Sesame Red Chilli Garlic Pickle

Few days back, I went for a family dinner while my husband was away and in between the chit chats rose the topic of pickles and how everyone loved my recently made chilli pickles. That was when one of my cousin's Mom-in-Law shared a chilli pickle recipe with sesame and garlic which she had prepared for her daughter, an avid chilli eater. With husband away for a whole week and not much cooking to do, the pickle was the first thing I wanted to do. So this it, a very Assamese fiery hot Red Chilli Pickle with bits of Garlic and soaked in sesame, vinegar, and oil. If you love chillies and homemade at that, you must try this extremely easy classic recipe!

                             

Ingredients

250 gms red chillies

6 tbsp black sesame seeds, powdered

3 tbsp rock salt

6 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

15-20 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (you can add or reduce as per your liking)

Mustard oil, just enough to cover the chillies till the brim

Direction

Wash the chillies thoroughly and air dry them completely on a kitchen towel. Now, remove the stems and diagonally slit the chillies. 

Take the sesame seeds and grind them to a coarse powder. I did not dry roast them as I used store bought ground sesame. You can dry roast if you would like to.

In a air tight jar, add the chillies, garlic, sesame powder, salt, sugar, and vinegar and mix well. You can also close the jar lid and vigorously shake it till everything is properly mixed. 

       

Put the jar in the sun for 2 days, lid on. On the third day, heat the mustard oil to smoky hot and then let it cool. Add the cooled oil to the chilli jar and mix well. Keep it at room temperature for 2 more days before serving.

                                       

Sesame Chicken

This dish had been on my to-do list for quite sometime now. The first time I had it was at my friend's place for dinner and ever since it has become one of my favorites. While I did attempt to make it once, but back then I had used all shortcut methods and so the result was obvious as well. This time, however, I followed her recipe to the T and had a super satisfied meal. While I did compromise a little with the chillies as my baby would also be having it, the taste was nevertheless awesome. This dish also forms a part of Assamese cuisine and hence even more dear to me and makes me feel at home.

Ingredients

400 gms chicken (with bone or without)

2 medium onions

5 cloves garlic

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 green chillies (I compromised a bit on the chillies; you can add as per your requirement)

4-5 sprigs of coriander leaves made into a paste with 1-2 green chillies

3 tbsp black sesame seeds, roasted and made into a fine paste with little water.

2 tbsp mustard oil

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Direction

In a pan, dry roast the peppercorns and cumin seeds. Remove from heat and let it cool. In a blender, add the onions, garlic, and chillies and make a paste. Now add the roasted peppercorns and cumin seeds. Continue grinding until a coarse paste is formed. 

In another pan, heat mustard oil until smoky hot. Add the onion paste and fry till raw smell disappears. Now add the chicken and fry with the masala leaves oil. Add salt and garam masala. Simmer and cook covered until chicken is tender. Now add the sesame paste and stir. Also, tip in the coriander paste and mix. Cook for 5-10 minutes till the gravy dries up a little and oil starts coming up on top. Remove from heat and serve hot with plain rice and onion salad.