GARLIC PICKLE

Garlic pickle, is a very simple pickle which can be prepared quickly. Garlic pickle recipe yields taste mildy sweet, sour, hot and pungent pickle with bursting flavors of cinnamon and cloves. If you are a hot and spicy pickle lover, you will get addicted to this. You can use this garlic pickle with roti, rice, to flavour gravies or to make sandwiches.  The mélange of flavors of marinated garlic combined with jaggery, chillies and other spices, to make a rich, complex, bold spicy pickle. Best to be more innovation and imaginative to make it perfect to add zing to any dish.

Pickled garlic has entirely different beneficial compounds than dried, cooked garlic and they work differently in the human body. Eating pickled garlic does not give the consumer immediate garlic breath or secondary garlic odor (sweat, lungs, etc.), hours later whereas cooking fresh or dried garlic gives both kinds of odor.

Pickles are an integral part of everyday meal. It adds so much flavour instantly to any meal. In olden days, pickle making was an art. People spent days making the perfect spice blend, adding the necessary preservatives and storing it appropriately so that it stays good for many months with no refrigeration. In the 21st century, there is no house without a refrigerator. As a result making pickle and preserving it has become very simple. You can make instant pickles with almost any vegetable. Some of the pickles are Basic Chicken Pickle, Ginger Pickle, Carrot Cauliflower Pickle, Vah Mango Pickle, Gongura Pickle Ambadi, Lemon pickle,  Gongura pickle, Shrimp prawn pickle, Amla pickle….

Garlic is said to be native to central Asia and also one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world that has been grown for over 5000 years. Garlic is a wonderful seasoning to add aroma, taste and nutrition to the dishes. Often few people do not like the smell or flavor of garlic. But they are losing out many benefits that we derive from garlic. Often it is recommended to use raw chopped or pressed garlic in many dishes to get the benefits from the garlic. Some of the garlic dishes are Garlic Toast, Garlic Pepper Meat Balls, Garlic Dal , Garlic chutney , Fish curry with garlic….

Preparation Tips:

• For making the garlic pickle choose small to mediumgarlic pods. 
• Do not use fresh newgarlic to make the pickle. 
• Always remember to use thechilli powder that is used for pickles  
• Oil your hands before you peel garlic to prevent your fingers from getting discoloured and having a lingering garlic aroma throughout the day.

Health Tips:

• Garlic is believed to control cholesterol so making garlic part of one's daily diet should not be a problem.
• The minerals found in this pickle include iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium. This pickle also contains vitamins that include vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K.
• Curry leaves are known to be carminative in nature and thus, is highly effective against indigestion.
• If thegarlic is soaked in vinegar or lemon juice, the acid that is present in them will neutralize the Alliinase and slowly breaks down the rest of the cloves into odorless water soluble compounds that circulate via the bloodstream mostly S-allyl cysteine (SAC). SAC lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels and inhibits platelet aggregation as well.

This pickle is such a favourite that people don't mind having it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It goes very well with parathas and curd rice.