Gajar Gobhi Shalgam Achar Recipe
Gajar Gobhi Shalgam ka Achar is a delicious Indian pickle made using fresh carrots, cauliflower, and turnips. This special winter pickle can be stored for 3-4 months. Here is how to make it.
Servings: 20 people
Ingredients
- 300 grams turnip (shalgam) check notes
- 300 grams cauliflower (phool gobhi) check notes
- 300 grams carrots (gajar) check notes
- 60 grams black mustard seeds (sarson) coarsely ground
- 10 grams red chili powder
- 5 grams turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 60 grams salt
- 20 grams garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 300 milliliters mustard oil
Instructions
- Heat 4-5 cups of water in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- When it comes to a rolling boil, add turnips, cauliflower, and carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook them; otherwise, they will become mushy.
- Drain the water using a mesh strainer and rinse the vegetables under cold tap water to prevent further cooking from residual heat. Strain the water well.
- While the veggies are cooking, line a baking tray or a plate with an absorbent kitchen cloth. Spread the strained vegetables on the cloth and let them air dry for 3-4 hours. This step is crucial for removing excess moisture from the vegetables and extending the pickle’s shelf life.
- Mix blanched vegetables, mustard seeds, chili powder, turmeric powder, asafetida, salt, and garlic in a large bowl.
- Transfer this mixture to a clean glass jar. Press the vegetables down firmly with a clean spoon to remove air pockets.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan over medium-high heat until it starts to fume.
- Once the oil starts to fume, remove the pan from the heat and let the oil cool down for 5 minutes.
- Now pour the cooled mustard oil and white vinegar into the jar over the veggies. You can also use a large ladle to pour the oil from the pan to the jar.
- Close the jar’s lid lightly and place it in the sun for 3-4 days. You can also cover the jar with a muslin cloth for the first few days. This is the magic step: sunlight helps the spices penetrate the vegetables, gently ferment the flavors, and dramatically extend shelf life.
- Shake the jar twice a day to coat the veggies uniformly with the oil and masala. If you wish, you can bring the jar inside at night and return it to the sun the next day.
If you’re making the khatta meetha version, add 2 tablespoon of jaggery here.
This step is crucial: raw mustard oil tastes bitter, but smoking it transforms the flavor and activates its preservative properties.
Don’t put the lid too tightly for the first 2 days of pickling. Gases are released during pickle fermentation and need a place to escape. If you secure the lid too tightly, it may burst open under the pressure of the gases.
This pickle is ready to eat in 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
Peel carrots using a vegetable peeler. Discard the ½-inch top and bottom, then cut them into thin slices. I used red carrots, but you can use orange carrots too.
Peel turnips using a vegetable peeler. Discard the ½-inch top and bottom. Cut them in half and then into thin wedges. If the turnips are too large, you can cut the wedges in half horizontally.
Take a medium-sized cauliflower. Discard the cauliflower stems and cut the cauliflower into small, bite-sized florets.
You can grind the mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
Crush the peeled garlic cloves with a pestle.
You can also add beetroot and green peas to this pickle.
Nutrition
Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1196mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2654IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
