Happygut Piccalilli
Mustard-cum-turmeric pickle is a pantry staple. Here and in Britain, cauliflower, onion, zucchini and cucumber are used. Piccalilli is made with capsicum and green tomatoes, or gherkins and green beans in the US. This version is low in Fodmaps (natural sugars that can irritate the gut). Choose veges to suit your body.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg veges - your combination of zucchini marrow, cucumber, silver beet stalks, green or yellow capsicum, and green beans. Maybe some broccoli or cauliflower.
- ½ cup pickled salt see the notes below
- 5 cups vinegar (cider or white, not red or malt)
- ¼ cup rice flour
- 3 tbsp mustard powder
- 1 tbsp each of ground turmeric & ground ginger
- ⅓ cup raw sugar
- Optional extras: seeds of cumin, coriander or mustard
Instructions
The day before
- Peel the cucumbers and cut out the seedy section if it’s watery. Trim the beans, then chop all the veges except silver beet stalks into chunks - small enough to look nice in a salad dressing.
- Slice the silver beet stalks thinly to resemble sliced celery.
- Put all the veges into a large plastic bucket, layer by layer, sprinkling each layer with salt as you go. Cover with a tea towel. Leave overnight.
Next Day
- Drain the liquid out of the veges.
- Rinse the veges thoroughly in cold water several times until the salt is washed out.
- Heat oven to 150◦C. Wash half a dozen or more jars, then put them in oven for 15 mins. Better to heat too many jars than not enough. Soak lids in boiling water.
- Mix 1 cup of the vinegar with the flour and spices to make a paste. Set it aside.
- Pour a litre of vinegar into a large pot and stir in the sugar. Bring to a simmer, then add the vegetables and boil for 6-7 minutes (‘til just cooked, but still crunchy).
- Stir in the rice ‘n spice paste, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring all the time.
- Take jars out of oven with tongs and fill almost to the top with hot pickle. Screw the lids on and leave them to cool. Check they are sealed. Store in a dark place for 2 weeks to develop a full flavour before eating. Well-sealed, your Piccalilli will keep for at least a year.
Notes
- Salt draws water from the veges, resulting in more crunch. You won’t be eating all that salt - it is washed out once its job is done. Pickling salt is plain, white salt with no added iodine or free-flowing agents.
- For a nice yellow pickle, use mostly white or colourless vegetables. Small chunks of green veges enhance the yellow.
- Making pickles from ‘glut’ veges in season is a great money-saver.
- Think of pickles as a thick, ‘nutrient-dense vinegar.’ Blend it for a smooth texture or mix it with soy yoghurt, avocado, or nut butters to dress salads.
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