Pickled Vegetables

This vegetable pickle is popularly made during the cold winter months since it uses fresh produce and takes it to a different level. Since it uses raw vegetables, it is power packed with nutrients. My great-aunt shared her recipe with me. I have taken the liberty to further amend it and make it simpler for novices.

Recipe for Pickled Vegetables:

Ingredients:

Ginger, Peeled	15 gms
Fresh Turmeric	60 gms
Fresh Peas	60 gms
Green Chillies	8 to 10
Cauliflower Florets	100 gms
Carrots	150 gms
Salt	To taste ~ 1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds	1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds	70 gms
Red chilli powder	1 tsp or adjust to taste
Oil	3 Tbsp
Lemon juice	3 Tbsp

For the tempering:

Oil	5 Tbsp
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Asafoetida	1.5 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/2 tsp

How to make Pickled Vegetables:

1.Wash the ginger, fresh turmeric, chillies and carrots and pat dry.
2.Peel the ginger and turmeric and grate or chop finely. I've grated them in this recipe. An easy way to peel them is to scrape a spoon along the sides and the peel comes off easily.
3.Chop the green chillies according to your preference. I like the bite so have chopped them to about 0.5 cms bits.
4.Peel the carrots and dice them.
5.Break the cauliflower into small florets.
6.Shell the peas and wash and pat dry.
7.Mix all the vegetables (about 2 cups worth. You could add vegetables of your choice too) in a bowl and add salt and turmeric to it and let rest.
8.In a pan, heat the oil for the tempering. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the asafoetida and turmeric and turn off the heat. Let cool. Do not add hot tempering to the vegetables since it will cook them. 
8.In a small pan take 1tsp of oil and heat it. Sauté the fenugreek seeds and let cool.
9.In a grinder, add the fried fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and grind it.
10.Take it out in a bowl. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan in which we fried the fenugreek seeds. Pour the hot oil over the ground mixture and mix well. Rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful while working with hot oil. It can cause serious damage.
11.Now is the time to bring it all together. Add the masala and lemon juice to the vegetables. Mix well .Add the tempering to the mixture and mix well again.

Store the loncha in an airtight glass container. Relish it with parathas, rice preparations or simply with steaming hot poli. It will stay good for about a fortnight.