This lovely, refreshing recipe is very different to pickles we have back in India, but is more of a condiment that can be used in salads for a mouth-puckering bite, with fried chicken, or even on top of sandwiches. Finely sliced pink radishes, paired with the umami flavours of red wine vinegar and honey, come together in a beautiful, crunchy, salty-sweet harmony. Paired with fennel seeds for an aniseed-y touch, you will always have a jar in your house, just like I do.
Prep time – 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 pink baby radishes, sliced paper thin (use a very sharp knife or a mandolin)
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsps honey
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- salt to taste
Method
Put the sliced radish in a jar and set aside.
In a small saucepan, boil the vinegar, water, honey and fennel seeds together till vinegar is reduced by half (vinegar has a very strong smell when boiled, so be sure to keep windows open)
Once reduced, pour hot liquid in jar, on top of radishes.
Leave for half an hour and serve as you prefer, or leave overnight in pickling liquid and have the next day.
Store in a cool, dry area for up to 2 weeks.
Growing up in India, pickled vegetables were always present on the table as the perfect, spicy condiment to pair with rice/roti, a big bowl of veggies and of course, some homemade yoghurt. I have an unhealthy love for everything sour (except candy) and often ate spoonfuls of carrot, turnip (my absolute favourite), raw mango or lemon pickle.
It may sound silly, but pickles are almost a way to connect to the past. My grandmother is an expert pickle maker and uses recipes passed down from her mother and I still remember sneaking outside and picking out slices of turnips in their heady mixture of spices, jaggery and salt – doing their magic as they fermented in the sunlight. The aniseed is a homage to those flavours, but baby onions and radishes in vinegar are often a staple in many Indian households and restaurants, a thick slice of beetroot in the jar providing a delightful, pink tinge to the delicious condiment.
Happy Pickling!
Karina