My own private IHOP (International House of Pickles)
While searching for another article, I stumbled upon this great feature and recipe by David Rosengarten from a 2009 issue of Wine Enthusiast
He writes:
In an Indian Pickle
Food guru David Rosengarten tames this spicy condiment from the Subcontinent.
Published on Apr 6, 2009
BY DAVID ROSENGARTEN
I’m an Indian food freak, and therefore spend lots of time as an Indian food proselytizer. In that role, I perceive that my fellow Americans generally love Indian food, when they get to savor good, authentic examples of it. But there is always one no-fly zone, one tremendously important Indian taste that few Americans can handle: the taste of Indian pickle. It is an absolutely essential condiment at Indian meals in India, one of those “tastes” (like grated cheese on pasta) that helps define a cuisine—but it has never caught on here. I understand this; before I went to India and tasted the fresh, vibrant pickles there, I too was not a fan.
So I decided to make Indian pickles safe for Americans—to create an Indian pickle with training wheels. The following recipe blends a bit of the strong pickle taste with the more crowd-pleasing taste of chutney, and with some raw vegetables. All you need to do to get started is to find a jar of Indian pickle at an Indian grocery store: I’ve recommended lime pickle, the easiest to find, but use any Indian pickle you like.
Blend it up, serve with any Indian meal—and watch that pickle-phobia melt away.
Recipe: Dave’s Indian Pickle Sambal
1/4 cup lime pickle, from a jar marked “hot”
1/4 cup mango chutney, from a jar marked “hot”
1 cup very thin onion slices, packed firm
1 cup thick julienne of tomato, cut from 1/8″ slices, packed firm
1 cup cilantro leaves, packed firm
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 cup mango chutney, from a jar marked “hot”
1 cup very thin onion slices, packed firm
1 cup thick julienne of tomato, cut from 1/8″ slices, packed firm
1 cup cilantro leaves, packed firm
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
Makes 6 condiment servings.
1. Place lime pickle on a chopping board; remove any hard pieces. Top with mango chutney. Chop until you have a paste with small chunks in it. Add to large mixing bowl.
2. Add onion, tomato, cilantro and vinegar to bowl. Combine well, trying to keep the cilantro leaves “fluffy.”
3. Serve as condiment with Indian food.
David Rosengarten is a travel writer, cookbook author and TV journalist who has hosted or co-hosted approximately 2,500 shows on the Food Network. A frequent guest on NBC’s Today show, David has written about food and wine for a wide array of publications and travels frequently throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia, writing and lecturing on various culinary subjects Currently, David is the editor-in-chief of The Rosengarten Report, which received the James Beard Award in 2003 for the best food and wine newsletter in the country.
Recipes by Rosengarten is a recurring bi-weekly feature on winemag.com.
Hey!! I just bought this book. I have a picture of it on this page of my blog.
http://ashispregnant.blogspot.com/2010/02/oh-my-busy-day-for-pregnant-chic.html
I've never made pickles but am gonna try very soon. In this book it says that cucumbers used for pickling should not be more than 24 hours old. Do you think thats true? Or is she being a snob?
Hi Ashleigh, that book looks great, I'm going to check it out. Thanks! Enjoyed your site too.
I don't actually think she's being a snob, considering pickling is really about preserving–and why would you want to preserve something that's not all that fresh to begin with? I don't know about 24 hours, but I personally wouldn't go past 36-48, but that's not yet speaking from experience!
Ya, you're right. I could not drive out of the city, go to a farm, buy cucumbers, and then run home and pickle them. All in one day. I would need a nap…
By the way, everytime I read your stuff I want indian food. With pickle. Tons of it. Actually I'm gonna make some curry this weekend. And buy pickle from the grocery store.