Sunday 28 February 2016

Spicy Pin Chicks

Pin It now!

It’s that time of the month again – a little earlier than usual.
As declared in my previous posts, I want my choice to be practical around the house & justify my blog url since tatting has taken over the diversity I had set out with.
My project for the pinterest challenge is very simple, but thoroughly yummy, adding a sweet spiciness to my dishes ! And an apt coincidence – we are now 5 Pin Chicks & like the 5 Spice Girls, adding flavour to our blogging lives :-)

Pickled Vegetables

Jane McLellan first tried it late last year, leading me to the original recipe here by Recipe Girl
I have it pinned on my Recipes board here. The recipe was followed down to the letter – well almost....
Make it Your Own
I wanted shallots instead of onion pieces, but didn’t get a hold of them. I reduced the amount of sugar, salt & vinegar just a tad, since it was going to be kept in the fridge anyways. And I added more pieces of ginger than specified in the original – love the flavour & taste. That's the joy of cooking - customized to suit one's tastes.
A Multi-cuisine Accompaniment 
It is a great accompaniment to rice, breads, salads, etc. Not spicy-hot At All, as Indian pickles go. Loved the sweetness it imparted & the delicate crunch of the vegetables. Whether it was our staple north Indian meal of roti & rice, or Mughlai/Tandoori cuisine, or Continental - the pickle was a hit.
Like Karaoke ! 
Rustle up a simple instant salad by adding a few lettuce level & jalapeños !
I really like the Instantaneous vegetable mix for salad ; no washing, peeling, cutting, seasoning, …. simply scoop out of the jars! No wonder it got over so soon.
Encore !
With hardly any pickle pieces left, I added a fresh batch of veggies, including turnips & onions this time, to the pickle solution. This worked great, too !
And then a 3rd & a 4th batch were added as the earlier ones dwindled. I did increase some sugar & salt & vinegar after the 2nd batch. All ready for a 5th batch soon !

Song of Happiness
The pickle is just Meant for egg salad ! I pick out some red pepper, onion & carrot pieces, dice them finely & mix with diced boiled eggs along with jalapeno peppers & very little seasoning.
Perfect egg salad sandwich !!! Sorry no pics for this, because I usually make this for dinner & the night is not suitable for photographs. You’ll just have to take my word for it, or why not make a batch yourself ?!


For more creative surprises, please don’t forget to check out what these lovely Pin Chicks have been up to : (click on names to reach their blog) the leader chicks - Suzanne Margaret,  ; & we, the follower chicks - Carollyn & Alma (our newest chick has added a separate page dedicated to this challenge!).

Till next month, then, happy pinning :-) 
  

Pinterest Challenge 2016 #2



10 comments:

  1. Oh wow well done Muskaan, I may have to try this myself. I love Indian food but I think the Indian we get here isn't real traditional recipes. I'd love to visit your country and have a home cooked meal hmm I can only image the yummy smells and gorgeous colours of the spices. Nobody knows how to use spice like the Indians do! Hmm I'm hungry now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I so agree with you about the spices, Suzanne. And Indian spices does not mean they have to be hot & chilli-ed ! The range of spices & their judicious use in multiple Indian cuisines, lend not just flavour & aroma, but have medicinal/digestive properties, too.
      I've eaten Indian food in the UK & it is pretty pathetic. But then every country has to cater to their own - the yummy & popular Chinese fare here would make them crawl in their skin perhaps :-D
      I'm sure we would love to treat you to some authentic Indian foods & flavours - there is such a diversity & every region has it's speciality !

      Delete
  2. This looks wonderful and healthy and will give this a go :) I feel better just looking at it. I have an artistic foods that I pin, I need to ex-span my horizons and may wonderful dishes to blog about too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We would Love to see your expanded horizons & artistry displayed in foods too, Carollyn ! I liked how quick & easy this pickle was, especially coz I had all the spices right in my kitchen & had to buy only the cider vinegar.

      Delete
  3. I love being able to use a jar of pickles to make a meal in a flash, knowing I've done all the hard work earlier! I used half a jar to make a sweet-and-sour chicken dish this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, Jane ! That's what I keep gushing to my DH - when I'm feeling lazy or have unexpected guests, this can really spike up the plate in so many different ways. My only regret is not having larger jars or more importantly a larger fridge ;-P
      Thanks for sharing it on your blog :-)

      Delete
  4. Looks mouthwatering although I can't eat spicy food, this does not look as spicy as some Indian food I have tasted, we (my mother and I) had a friend who was Indian and she made some gorgeous food, it would be nice to taste the real thing and not the look like stuff we get in this country,
    Margaret

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Margaret, this is not 'spicy' at all & especially not in the Indian sense. The flavours are mild but one can customize - this is a very forgiving recipe.
      "Asterix in Britain" has some hilarious comments/observations about UK cuisine, if you've read it. Obelix had some hungry moments there - imagine him running Away from food! Can't say how far it is true, though :-)

      Delete
  5. Yum! I love spicy food but Dave doesn't, so I tend to avoid making it. This is very tempting, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a similar situation at home, Diane. But DH liked it very much so I guess that says something :-) Give it a try - it's so quick to make a small batch.

      Delete