• Here is an easy method to make pickle for beginners.

Preparations in advance

• Choose good quality fresh red dates, wash clean them. Remove the seeds and chop them into small cubes. Keep this aside.

Frying the spices for pickle masala

• For pickle masala we are using black mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and black pepper.
• A thick bottomed pan is heated, and all the spices are fried individually. Mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, black pepper and red chilies are dry roasted.
• They are roasted separately since each spice takes different time. The spices should be fried until you get nice aroma for a minute or half. After frying, all the spices are cooled and mixed.
• Take a high-speed spice blender or mixer grinder and powder these fried spices into fine mixture. Store this pickle masala and use them in making fresh red dates pickle.
• In the next step we are cooking the fresh red dates.

Cooking fresh red dates

• Heat refined oil, to this add chopped fresh red dates and jaggery. Add black salt to this and mix these ingredients.
• Now add water just enough to cover the chopped dates.
• Close with a lid and cook the dates on medium heat until they are soft not mushy. If you feel water has evaporated while cooking add some more water and continue to cook.

Making the pickle

• In this step we are mixing the pickle masala and the cooked fresh red dates.
• Add the finely ground pickle masala to cooked dates, also add cinnamon powder and salt as per taste.
• Mix everything very well so that pickle masala mixes with cooked red dates. At the end add squeezed lemon juice, mix well.
• Close the lid and cook the pickle for four to five minutes on low heat. Here the mixture gets thickened and if any water is left out it gets completely evaporated.
• Delicious pickle is ready, cool the pickle and then store them in airtight glass container.

Serving options: Serve the pickle with curd rice, hot rice, dosa, idli or any Indian flat bread