NAARTJIE AND ORANGE ATCHAR
A very tasteful condiment with pork, duck or chicken dishes.
- 20 small naartjies
- 3 oranges (any citrus can be used)
- Syrup:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ± ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons Maizena
- ¼ cup of water
- In a heavy saucepan, heat ¼ cup olive oil and add
- ½ cup pickle masala (**buy or use my recipe below)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika, optional as it is only for the colour
- 2 cloves cardamom
- 2 small pieces cinnamon sticks
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- few garlic cloves (I used 5 small cloves)
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, optional
- 4 or 5 curry leaves
Braise in hot oil until aroma arises. Add the cut fruits.
Braise a few minutes more until the spices are well coated over the fruit.
Only now you add the thickened syrup to the spicy fruit.
Cook for ± 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and bottle in sterilized jars.
ENJOY
PICKLE MASALA
A very delicious spice mix to make pickles.
- 1 ½ tablespoon mustard seed
- 1 tablespoon dry mango powder (I substituted with 1 tablespoon sumac)
- ½ tablespoon red chilli flakes
- ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ tablespoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds or substitute with dried thyme
In a heavy saucepan dry roast the mustard seeds for 1 – 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Next dry roast the fennel seeds till aroma is released, keep on stirring while roasting.
Transfer to the same bowl as mustard seeds.
Similarly, dry roast fenugreek seeds, caraway seeds and nigella seeds one by one.
Add the roasted spices to a blender or pestle and mortar and grind to a coarse powder.
Transfer the masala mix to a bowl. Add salt, sumac, red chili powder and turmeric powder.
Stir to combine.
Store the Pickle Masala in a clean, dry airtight container at room temperature.
(The masala has a shelf life of more than 6 months.)
Recipes and photo: Elize de Kock
