I had about half a kilo dates lying with me for a long time and I don’t like eating them raw. So I thought about trying to make this Instant Chuare ka Achar (Dry Dates pickle) from them. I had once tasted it once when my mother-in-law had bought and had loved it. Hence, I got this recipe from her and wanted to try it out.

Chuare/Dry Dates are a fantastic dry fruit to be had during winters. It is supposed to be rich in Calcium and hence really good for bone health. It is good for the heart and stomach. Because of the high content of Vitamin B5 in it, it helps in improving the quality and health of hair as well. Since I don’t like them raw, I decided to put them to use by this pickle.

Chuare_(Dry_Dates)
Chuare (Dry Dates)

This is a lovely tangy, sweet, and spicy pickle/achar. Since dates are already very sweet, you don’t add a lot of sweet to it. I have used jaggery instead of sugar hence my pickle has a jelly-like consistency. Also adding lemon juice and mustard seeds helps to cut through the sweetness and add a lovely flavor to the pickle.

INSTANT PICKLES:

The best part is that it’s an instant Pickle which means it’s ready to eat just after preparing. I love such easy and instant pickles. If you do too, then don’t forget to check out my favorite instant pickle recipes:

  1. Chilli Pickle/Mirch ka Achar
  2. Gooseberry Pickle/Amla Achar
  3. Haldi/Turmeric Pickle
  4. Gajar-Mooli/Carrot-Raddish Pickle
  5. Mango Pickle/Aam ka Achar
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
SERVINGS: 1 Jar
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Easy

INGREDIENTS:  

  1. Dry Dates/Chuare – 250gms
  2. Jaggery/Gur – 500gms
  3. Lemon juice/Nimbu ka ras – ¾ cup
  4. Coriander seeds/sabut dhaniya – 4 tablespoons
  5. Cumin seeds/zeera – 1 tablespoon
  6. Fennel seeds/saunf – 2 tablespoons
  7. Fenugreek seeds/methi dana – 1 tablespoon
  8. Onion seeds/kalonji – 2 teaspoons
  9. Red chilli powder – 3 tablespoons
  10. Turmeric powder – 1 tablespoon
  11. Mustard oil – 400 ml
  12. Salt – ½ cup

UTENSILS/EQUIPMENT:

  1. A flat pan
  2. Grinder
  3. Wok/Kadhai
  4. Pan

RECIPE:

  1. Take a pan, fill it with water, and boil it.
  2. Once the water is boiling nicely, add the chuare/dates to the water and let them simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Dates will get nice and fluffy. Now remove them from water and strain them.
Boiled_Chuare_Dates
Boiled Dates

4. Place them on to a plate and allow them to cool for 10 minutes or so.
5. Now cut the dates into 2-3 small pieces and remove the pit. Do this for all the dates.

Dice_the_Dates_and_remove_the_pits
Dice the dates and remove the pits

6. Allow the dates to dry for about a day or so. You could keep them in bright sunlight and they would take about 4-5 hours to dry properly.
7. In a flat pan, take all the whole spices – coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seed, onion seeds, and mustard seeds and dry roast them on low flame till they get fragrant. Move them constantly.

Dry_Roasting_the_Spices
Dry roasting the spices

8. Let the spice cool down for a bit and then grind them into a fine powder.

Ground_spice_mix
Ground spice mix

9. Take a wok/kadhai and heat the mustard oil until it gets hot. Remove from heat. Break the jaggery into smaller pieces and add them to the oil while it’s still hot.
10. Squeeze about ¾ cup of lemon juice and add it to the mustard oil after 5 minutes or so and mix well.
11. Mix the ground spices along with red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt.
12. Again place the wok on heat and add the dry pitted Date slices to it.
13. Let this mix simmer for about 7-10 minutes.
14. The pickle would get cooked by then and would be ready to eat.

Store the pickle in a clean and dry glass jar. Relish it with hot parathas.

Chuare_ka_Achar_(Dry_Dates_Pickle)
Chuare ka Achar (Dry Dates Pickle)