Why do we need so many kinds of apples? Because there are so many folks. A person has a right to gratify his legitimate taste. If he wants twenty or forty kinds of apples for his personal use…he should be accorded the privilege. There is merit in variety itself. It provides more contact with life, and leads away from uniformity and monotony."
- Liberty Hyde Baily
Summer reminds me of the fresh raw mangoes plucked from the tree and relished with a little salt and red chilli powder mixed with coconut oil and salt. Oh, the simple pleasures of childhood.
That reminds me of something more.
Mango pickle. The perfectly flavorful spicy & tangy accompaniment.
I L-O-V-E mango pickle.
The variety of mango pickles are as numerous as the variety of mangoes available in India. But unfortunately, the kind of raw mangoes that are required for the pickle is not easily available for me here in the US.
I adapted to what is available.
I learnt to make an instant version of the mango pickle, but using the tart Granny Smith apples. My friend, Sandhya, helped me with the recipe.
The sinful items in Indian style pickles are, according to me, the abundance of oil and salt. This instant kind of pickle is not that sinful.
It uses very little oil and does not need salt as the preservative.
Keep in mind that this pickle does not have a great shelf life, but since it hardly takes any time to prepare this, you wouldn't mind making it over and over again.
By now, you must have realized that I use a combination of Cayenne and Paprika to get the right amount of spice and color to my dishes. You can always use the regular Indian red chilli powder to prepare this.
Asafoetida/Hing is essential to preparing this pickle. I remember my grandmother using Hing as big chunks/pieces which had to be crushed using a mortar and pestle and then dissolved in water. We still do get the chunks of hing, but I find using the powdered form much easier.
The crisp and tart granny Smith apple do mimic the raw mango pretty well. Imagine making spicy pickles from a fruit that is best enjoyed with the caramel dip. Oh, that combination of caramel dip with tart apples is divine. So is the combination of this pickle with plain rice, curd rice, or even with Roti.
It hardly takes 10 minutes to prepare this side dish and it lasts for about a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Since I do not make it spicy, Sonshine also enjoys it with rice and Daali Thoy.
I am planning to serve this delicious Granny Smith apple pickle for the upcoming Vishu Sadya. Vishu is the celebration of Malayalam New Year and is celebrated in the month of April. Looking forward to a sumptuous vegetarian feast in just a few days.
Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day.
Granny Smith Apple Pickle
An Indian-inspired instant pickle using crisp and tart green apples. This Granny Smith Apple pickle is a fine accompaniment to plain rice or curd rice.
Ingredients
- 1 Granny Smith Apple
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper/Indian red chilli powder (Adjust to suit your taste)
- 1 teaspoon Paprika (See Recipe Notes)
- 1.5 teaspoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Methi seeds/Fenugreek Seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon Asafoetida/Hing
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric/Haldi/Turmeric Powder
- 5-8 Curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Required Equipment
- Kadhai/Pan
- Spatula
- Measuring cups and spoons (if you can eyeball the measurements, then no need for these)
- Clean dry jar to save the leftover pickle.
- Cutting board and knife
Instructions
- Wash, core and chop the apples into small bits. (See recipe Notes)
- Heat oil on medium high heat in the kadhai/pan and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the methi seeds and curry leaves. Saute for a minute or two.
- Reduce the heat and add the spice powders - Cayenne, Paprika, Ground Turmeric and Asafoetida. Saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add a little water and salt to taste and bring it to a boil. Increase the heat and let this mix thicken a little bit.
- Once the mixture has thickened, turn off the heat and add the chopped apple pieces and mix well to coat each piece.
- Once cooled, store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
Notes
1. Time Saving tip: Core and chop the apples after you add water to the spice mixture. You can chop the apples while you wait for the mixture to thicken.
2. Make sure you reduce the heat before adding the ground/powdered spices to prevent them from burning.
3. Adding Paprika is optional, I add it to give a nice red color to the dish.
Dee Lak says
Your recipe calls for 1 apple it seems to little . Did u mean 1 lb? The recipe is easy and I'll try it.
Dee
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Dee. The recipe is correct, I just used one apple for this recipe. It is a side dish/Indian style pickle. You can skip Cayyenne Pepper, if you think it is too spicy for your taste. This is a pretty flexible recipe. You can add more apples and adjust the spice powders according to your taste.
Sandhya's Kitchen says
Barani Jar is lovely.. It has an extended handle right? I am going to come back to see this recipe, when I want to make apple pickle like manga kari.
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Sandhya for stopping by. Do try it. And yeah, the bharani jar has an extended handle. Did you post a picture with a similar jar? I love those old stuff and this is a flea market find.
Sushma Iyer says
The pictures are all so drool worthy and the recipe also seems so quick and easy; will surely give it a try.. 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Sure Sushma. Would love your feedback.
Ritu ahuja says
Lovely pickle. It will go great with any meal. Love it. Yum yum 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Thank you Ritu.
anupama (MGGK) says
Oh YUM! This apple pickle looks gorgeous and delicious. Will give it a try soon! 🙂
Framed Recipes says
Sure Anupama. <3
Vidya Srinivasan says
I had apple pickle in a potluck recently and thinking should try in home.. Yours looks so inviting
Framed Recipes says
I too had it for the first time at a potluck party. It was so tasty that I Had to learn how to make it. Do try it Vidya. I am sure you will like it. It takes less than 10 minutes to make.