Week 6-7 of being under lockdown in Kathmandu
What to do if you have leftover vegetables that are getting wrinkly and going to waste? In times such as these, it might seem unimaginable to talk about food going to waste but some of these pre-lockdown vegetables have surprisingly surpassed its storage time. Considering that vegetables such as carrots, for example, can be expected to store well in the fridge for about two weeks only! For locals, within my neighborhood, access to basic vegetables hasn't been that difficult as mobile vegetable supplier has been visiting. Even then, a few of the vegetables such as carrots, fresh green chillies, onions that were purchased prior to the lockdown measures has surprisingly lasted.
Items, such as lemons has been consumed fairly quickly as it goes well on a daily basis as a hot lemon [Chiuri/Butter tree] honey drink. The honey sourced from the southern plainlands of Nepal by a father-son duo beekeepers and promoted by Natural Roots has been my go to honey.
Before deciding on making achar from the limpy carrots I had a quick scan and apparently they are thrown away in tonnes [140,000] in the UK every year, and there are tips and suggestions on how to make use of these leftover vegetables. A wide variety of carrot recipes are also available online from making soup, sauce to halwa [pudding] but to suit with the equipment at hand, and the fact that I have never made achar from carrots I stuck with the following recipe.
Gajar ko Achar
Ingredients:
Mustard oil
6 -7 large carrots, washed, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp red chilli powder
5 fresh green chillies, sliced
salt
Leave the peeled and sliced carrots to dry for a couple of days.
On the day when you are ready to prepare the achar, heat the mustard oil in a pan. Instead of using a small cast-iron skillet as traditionally done in Nepali kitchens, I used a similar pan with a wider rim. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds until fragrant. Feel free to toast the spices without the mustard oil, you can add the oil separately later on. Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the entire contents over the carrots. Mix the ingredients well, and let it rest to cool off before putting it in a clean jar. If you prefer, feel free to add more mustard oil and let it sit in a warm spot for 8 -10 days.
With plenty of empty glass jars lying around, I reused an old jar and encourage you all to do the same.