Pear and Dates Pickle

This oil free Pear and Dates Pickle recipe of mine was published in Better Homes and Gardens India Magazine’s September 2016 issue. It was so much fun to develop this recipe for BHG. I love challenges more if Food is involve there. This oil free pickle challenge not only pushed me to think beyond the traditional lines of pickle making in India, but also made me realize how important to bring out the actual taste of pickle from an oil free base. Many of you asked me to blog about this recipe. So, finally it’s here. I hope, like me you’ll love making it too.

This pickle has the mushy bites from pears and dates, along with the crunches of healthy flax seeds. The aromatic roasted spice powder added that extra kick into it, and has made this pickle totally unique on its own.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized Pears- Peeled, cored and cut into ¼” pieces.
• Dates (pitted and chopped) – ½ cup
• Flaxseeds- 1 tbsp
• Brown sugar- ¾ cup
• Salt- 1 tsp
• Apple cider vinegar- ½ cup

For Roasted Spice Powder

• Panch phoron/Bengali five spices- 1 tbsp
• Whole dry red chilli- 4
• Cumin seeds- 1tsp
• Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
• Coriander seeds- 1 tsp

Method

In a frying pan add all the ingredients mentioned for ‘Roasted Spice Powder’, stir them on medium flame for few minutes until little darker in color. Care should be taken not to burn the spices. Let them cool completely. Now grind them to a smooth powder using a mixer/grinder. Keep aside.

Add apple cider vinegar, sugar, pieces of pears and salt in a nonstick frying pan. Mix and cook on low flame with lid on. Stir in between. When pears are thoroughly cooked, add dates, flax seeds and roasted spice powder. Mix well, remove from heat. Let the pickle cool at room temperature in the pan itself. After cooling store this into sterilized glass containers.

This pickle goes well with almost anything. Serve this with toasts, crackers or parathas whatever you like.

Note:

This pickle stays well up to 2-3 months in room temperature.