Achaari Broccoli Aloo – Broccoli and Potatoes in a mix of pickling spices!

 Achaar translates to pickle in Hindi so anything Achaari in Indian Cuisine implies something flavoured with pickling spices and usually some oil to bring out their flavours. So the Achaari Broccoli Aloo below are simply broccoli florets and potato chunked seasoned with these mouth watering spices and cooked into a dry, story fry kind of dish. It is spicy, a little sour and tongue tickling for sure! I keep the skins on the potatoes intact after soaking them in water for a while and scrubbing well to get all the soil off. But that’s just me! Use Potatoes whatever way you like them. You can marinate these in the spices listed below with a generous glut of oil and push them into an oven to roast! That slight char from roasting will only add to charm. If you are looking for a gravy/curried version , try this Cauliflower Peas Rassa ( where you can substitute Broccoli with Cauliflower ) for a milder but an equally flavourful curry!

Achaari Broccoli Aloo, Masoor Daal and Fulkas!

The image is from my own Instagram account d.srujan and can be viewed here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp black mustard ( rai ) seeds, ( see notes ),
• 1/2 tsp cumin ( jeera ) seeds, ( see notes ),
• 1 tsp fennel ( saunf / variyali ) seeds, ( see notes ),
• 1 tsp nigella ( kalonji ) seeds, ( see notes ),
• 1/4 tsp whole coriander ( sabut dhania ) seeds, ( see notes ),
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek ( methi ) seeds, ( see notes ),
• 1 tbsp peanut oil ( or a neutral flavoured oil of your choice ),
• 1 tbsp of mustard oil, ( optional , replace with peanut oil),
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped or sliced,
• 1 tsp of chopped/minced garlic, ( roughly 2-3 cloves ),
• 1″ piece of ginger, minced or grated,
• 1 cup of potatoes , chopped into chunks, ( stored in a bowl of water to prevent darkening ),
• 2 cups of Broccoli florets, ( all stem, florets and leaves ) blanched in salted water and drained,
• 1/2 tsp of red chilli powder or more ( use cayenne or Kashmiri Chilli powder for a hotter or milder version as you prefer, I like to use 1 heaping tbsp of Kashmiri Chilli Powder ),
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder,
• 1/2 tsp ( or lesser ) asafoetida / hing ( I like my pickles to be heavy on hing , you could add less ),
• 1/2 tsp Amchoor ( Dried Mango ) Powder,
• 1 tsp ( or more, to taste ) salt,
• lemon juice, some chopped coriander leaves, and a few fennel and nigella seeds for garnish,

Notes: I often replace these 5 individual spices – mustard, fennel, cumin, nigella, and fenugreek – with 2 heaping tbsp of Bengali Spice mix Panch Phoron and add a tsp of fennel extra because I like the flavour that way. Having Panch Phoron handy is a good because I often don’t stock nigella seeds all the time. But rest assured that both ways the Achaari Spice mix would taste pretty similar.

Method:

1. Roast Mustard+Cumin+Nigella+Fennel+Fenugreek seeds ( or use Panch Phoron ) along with a few coriander seeds ( optional , I love the aroma ) to a coarse powder. While grinding, add salt, red chillies ( or powder ), Hing ( generous amount, it is supposed to be Achaari, hence ) and a little Amchoor powder, that will make grinding small amount of spices easier.
2. Heat mustard oil till it smokes, turn the heat off, and let it cool down. Add some peanut oil ( or any other oil of your choice ), a little Mustard-Cumin-Fennel seeds, GG paste(or freshly grated GG) to make a tempering.
3. Add blanched Broccoli Florets, Blanched Potato Chunks ( I keep the skin on ) and cook for a while to cook the par cooked veggies thoroughly.
4. Add one sliced onion ( optional ) and the ground spice mix, along with a tbsp of water and a few droplets of oil in the sides. I go a little free handed on oil if I am going for the Achaari Feel.
5. Mix well, check salt and turn the heat off. Serve with a light sprinkle of Nigella and Fennel seeds on top ( optional ).