Mustard Pickle
Ingredients
90 g/3 oz/1/2 cup mustard seed
750 ml/1 1/2 pints/3 cups vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
250 g/8 oz dates, stoned and cut in quarters
1 cup peeled shallots or small red onions
1 cup stringless green beans, sliced
1 cup small cauliflower sprigs
1 cup carrot strips
few fresh red or green chillies
Directions
Soak the mustard seeds overnight in just enough vinegar to cover. Bring remaining vinegar to boil with salt and turmeric in a non-aluminium saucepan. Briefly cook each of the vegetables (about 2 minutes after coming to the boil) and put into a non-metallic strainer to drain. Put a mixture of vegetables and sliced dates into clean, dry jars with non-metallic lids.
Blend mustard with vinegar remaining in pan and the garlic, ginger and sugar. Pour over vegetables and seal with cork or put a double thickness of greaseproof paper between a metal lid and the pickle. Store in refrigerator where it will keep for months.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)