Ambade God Nonche (Hog Plum Sweet Pickle)

Ambade God Nonche is a recent try in my kitchen. The hog plums are cooked in water and then a spicy freshly ground masala is added.  To balance the sourness of hog plums and spiciness of masala, jaggery is added. Finally to enhance the taste and flavor, tempering is added. This dish is generally served with rice.

Few months back, a good friend of mine R, gave me this recipe. This is the first time I am trying this recipe and it did turn out good. My mother makes a similar sweet pickle using bitter gourd. You can get that recipe here. Do try making this and I hope you enjoy it. Leave me a comment down below if you did!

Ingredients:

• Hog Plums (Ambado), medium sized- 8-10
• Jaggery - 2-3 Tbsp (adjust accordingly)
• Salt- To taste

For roasting:

• Dry Red chilli (byadgi variety)- 5-6
• Mustard seeds- 2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds/ Methi- 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)- 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Oil- 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few

Procedure:

Wash the hog plums. 

Pat them dry with a towel and then slice them (Hog plums have seed in the middle. So remove the edible part as much as you can. Luckily my hog plums didn't have any seed. You can add the seeds to the pickle or just discard it. Seed cannot be eaten but you can suck the yummy juice)

Making Masala:

Roast the dry red chillies with few drops of oil until it changes its color slightly. Then transfer them to a plate. Now in the same pan start roasting the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in few drops of oil, until a nice aroma is got. Then turn off the heat and add asafoetida and turmeric powder immediately. Mix well and fry for few seconds. Then transfer it onto a plate/ bowl and allow it to cool. Once cooled, transfer it into a blender.

Now grind the roasted spices to get a fine powder. Then add few tablespoons of water, so as to get a fine paste. Masala is ready. Set it aside until required.

Now start heating water in a small pot, just enough to cook the  hog plum slices. When it comes to a boil, add in the sliced hog plum and allow it to cook for 4-5 minutes, on a medium flame (the color of the skin turns from green to slight yellow, once cooked).

Once the hog plums look cooked (not mushy), add the ground masala, jaggery and salt. Mix well. Adjust the consistency of the pickle by adding water (I kept it medium thick). At this point taste it and check if salt/jaggery is required. Allow it to boil for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and then add the seasoning.

For Seasoning: Heat oil. Then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to the prepared pickle and mix well.

Ambade God Nonche is ready!!

Serve it hot or warm, as a side dish to rice. Above measurement serves 3-4 people.