Drumstick pickle - a spicy and sour authentic south Indian dish, made from fresh drumsticks, tamarind, and an array of aromatic spices. This classic pickle pairs well with main courses and south Indian breakfast dishes. It is a vegan and gluten free recipe.
In my home, the amount I made will last for eight or nine months. You can make a smaller batch by reducing the quantity of ingredients.
Pickles have a long shelf life, but they can spoil early if they are not handled properly. Check out the precautions in the tips and tricks sections on this page.
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The process might look tedious and complicated, but in reality, the only time-consuming part is extracting the tamarind pulp and waiting for the cooked tamarind, fried drumsticks, and tadka (tempered spices) to cool completely. Once this part is done, the rest of the process is pretty quick.
Ingredients
- Vegetables: Fresh drumsticks (moringa pod), tamarind, garlic and curry leaves.
- Dry and Whole Spices: Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, salt, methi (fenugreek seeds), dry red chilies. Here I used a mix of both byadigi and small round spicy red chillies.
- Lentils: Urad dal and chana dal are used here.
- Oil: I’ve used sunflower oil but feel free to use any neutral cooking oil.
- Red Chilli powder: I have used byadgi chilli powder that’s not extremely fiery.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make a drumstick pickle?
Wash drumsticks under tap water and wipe them with a clean cloth.
Cut them into 3-4 inch pieces and place them in a plate or bowl and set them aside to use later.
Place tamarind in a wide bowl.
Boil water in a kettle and pour it on tamarind.
Soak it for 15 - 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, mash tamarind with potato masher.
Place a strainer over a thick-bottomed wide steel pan.
Then transfer the mashed tamarind to a strainer to extract the pulp.
Press tamarind with the back of the spoon to squeeze out as much pulp as possible.
Remove the strainer with leftover tamarind.
Add turmeric powder to the tamarind pulp and mix well.
Place the steel pan on the stovetop and heat it over medium-low heat.
Keep stirring regularly to prevent the pulp from sticking to the base of the pan.
Cook for about 10-12 minutes until it thickens.
Once the tamarind thickens turn the heat off.
Let it cool completely.
Now place a small pan on the stovetop.
Add mustard and fenugreek seeds and dry roast over medium-low heat.
Stir regularly and roast for 2-3 minutes until the spices release aroma.
Turn the heat off and let the spices cool completely.
Once they are cool, transfer them to a mixer jar and grind it to a powder.
Now place a big pan and heat oil over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, gently add the drumstick pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly until they are fragrant and change colour.
Remove them from the oil and place them on a plate.
Add mustard seeds, chana dal, and urad dal to the hot oil.
Fry the spices for a couple of minutes until the dal starts to turn light brown and releases aroma.
Now add cumin seeds and fry for a minute until aromatic.
Add red chillies followed by garlic and fry until a pungent aroma is released.
Add curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds and then turn the heat off.
Let it cool completely.
Meanwhile, add chilli powder and salt to the cooled tamarind mixture and mix well with a spoon until everything is well combined.
Next, add freshly ground mustard fenugreek powder, and mix well with a spoon.
Finally, add fried drumstick pieces and mix with a spoon until well combined.
Add the tempered spices to the tamarind mixture after it has cooled.
Mix with a spoon until it is thoroughly combined with the pickle.
Delicious drumstick pickle is ready to enjoy!
Store it in a clean and dry airtight glass jar.
Check out other moringa recipes on the blog - moringa leaves dal and oil free moringa leaves curry.
Substitutions and Variations
Chilli powder: I have used byadigi chilli powder that has medium heat but you could use a different variety that is fiery hot.
Serving Suggestions
Mulakkai pachadi is a perfect accompaniment for south Indian breakfast dishes like dosa, idli, rava appe, pesarattu, and upma.
This traditional condiment is a fabulous addition to Andhra thali - plain rice, dal, sambar, rasam, papad, cabbage fry, yogurt, dosakaya chutney and semiya payasam.
South Indian flavoured rice dishes like lemon rice, coconut rice, puliyogare, and curd rice are perfectly complemented by this delicious drumstick pickle.
Storage
This homemade moringa pickle can be preserved for a year in a cold, dark area in an airtight jar. Make sure to use a dry, clean spoon every time you serve.
Their shelf life can be extended by storing them in an airtight, clean, and dry container in the fridge. Keep a tiny jar of pickle in the pantry cabinet and top it off as needed. Make sure the jar is tightly secured to keep the pickle fresh.
Tips and Tricks
Moisture: Use a clean, dry spoon and hands when handling the pickle. Otherwise, it will quickly spoil. Moisture is detrimental to pickles.
Mixer jar: Make sure the mixer jar is dry before adding the ingredients to grind.
Salt: Ensure to add the right quantity of salt as it acts as a preservative and helps with the long shelf life of pickle. Make a smaller batch and consume it sooner if you have to lower the salt content for health reasons.
Air dry drumsticks: Make sure to wipe them with a fresh, dry cloth or kitchen towel. If you're not sure if they're completely wiped, let them air dry for three to four hours to get rid of any moisture.
Clean and Dry Equipment: Make sure the pots, knives, and chopping board are dry and clean before using.
Tamarind: Remove the seeds and strings, then clean them with a kitchen towel or dry cloth.
Tempering: Let it cool down completely before combining it with a pickle.
Drumstick: Use firm, well ripe, mature drumsticks. Do not use a young drumstick.
Roasting spices: Let the pan heat up before roasting the spices. Spices should be roasted over a medium-low heat. The spices would burn if they were roasted over high heat. Before grinding, make sure the spices are completely cooled.
Related
Looking for other south Indian pickle recipes like this? Try these:
More South Indian Condiment Recipes
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do let me know if you try this classic drumstick pickle recipe. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or on the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online. You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribing to my Youtube channel. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get simple recipes straight to your inbox?
📖 Recipe Card
Drumstick Pickle (Munakkaya Pachadi)
Ingredients
- 580 gms Drumsticks (Moringa Pods)
- 200 gms Tamarind remove seeds and strings
- 400 ml Hot Water
- 10 gms Turmeric
- 25 gms Mustard Seeds
- 25 gms Fenugreek Seeds
- 300 ml Oil
- 150 gms Chilli Powder
- 125 gms Salt
For Tadka
- 15 gms Mustard Seeds
- 10 gms Urad Dal
- 10 gms Chana Dal
- 10 gms Cumin Seeds
- 4-5 Byadigi Dried Red Chillies
- 4-5 Small Dried Red Chillies
- 8-9 sprigs Curry Leaves remove leaves from stem and discard stem
- 80 gms (or) 3 bulbs Fresh Garlic break bulb and peel each clove
Instructions
- Wash drumsticks under tap water and wipe them with a clean cloth.580 gms Drumsticks (Moringa Pods)
- Cut them into 3-4 inch pieces and place them in a plate or bowl and set them aside to use later.
- Place tamarind in a wide bowl.200 gms Tamarind
- Boil water in a kettle and pour it on tamarind.400 ml Hot Water
- Soak it for 15 - 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, mash tamarind with potato masher.
- Place a strainer over a thick-bottomed wide steel pan.
- Then transfer the mashed tamarind to a strainer to extract the pulp.
- Press tamarind with the back of the spoon to squeeze out as much pulp as possible.
- Remove the strainer with leftover tamarind.
- Add turmeric powder to the tamarind pulp and mix well.10 gms Turmeric
- Place the steel pan on the stovetop and heat it over medium-low heat.
- Keep stirring regularly to prevent the pulp from sticking to the base of the pan.
- Cook for about 10-12 minutes until it thickens.
- Once the tamarind thickens turn the heat off.
- Let it cool completely.
- Now place a small pan on the stovetop.
- Add mustard and fenugreek seeds and dry roast over medium-low heat.25 gms Mustard Seeds, 25 gms Fenugreek Seeds
- Stir regularly and roast for 2-3 minutes until the spices release aroma.
- Turn the heat off and let the spices cool completely.
- Once they are cool, transfer them to a mixer jar and grind it to a powder.
- Now place a big pan and heat oil over medium heat.300 ml Oil
- Once the oil is hot, gently add the drumstick pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly.580 gms Drumsticks (Moringa Pods)
- Remove them from the oil and place them on a plate or bowl.
- In the same oil fry mustard seeds, chana dal, and urad dal.15 gms Mustard Seeds, 10 gms Urad Dal, 10 gms Chana Dal
- Fry the spices for a couple of minutes until the dal starts to turn light brown and releases aroma.
- Now add cumin seeds and fry for a minute until aromatic.10 gms Cumin Seeds
- Add red chillies followed by garlic and fry until a pungent aroma is released.4-5 Byadigi Dried Red Chillies, 80 gms (or) 3 bulbs Fresh Garlic, 4-5 Small Dried Red Chillies
- Add curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds and then turn the heat off. Let it cool completely.8-9 sprigs Curry Leaves
- Meanwhile, add chilli powder, freshly ground mustard fenugreek powder, salt and fried drumstick to the cooled tamarind mixture and mix well with a spoon until everything is well combined.150 gms Chilli Powder, 125 gms Salt
- Add the tempered spices to the tamarind mixture after it has cooled.
- Mix with a spoon until it is thoroughly combined with pickle.
- Delicious drumstick pickle is ready to enjoy!
- Store it in a clean and dry airtight glass jar.
Notes
Nutrition
Welcome to Flavours Treat. I share vegetarian recipes made with wholesome, mostly fresh ingredients. Every recipe has easy-to-follow instructions with process shots (detailed step-wise pictures), a short video and lots of tips to help your cooking journey. Read more
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