A Rajasthani Delicacy-Ker Sangri Pickle

In a guest post Ms.Vishnu Priya shares the recipe for preparing Ker Sangari Pickle.

Ker is a green berry like fruit of a thorny bush(capparis decidua) found in the arid parts of Rajastnan.It is very sour, and is commonly available during the months of April and May. In Jaipur you can buy fresh ker from Choti Choupar. (The traders go to the extent of sorting ker by size as the smaller berries are considered to be tastier. ) Local Pansari shops in the walled city provide dried ker all the year round. Fresh Ker has to be put in an earthen utensil or preferably a matka in salt water for 15 days so that it looses its sourness.After two weeks the salt water is thrown away and the vegetable is dried in shade to be stored for the rest of the year or to be cooked right then.Because of its numerous medicinal qualities ker is also used in many ayurvedic medicines.

Sangari are the bean like fruit of the Khejari (prosopis cineraria) tree.This tree is commonly found in rajasthan .And it gives its fruit, sangari, in the winters months.Thin and kachi sangri are plucked from the tree and lightly boiled and dried in shade to be used during rest of the year.They can be eaten as a pickle,vegetable or a snack-fry in oil & serve with salt and red chillies.

Ingredients

150 gm Dry Sangari

100 gm Dry Ker

50 gm Dry Lasore

250 gm Sesame Oil (tilli ka tel) OR Mustard Oil(Sarson Ka Tel)

50 gm Aniseed Powder ( Saunf)

50 gm Kachri Powder (A flavoring agent commonly found in Rajasthan.Also used to make uncooked meat tender)

25 gm pomegranate seed powder ( Anar dana)

100 gm Mustard seed powder( Raai)

1/4 Tea Spoon Asafoetida Powder ( Heeng)

1 Tea Spoon Mustard Seeds ( Sarson)

1 Tea Spoon Cumin Seeds ( Jeera)

1/2 Tea Spoon Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)

1 Tea Spoon Salt

1 Tea spoon Red Chillies Powder

2 Tea spoon Turmeric

Method

Soak the dried Ker,Sangri & Lasore in water overnight.

Throw away the water the vegetables were soaked in overnight and add the vegetables to a pot of boiling salt water till they are soft.

Throw away the salt water and put out the vegetables to dry on a soft cloth.

Heat the oil in a Wok till it is smoking and crackle cumin,mustard,fenugreek seeds and add asafoetida and take the wok off the flame.

Add all ingredients except raai and the vegetable and cook the masala on low flame till the masala is cooked.

Let the masala cool down after it is cooked and add the vegetables and raai and mix well and store in a glass jar for 2 to 3 days stirring 2-3 times daily till the mixture turns sour-khatta.

The pickle is ready to be served with poories or parathas.

If the pickle is to be stored for a long period of time, take enough oil to cover the pickle in the jar. Heat it till it is smoking. Let it cool down.Then add it to pickle in the Jar so that the pickle is covered in oil.The oil will make the pickle last longer.

Karan’s Guesthouse,In Jaipur

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