such pickling by fermentation arose in the east. Benign lactic acid bacteria digest plant sugar, produce lactic acid, carbon di oxide and alcohol. These inhibit the growth of other harmful bacteria. Unlike vinegar / wine, which just preserve food, fermentation can actually enrich foodstuffs by making them more digestible, more flavourful and packed with vitamins. Kimchi, Sauerkraut and a huge variety of Japanese pickles are all fermented pickles. Yogurt, cheese, wine, bread, sausages - are all products of fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. India never learnt fermentation because the tropical temperature was too high for proper fermentation. This is why none of fermented products - leavened breads, cheese, wine or sausages are native to Indian cuisine.

Indian pickles rely on salting and use lemon juice / vinegar or natural acids of sour fruits as a preservation medium. The foodstuff is salted (even sunned and salted), mixed with antibacterial spices and covered with oil to seal the surface against the entry of other microorganisms. In sour fruit pickles, the preservative medium is the naturally acidic juice. Salting the fruit draws out the natural juices, reducing enzyme action. The sour juice acts as a natural preservative, preventing the growth of micro organisms.  Thus, these pickles easily last for months. Other fruit / vegetables, which do not have acidic juices (garlic, chilies, ginger etc) can be pickled the same way, but need to have an acid (vinegar / lemon juice) mixed in. By following a few simple rules listed below, you can easily prepare fool-proof pickles

. 1. Use fresh, unblemished sour fruits. The sourer the fruit, the stronger the acid and better the pickle.
2. Wash and completely dry fruits, bottles and spoons.
3. Never use a wet spoon or your bare hands to touch the pickle.
4. Aluminum, plastic or brass vessels react with the acid in pickles and should be avoided. Use glass / stainless steel / porcelain jars.
5. Salt always has moisture in it. So dry roast it / dry it in sun for a day before adding it to the pickle.
6. Sterilize the bottles before filling them with pickles. ( See below)
7. Fill the bottles almost to the top to reduce the amount of air sealed in.
8. Once pickles are ready, cover them with a layer of oil and refrigerate them to make them last much longer.
9. Optionally, mix in a tiny pinch of sodium benzoate, a preservative.
10. Optionally mix in half a handful of dried chickpeas / a spoon of fenugreek seeds / 4-5 garlic cloves with these pickles. These taste delicious when pickled in the sour juice.
11. If the fruits are not sour enough, mix in a spoon or two of vinegar.

The more rules you break, the less time your pickles will last. Follow all of them and your pickle will easily last for a year or more. .

South Indian Pickling powder:  Take a handful of mustard seeds, half a handful of fenugreek, two handfuls of red chilies. (Optionally add in a spoon of dhania / cumin). Dry the mixture in the sun for a day.( Or microwave for a minute at the highest setting). Let cool and grind to a powder.

 

North Indian Pickling powder Take a handful of red chilies. Add two pinches each of onion seeds ( kalonji), fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns and  four pinches of mango powder.. Let dry in the sun for a day (or microwave at the highest setting for a minute). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder.

For south Indian pickles use sesame oil and for north Indian pickles use mustard oil. If you do not like the raw oil taste, heat the oil till it smokes, let it cool and then add to the pickle.

Sterilising bottles Fill a pan with cold water. Immerse the bottles and bring water to a boil. Boil for five minutes, remove bottles and keep them inverted in the sun till they are completely dry.

You can use this technique to pickle any sour fruit from across the world.  

Sour Fruit based South Indian Pickles 10

This cookbook lists 10 sour fruit pickles listed below. The technique is greatly simplified, so that a first time cook can easily prepare them. These are the simplest pickles of them all. Just mix in salt, turmeric powder with sour fruits and your pickle is ready in a few days! 

1.:Chopped raw mango pickle.

2.:Lemon pickle ( Elumichai Oorugai)

3.:Large Citron Pickle (Narthangai oorugai).  

4.:Baby mango pickle ( vadu manga).

5.:Small Citron pickle (Kidarangai Oorugai)

6.: Avakkai Pickle

7.: Grated mango pickle ( Manga Thokku)

8.:  Karanda Pickle (Kilakkai Oorguai)

9.: Small Gooseberry Pickle ( Aru nellikai Oorgai)

10.:Large Gooseberry Pickle ( Peru nellikkai oorugai)

Core Logic: Salt a sour fruit to draw out its juices, mix in spices.

 Pickling Basics: Pickles were invented as a way to preserve vegetables without refrigeration.  Enzymes within food / Microorganisms from outside spoil food.  So, the goal of all pickling is to retard the microbial/ enzyme actions. This is accomplished in sour fruit pickles by salting. Salt draws out the natural juices, reducing enzyme action. The sour juice acts as a natural preservative, preventing the growth of micro organisms.  Thus, these pickles easily last for months. Other fruit / vegetables, which do not have acidic juices (garlic, chilies, ginger etc) can be pickled the same way, but need to have an acid (vinegar / lemon juice) mixed in. By following a few simple rules listed below, you can easily prepare fool-proof pickles.

1. Use fresh, unblemished sour fruits. The sourer the fruit, the better the pickle.

2. Wash and completely dry fruits, bottles and spoons.
3. Never use a wet spoon or your bare hands to touch the pickle.
4. Aluminum, plastic or brass vessels react with the acid in pickles and should be avoided. Use glass / stainless steel / porcelain jars.
5. Salt always has moisture in it. So dry roast it / dry it in sun for a day before adding it to the pickle.
6. Sterilize the bottles before filling them with pickles. ( See below)
7. Fill the bottles almost to the top to reduce the amount of air sealed in.
8. Once pickles are ready, cover them with a layer of oil and refrigerate them to make them last much longer.
9. Optionally, mix in a tiny pinch of sodium benzoate, a preservative.
10. Optionally mix in half a handful of dried chickpeas / a spoon of fenugreek seeds / 4-5 garlic cloves with these pickles. These taste delicious when pickled in the sour juice.
11. If the fruits are not sour enough, mix in a spoon or two of vinegar.

 

The more rules you break, the less time your pickles will last. Follow all of them and your pickle will easily last for a year or more. .

South Indian Pickling powder:  Take a handful of mustard seeds, half a handful of fenugreek, two handfuls of red chilies. (Optionally add in a spoon of dhania / cumin). Dry the mixture in the sun for a day.( Or microwave for a minute at the highest setting). Let cool and grind to a powder.

 

North Indian Pickling powder Take a handful of red chilies. Add two pinches each of onion seeds ( kalonji), fenugreek, cumin, peppercorns and  four pinches of mango powder.. Let dry in the sun for a day (or microwave at the highest setting for a minute). Let cool and grind to a coarse powder.

For south Indian pickles use sesame oil and for north Indian pickles use mustard oil. If you do not like the raw oil taste, heat the oil till it smokes, let it cool and then add to the pickle.

Sterilising bottles Fill a pan with cold water. Immerse the bottles and bring water to a boil. Boil for five minutes, remove bottles and keep them inverted in the sun till they are completely dry.

You can use this technique to pickle any sour fruit from across the world.  

10 Vegan Pickles from the British Raj

Pickles of the British Raj

This one is for Vaishali's It's a Vegan world : British event.

The British steeped Indian fruits and vegetables in vinegar along with mild Indian spices to create a range of fusion pickles.  They do not use mustard powder / chili powder used in almost all Indian pickles and so are very mild by Indian standards. The following pickles are listed in this cookbook.

 

1.:  Red Cabbage Pickle  .

2.:  Red Cauliflower Pickle

3.:  Bombay Onion Pickle 

4.:  Dry Mango Pickle  

5.:  Sweet Mango Pickle 

6.:  Mint Flavoured Vinegar 

7.:  Chili Vinegar 

8.:  Dates pickle

9.: Carrot- Garlic Pickle 

10.: Whole Mango Pickle