Cranberry hot & sweet pickle

Cranberry shows up during Thanksgiving and Christmas in most of the US houses , as it is a tradition to serve this fruit as a sweet jelly along with dinner. It is considered to be one of the healthiest fruits.
Cranberry jelly can be bought from any stores. I love the way how this is conveniently available in all seasons in cans. Just pour the jelly straight out of the can into a cute bowl and it's done , you got a side dish !

Even though I too love this convenient can of jelly, I love to buy this in the fresh form also.
I made a hot and sweet Indian pickle out of it this week and it is one of the yummiest pickles I have ever made. We love the taste very much and in my view this tastes like mango pickle. Try this and let me know ! Click to see my spicy cranberry pickle too.

Cranberry pickle with roti and broccoli usili.

mortar to powder the masalas

Hot and sweet cranberry pickle

Ingredients:
Cranberry - 2  cups (1 small pack)
salt - 2 tbsp
brown sugar - 3 tbsp
sesame oil - 3 tbsp
red chili powder - 1 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp (preservative)
mustard seed - 1 tsp
hing (asafetida) - 1/4 tsp
Masala to powder:
Mustard seed - 1 tsp
fenugreek (methi seed) - 1/2 tsp
oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Rinse and clean the cranberries.  Using a clean kitchen towel remove the moisture and let dry for few hours or overnight. 
Roast the mustard seed and methi seed using a tsp of oil. Let cool and powder. Keep aside.

Heat the  sesame oil (any cooking oil) in a kadai (wok),   let it start to crackle . At the same time add hing and immediately add the cranberries and  saute till they starts cracking. Cranberry will get thick and mushy now. Add salt.
When the oil starts showing off the edges, add the red chilly powder, turmeric powder, brown sugar, powdered masala and stir well till the raw smell of red chilly powder goes.  Mix vinegar.
Switch off the flame and let the pickle get cool. Store in glass bottles.
Cranberry pickle is ready! Keep it refrigerated.


Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with curd rice or chapati.

Cranberry pickle

Cranberries are abundant during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Making a sweet sauce with cranberry is traditional here. I always make spicy pickle with cranberries and it tastes exactly the same as mango pickle (YES!). Xav likes it very much and I try to keep this in fridge during season. Last month I bought 2 packs of cranberries from Aldi, pickled them and stored in fridge. It is always cheerful to see him choosing from one of my homemade pickles:) Hope you all enjoy this pickle too!

Cranberry pickle in a jar.

Ingredients:
Cranberry - 1/2 lb
corn or Sesame oil - 1/2 cup
(we can reduce the oil , if we are refrigerating the pickle)
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
fenugreek (methi / venthayam) - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
hing (asafoetida) - 1/8 tsp
sea salt - to taste (approx 1.5 tbsp)
white vinegar - 2 tbsp

Method:
Wash and clean the cranberries. Wipe with a clean cloth and dry it in open air to remove any moisture for an hour or more (overnight).
Heat the above said quantity of sesame oil (any cooking oil) in a kadai (wok). Add the mustard seeds and let them start to crackle. At the same time add hing , fenugreek seeds and wait till it gets red. Immediately add the cranberries and  saute till they starts cracking. Cranberry will get thick and mushy now. Add salt.
When the oil starts showing off the edges, add the red chilly powder and stir well till the raw smell of red chilly powder goes.  Mix vinegar.
Switch off the flame and let the pickle get cool. Store in glass bottles.
Cranberry pickle is ready! Keep it refrigerated.


Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with curd rice.
We can  mix some of this pickle with white rice to prepare a quick cranberry rice for lunch pack.