Loquat Pickle

Last Saturday I woke up to realize that the Loquats on our lush green tree were all ripening soon. I had no idea what to do with these chinese fruits, Loquats. We tasted these and to my palate it seemed something similar to amla (gooseberry) and kamrak (star fruit). Loquat is tangy and sour with couple of big seeds inside.

Why not try to make Indian achaar pickle with them? Yes, this was my father in law's idea. He loves pickles and he wants me to make punjabi style pickle for him. Although I will be making punjabi style raw mango pickle for him, I thought of trying the same with firm, slightly raw, sour loquats. And I was really surprised how delicious this can be.

As you know I am not from Punjab, but we love Punjabi/North Indian food and their pickles. Many many years ago when we had traveled to North India for vacation, we saw these big pickle shops selling variety of pickles. Pickles were mound in a big tub. Red spice and tangy mangoes shining with oil marinating to form a delicious concoction. WOW...the sight was amazing. This pickle is adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's Punjabi Pickle. Also, I realized the small pickled berries that I thought as fruit berries were actually kabuli chana or white dry chick peas. Amazing how a dry pea turns into so delicious pickled berries! Pickling indeed is an amazing process and involves science, and this season that I am learning to pickle, I am getting more and more knowledge about it.

My husband harvesting firm, slightly raw loquats for pickling.

Ingredients
30-40 loquats (cut edges and remove the core)
2 tbsp. saunf/fennel seeds
1 tbsp. dhania/coriander seeds
1 tbsp. methi/fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp. haldi/turmeric powder
1 tbsp. rai kuria/mustard for pickling
2 tbsp. mirchi/red chili powder
1/2 tsp. hing
1/4 cup kabuli chana/dry white chickpeas
1+1/2 tbsp. salt
2 cups mustard oil

Heat mustard oil till it reaches smoking point. turn off the heat and let the oil cool completely.
Wash and dry loquats. Cut the edges and remove the core. Roughly cut into pieces of your choice.
Mix fennel, coriander, and fenugreek seeds and coarsely grind them either in a grinder or in ortar and pestle to open the seeds and get the best flavor.
Mix salt, turmeric, chili powder, hing to the ground spices. Mix well.
Add spices to cut loquat.
Add kabuli chana.
Add 1 cup cooled oil. Mix well.
Fill the pickle in sterilized glass bottle.
Add another cup of oil and put the lid on.
Mix the pickle occasionally and in few days it will be ready to serve and enjoy!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Wash and dry loquats. Cut the edges and remove the core. Roughly cut into pieces of your choice.

Mix fennel, coriander, and fenugreek seeds and coarsely grind them either in a grinder or in ortar and pestle to open the seeds and get the best flavor.