Dates and Garlic Pickle

Life sometimes is sweet and sometimes annoying that you want to take a break!

It is not exactly made to order and set on a plate for you to relish. It comprises of people and moments that set the tone. Well, think about your emotions - you could be joyful yet confused and sad at the same time.
If you are not yet in sync and if you are a girl, think back to the day of your wedding ( if you are married of course!!) - did you not have those bitter sweet moments?
You are happy about beginning a new life with a partner you have chosen, sad about no longer being able to run home to your parents every now and then, confused on whether you will be able to handle a marriage and responsibilities and so on. Well, emotions on this day can be overwhelming! I went through all these and at least few of you echo my thoughts. At the end of it all - I am one happy soul.

This is how I would like to describe my recipe too - a bottle of emotions not in the literal sense but to the senses of your palate. There is dates for sweetness, garlic for the hint of pungency, chilly for the spice quotient and tamarind for the sourness. There you have - dates and garlic pickle.

Ingredients

1. Dates - 250 grams de-seeded chopped*
2. Garlic - 50 grams chopped*
3. Curry Leaf - 3 sprigs
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp 
8. Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized ball
9. Warm Water - 1 cup
10. Oil - 2 tbsp ( I have used coconut oil)
11. salt to taste

Method

Soak the tamarind in 1 cup of water for 15 minutes and extract the juice from the pulp.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Let them splutter, reduce the flame and then add the fenugreek seeds. 

Add garlic and curry leaves to this and saute until the specs of brown just start appearing on the garlic. Sprinkle turmeric powder and chilly powder and let the masala get cooked.

Add the dates and coat this well with the masala. Keep it covered for 2-3 minutes on low flame.

Finally pour in the tamarind extract and add salt. Bring it to boil and let it simmer for 5 - 7 minutes till it thickens and the dates begin to melt.

It is a popular combination with Biriyani towards the south of India and we had it with parathas. The combo did gel well.

You may also note - 

1. * dates and garlic can either be chopped or slit lengthwise or you could also have it go in as whole. 
2. Once cooled it can be refrigerated in an air tight container for up to a month.