This is another pickle, made by my dear sister Zeenath. While not as famous as her chemmeen achaar (ZEENATH'S CHEMMEEN ACHAAR aka SHRIMP PICKLE), it is still much loved by many in the family, notably her daughter Shyma and yours truly. Zeenath recently attended an alumni reunion for the 14th Fraternity of the Calicut Medical College. This is the class that enrolled in 1970 to become doctors. They came from all over the world to Calicut, India across February 22 and 23, 2020 to celebrate. Hospitable soul that she is, Zeenath hosted a meal for some of the lady doctors of Batch 14. This date pickle was served at that gathering and everyone is clamouring for the recipe. Shyma has kindly sent me a detailed recipe and requested that I put this on the blog. Thank you Zeenath and Shyma. This recipe post is dedicated to the lady doctors of Batch 14, Calicut Medical College.
Dates - 1/2 kg (Pitted and roughly chopped)
Lime - 2 (Place in boiling water. Boil for two minutes. Take utensil off the stove. Do not remove limes from the boiled water. Let it cool. Remove cooled limes, pat them dry, cut into 12 pieces, and keep aside.)
Salt to taste
Oil - 4 tbsp
Garlic - 6 cloves , cut into slivers
Ginger - 1/2", cut into thin sticks
Green chilies - 1 chopped
Chili powder - 2 tbsp, made into a paste in vinegar
Vinegar - 1 cup, diluted with 1/2 cup boiled and cooled water
Heat the oil in a large pan. On a slow heat, saute the ginger, garlic and green chili till soft. Do the sniff test, to check that the raw odor is gone. Be watchful, and do not let it brown or burn.
Next, add the chili powder. Mix well. Again, be watchful and do not let this burn. You need to retain the colour of the chili powder, as much as possible, and the flavour.
Add vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil, and boil for a minute.
Next, add the dates and lime. Cook till the dates meld into a pasty mixture, and take off the flame.
Leave the achaar to cool. Transfer to glass jars, and refrigerate. Keep for two days before serving, as Zeenath says it tastes best after all the flavours have settled and infused into the dates. That is, if you are patient and can wait to savour this delectable pickle!
Shyma's tips
"I've used store bought pickled lime for this recipe.
You can replace the lime with pickled carrots, which I like better.
When using pickled lime or carrots, only add them at the very end, as they don't need to be cooked."
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