PICKLED FRESH CHICKPEAS AND CARROTS: LEELA CHANA-GAJAR NU ATHAANU

This is a fresh pickled relish flavoured with fresh green garbanzo beans, carrots, and mustard, quite typical to Gujarat - home for me! Although this is Gujarati in flavours, it's neutral enough to be great with Indian food from any region. 

As I've mentioned before, I have a pickle affliction. And while I almost always relegate dried garbanzo beans to hummus, I simply love fresh garbanzos. They're a bit of work because of the shelling they require but they're totally worth it. I've never made Indian pickles before because I assumed they need things I can't be bothered to go find. But this recipe couldn't be simpler! If fresh garbanzos are out of season, make it with carrots alone.

I find dried garbanzos to be quite heavy so I seldom have them whole, but these fresh ones are mild, light, and easy to eat even raw with a bit of lemon, salt, and cilantro.

Adapted from Gujarati Chatko.

Leela Chana-Gajar nu Athaanu
Makes: 1 - 2 cups

- 1 cup fresh chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 4 small carrots, cut into 1 in. pieces
- 1/4 cup black mustard seeds, coarsely powdered in a blender (not in a food processor)
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. chile powder
- 1/2 cup safflower or other neutral oil
- 1 lemon, juiced

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add the carrots and boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and remove the carrots from the water with a slotted spoon. Spread out the carrots on a dry kitchen towel to dry completely.
2. Bring the water to a boil again and add the chickpeas. Boil for 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat, and strain the chickpeas.
3. Spread out the chickpeas on another dry kitchen towel to dry completely.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, powdered mustard, salt, chile powder, lemon juice, and stir to combine. Add the carrots and chickpeas and mix everything well. Taste and adjust the salt and add more chile powder if you want more heat. Keep in mind that the vegetables will reduce in volume a bit as they pickle so it's best not to overdo the salt and chile.
5. Transfer to a clean, dry glass jar and close the lid. Leave the jar in a very sunny spot for 3 - 5 days.
6. Refrigerate and enjoy with any kind of Indian food!

CHILES EN ESCABECHE: PICKLED FRESH CHILES (WITH VEGETABLES)

It's no secret that I love pickled vegetables! Of all kinds, from all cuisines. I grew up eating a slew of them, nearly always seasonal. Some that have to be left alone for months before eating, some that you can eat right away. When I was a kid, I ate SO much of our traditional athaanu (Gujarati pickled raw mangoes) with every Gujarati meal, that mum had to put a stop to it - no pickles for me for many months. A variety of pickled stuff would always be at the table during meals, but I couldn't eat any of it. It was tough, really, it was. I love pickles that much.

Even now, the only thing I ask mum to bring me from India is homemade athaanu. I seldom eat the athaanu because Indian food doesn't taste the same here in the US so I don't make it unless someone's asked me to make it for them. But I just feel good having athaanu around and knowing mummy's made it.

Pickles are so old-world, delicious, and I love the progressive transformation of young, fresh, bold, sprightly vegetables thrown in together, into a cohesive, mellow, unified entity in a bottle. It's a bit like growing up together with siblings and cousins.

Anyway so on to the ubiquitous Mexican chiles en escabeche (in Spanish escabechar = to pickle/marinate). I was having friends over so I made these a few days before, to give the vegetables time to get into it a bit. For dinner I'd made enguacatadas (like enchiladas but with an avocado sauce rather than chile sauce), black beans, rice, and probably something else that I can't recall. Perhaps dessert. Who knows... but the pickled chiles and vegetables I really enjoyed making. They're super with everything... beans and rice, in soups, with grilled meats, in sandwiches, chopped and mixed with sour cream as a dip, whatever else you can think of.

Chiles en Escabeche: Pickled Fresh Chiles (with Vegetables)

Servings: makes 1/2 quart

- 1/2 lb. carrots, cut into 1/2 in. slices on the bias

- 1/2 lb. white onions, quartered or cut into eighths

- 1/4 lb. or more, fresh jalapeno or Serrano chiles, or both

- 1/4 lb. or more, cucumbers cut into 1/2 slices on the bias
- 1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

- 3 bay leaves

- 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns

- 3/4 tbsp. dried Mexican oregano (Italian will do)

- 3 sprigs fresh thyme

- 3 sprigs fresh marjoram

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 cup white vinegar

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Combine the vegetables and spices in a large glass jar.
2. Bring the vinegar and water to a boil, remove from heat and add olive oil, stirring to combine.
3. Pour pickling mixture over the vegetables in the jar, mix well, cover and marinate 4 days before using.

4. After the 4 days, keep pickled vegetables in the refrigerator for longer storage.