Apple Thokku / Instant Apple Pickle in South Indian Style

Apple Thokku / Instant Apple Pickle in South Indian Style - Finger Licking and Uber Delicious pickle made using Apples.

It is good to be back after a short break and I hope everyone has been enjoying the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities with family and friends. We had 1.5 days Ganpati at home and were overjoyed with the amount of guests who paid us a visit this year and brought so many yummy goodies for Bappa to savour.

Prasad is generally fruits and sweets and this year, I managed to distribute a major chunk of sweets as I didn’t want any kind of temptation in the refrigerator. Last year, I had surplus of bananas and Modaks which I beautifully salvaged into an Eggless Banana Walnut cake using Dassana Amit’s Recipe from Veg Recipes of India Blog and the Modaks into an Icecream, which was licked clean.

However, this year, we were left with large quantities of Apples. I did not want to plan a dessert as we have had way too much sweets and there are still few more days to go before the festivities end.

I thought of Jam but my husband is not really a jam fan. So the next wise option for me to go with was the Pickle.

I tried the Apple Thokku and I guarantee you, that you will be forced to buy apples and try this recipe. Guaranteed to knock your socks off, this pickle really surprised me in terms of both the flavour and the way the apples absorbed all the spice and provided the perfect accompaniment to our lunch and dinner as well that day.

I tried a small test batch and it came out so good. Since husband is away for a week long trip again, he has particularly asked me to make a big bottle of this so that he can savour it, once back! So I guess, the experiment was successful and the apples were salvaged beautifully.

Thokku is a South Indian Pickle variety that is made with Raw Mangoes, mostly and is supposed to be the instant pickle variety that is cooked with oil and basic spices, good quality red chilli powder and can be eaten immediately. It is an instant pickle variety which is also most loved by all South Indians, including ourselves. I have made this recipe in the similar lines of the Mango Thokku, which is on the blog and it did turn out delicious and finger licking good.

I have yet another interesting recipe on the blog using Figs - Figs Thokku which is the sweet and spicy pickle variety.

While the pickle is uber delicious, the only problem is  - It is Highly Addictive! Pair it with dosas, idlis, upma, paratha or you could simply have a dollop of it with Curd Rice or Dal Chawal. That’s the thing about instant pickles – Why wait when you can have it right now?

So please don’t wait and check out this recipe with step by step pictures. I am sure you must be holding a stash of apples in your pantry, wondering what to do with it besides eating it, adding it in salads or just making another dessert. Chuck all those ideas and read the recipe below, make this batch and get your taste buds flowing.

Recipe for Apple Thokku / Instant Apple Pickle in South Indian Style

Prep Time – 15 to 20 mins

Cook Time – 20 mins

Makes 300 gms of pickle approx

Ingredients

1. 1 kg of Apples peeled, cored and grated
2. 5 tblsp of Red chilli powder
3. 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder or Haldi powder
4. 1 tsp of Mustard Seeds
5. ¼ cup of Sesame oil
6. Salt as per taste

Method

1. Heat a non-stick pan or Kadhai and add oil.
2. Add the mustard seeds and once they crackle, add the grated apples.
3. Mix well and let it cook for 5 mins on low heat.
4. Now add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt, mix well and cook until it loses the moisture and becomes a thick lumpy mixture, leaving some oil on the sides of the pan.
5. Cool the pickle, empty contents in an airtight glass jar and store it in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 days.

Recipe Notes

• I have used red apples for making the pickle
• Apples have the tendency to darken but since it’s a pickle and I was about to add the red chilli powder anyways, I had nothing to worry about the colour.
• Add a red chilli powder that has colour and spice both.
• I have used sesame oil, as I do for all my pickles.
• Keep this pickle under refrigeration at all times.

Vidya Narayan