🌿 Vellai Poondu Oorukai (White Garlic Pickle)
A traditional South Indian pickle made with love, lemons, and lots of garlic.
🧄 Ingredients:
For the Pickle:
- Garlic – ½ kg (peeled and cut into halves lengthwise)
- Gingili oil (Sesame oil) – 150 ml
- Lemon juice – 1½ cups (approx. 300 ml)
- Mustard seeds – 2 teaspoons
- Salt – as required
To Make the Pickle Powder:
- Coriander seeds – 50 grams (~½ cup)
- Fenugreek seeds – 1 tablespoon
- Red chili powder – 3 tablespoons
- Jaggery – 1 tablespoon
🔥 Method:
1. Prepare the Pickle Powder:
- Dry roast the coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds separately on low flame until aromatic.
- Let them cool and grind together into a fine powder.
2. Start the Pickle:
- In a thick-bottomed kadai, heat 150 ml gingili oil.
- Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
3. Sauté the Garlic:
- Add the halved garlic cloves to the oil.
- Sauté for 5–6 minutes on medium flame until slightly softened but not browned.
4. Add the Lemon Juice:
- Pour in the lemon juice.
- Let the garlic cook in the juice on low flame for 5 minutes.
5. Add Pickle Powder & Salt:
- Mix in the ground pickle powder, chili powder, and required salt.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, until the oil starts to separate and float on top.
6. Final Touch – Jaggery:
- Add the jaggery and stir for about 2 minutes.
- Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool completely.
7. Store It:
- Transfer the pickle to a clean, dry, airtight glass bottle or jar.
- Let it sit for a day before use for flavors to mature.
🫙 Storage Tips:
- Always use a dry spoon.
- Keeps well for 2–3 months when refrigerated.
- Tastes better after a few days once flavors soak in beautifully.
❤️ Serving Suggestions:
- Serve with hot paratha, curd rice, upma, or even dal chawal.
- Perfect as a side for travel meals or hostel lunchboxes (your kitchen’s secret hug!).
