Friday 27 February 2009

Tel Kopi / Cauliflower preserved in Mustard Oil

The pleasure of food blogging is getting to know about different kinds of recipes being prepared all over the world. And this pleasure is magnified when we come across recipes that have been in a family for years ... passed on from generation to worthy generation. What make these recipes very special is the love, warmth and nostalgia that is associated with them.

I recently came across one such recipe in a fellow blogger's blog. She goes by the name L .
And this recipe .... Kopi'r Teyl ..... literally translated means Cauliflower's Oil .... is her Jethima's ( aunt's ) ... and told to her by her mother.


I was pretty intrigued by this recipe. And the fact that she did not have a snap of it made me a little unsure too ... as I could not know how the finished product would look. But I decided to give it a try .... for the simple reason that it needs so few ingredients .... and is so very easy to make.

You have to really love mustard oil to like this. I must admit I was in half a mind to add something extra to it ... i.e. a little achar masala at least. But hubby dissuaded me from that. His take was ... I would never know the original taste/flavour if I did that. Point. :-)

Here's the recipe.


Need
1 big sized Cauliflower
Enough Mustard Oil to cover the florets
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder
Salt
Water ( to boil the florets in)

How to :

Take a Cauliflower and break off the florets.

Boil water with a pinch of salt and add the florets.
Cook the florets in it for a couple of minutes and remove.
Be very careful not to overcook them ... they will hold moisture and your achar will spoil quickly.

Pat them dry with a napkin or tissue.
Air them for a while.

Now place the florets in a bowl ... preferably glass.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and mix well.

Cover the bowl with a cloth and sun dry them for a day.

( I tried the other way too ... dried them first and then added the salt + chilli ... worked too. )

Take a dry, sterlised bottle and put in the dry florets.
Add enough mustard oil to cover all the florets.

Let the bottle sit in the sun for 2 more days.
It is ready to be served now ... but I still kept it in the sun for a few more days.

If the level of oil decreases with use, add some more oil.
Take care that the level of the oil is always above the florets to prevent fungus.



Enjoy!!

She says to have it with rotis .... which we did. But let me tell you ... it was fabulous with plain hot rice too.

Thanks L for sharing this wonderful and unique recipe. :-)


Am so glad I tried it.

19 comments:

  1. thts a nice recipe thanks for sharing...tel kopi khub bhalo laage khete..bhaat er shonge! ;p

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  2. nice way to preserve cauliflower,..:-)hppy weekend,..

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  3. I am sure this will taste good as I love mustard oil - its a rare thing for a South Indian but I make alu gobi and all my dals in kacchi ghani!!

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  4. Never heard about this before... Thats indeed a nice idea!

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  5. i love the taste of mustard oil .. need to preserve some

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  6. Hmm..I used hate mustard oil as a kid but really enjoy the flavor now. I like veggie pickles..this look tasty.

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  7. sharmila,
    eyita khokhono khayini ...kinto dekhe achaar mone hoche ..
    aar Harini moton amraa o kachi Ghanni use kori;)...
    hugs and smiles

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  8. Amar o bhaater shonge beshi bhalo laglo Navita. And thanks! :-)

    Thanks Priyanka! :-)

    It is the strong flavour of kacchi ghani that makes every dish strong .. isn't it Harini? :-)Try this once ... it's bilkul hassle free. :-)

    Thanks AnuSriram! :-)

    Try it once Deesha. And thanks! :-)

    It is indeed very tasty Bharti. :-)


    Amio achar bhebechilam Jaya ... kintu ete tauk er kichu nei ... tobuo taste oshadharon! Ekbar nischoi try koro. :-)

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  9. Sharmila :) I am soooooooooo glad, soooooo happy...ki mawja laagche ki bolbo! tumi banie chobi tule post korecho!! Ma ke dekhabo :) Choto belar kotha mone korie dile..boro boro porcelain jar e kore Kopir Tel, Telenga, Kul-er acchar, Tentul-er achaar, Adaar Kuchi, Aaam-chuur rakha thakto bharar ghor-e....uff! shei shob din gulo mor shonar khachae roilo na...:) but U made me remind about those days :) Thanks a millions!!! More Hugs!!!

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  10. wow, darun recipe..eta ekta diff. kind of pickle..I know some people make phulkopir achar with mustard...must have tasted gr8 with hot rice

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  11. Eta konodin shuni ni, but looks Fabulous! ami shorsher tel er besh bhokto, so I will make this, only I have to find shorsher tel in that quantity. ami shorsher tel diye, papad diye bhat mekhe khayi:-)(talk of idiosyncrasies), so this is just the perfect thing!

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  12. Tomakeo thanks L eto shundor ekta reciper jonne.
    Ami khub ekta achar bhalobashina ... tobe amar cousin bonera onek baar dupure bharar ghor theke achar churi korte giye bondo hoye geche (amar thamma dupure bharar ghore tala dito). :-)

    It did Indrani. :-)

    Ami shorsher tel diye makha je kono jinish khete bhalobashi Soma ... sheddho ba pora. :-)

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  13. i bet the cauliflower tasted more delicious by preserving this way..

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  14. Amio eta kokhono shuni ni, amio bhabchilam gobi'r achaar (non-bong neighbor auntie banato) sei rokkom hobey.
    Interesting lagche khub i, shudhu oto ta tel dekhe ektu ghabre jachi :)

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  15. Thanks Preety! :-)

    Oto ta tel kopigulo cover korbar jonne lagbei Sandeepa ... nahole moisture khola peye fungus lege jabe. Kintu khawar shomoye to ekta kopi tulbe .. ar tar shathe joto tuku tel chao. :-)

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  16. this condiment is new to me. looks droolworthy :)

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  17. Sharmila,

    Just made this.
    After 2 days, there are bubbles in the oil and the oil is leaking out of the bottle.
    Should this be refrigerated now? Or did I add too little salt?
    There is plenty of oil on top, so no danger of fungus.
    would have asked the original blogger, but the blog is now inactive.

    Thank You,
    Uma

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  18. Uma ... I have no idea why there are bubbles ... yes, maybe it is too little salt.
    Do a taste check.
    You do need to keep it in the sun for a few days regularly ... that helps in taking away any moisture and also the cauliflower to soften.
    And I did not refrigerate it.
    But I guess you can after a few days of keeping it in good sun.
    I've updated the post with the way I made it.
    Hope this helps.

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  19. An update on my bubbling pickle:

    It was insufficiently salted, so fermentation had begun.
    So, it is slightly sour in a delicious way; a happy accident and a runaway hit!!

    Have upped the salt now to stop fermentation.

    Am considering pickling carrots the same way in the leftover oil.

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