Mula Ko Achar (Radish Pickle)

So we have been growing 'Mula' which is essentially radish, however it is not the usual small red round radishes that we are all so used to seeing, it is actually more like a very large carrot! This type of radish is what you find in Nepal when you go vegetable shopping, and this is the type of radish that they are used to! In fact so much so many Nepalese have never seen a small red round radish before.

The photo below really doesn't show off the sheer size of these radishes, but this is quite a large banana at the bottom and these radishes really are much larger!

So Mula being so popular, and the radish being so big, it is quite hard to actually eat all of it at once, so what the Nepalese tend to do is make Achar (which in English is known as pickle) Pickle is part of their staple food, and it is a great way to add different flavour to your food, along with spice and hotness! Radish pickle is probably the most popular pickles in Nepal and if made right it just tastes fantastic!

Anyway while the wife was at work, I decided to make some Mula Ko Achar for her as a little surprise, plus we have so many Mula growing in the garden, too many to add to a salad!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 medium Mula, cleaned and cut into pieces like fries

2 tablespoons Mustard Seeds

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 Tablespoon Red Chili Powder

2 Green Chillis

1 Tablespoon Paprika

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Method:

1. Cut the radish into small long pieces like fries

2. Add the sliced radish into a bowl and sprinkle some salt onto them and let stand for 20 minutes (This is to help extract the water from the radish)

3. Now drain the excessive water and spread the radish onto a paper towel, and then cover with another paper towel and let dry for an hour

4. After an hour, heat the mustard seeds in a frying pan until they start to crackle and then crush it with a pestle and mortar

5. Add the crushed mustard seeds, chili powder, paprika, salt and turmeric powder over the radish

6. Heat the pan up and add the oil. Slice the green chilis. Once the oil has heated, add the green chilis and stir it in for 30 seconds. Be careful as this will spit as the chilis are fresh!

7. Pour the mixture over the spices and mix it very well

8. Now fill an empty jar with the pickles and compress well

9. Close the lid tightly and let it stay in the jar for 5-7 days in a warm and dry place (e.g. airing cupboard)

Note: Do not open the jar in between these days as this will interrupt the fermentation process!

Fermenting Process in progress!