Ambate(Amte) Kayi Uppinakayi(Pickle)

Ingredients:
50 Ambate(Amte) Kayi / Hog Plum / Ziziphus Mauritiana / Ber
3 - 4 cups of coarse Salt
6  cups of Water

3 cups(around 50) Red Chillies 

Grape sized Asafetida or 1/2 tsp Asafetida powder

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1.5 tsp Fenugreek seeds

10 - 12 Black Pepper

3 - 4 tsp Mustard seeds (Preferred: Small one)

Few pieces of dried Turmeric or 1 tsp Turmeric powder

Recipe:
Clean and wipe the ambates using a clean cotton cloth.

Sun dry the ambates for about 2-3 hours and mash them into pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put around 3 cups of water, 1 cup of salt in a vessel and bring it to boil. Add mashed ambates, bring it to boil and cook well. Put around 3 cups of water and around 2 cups salt in another vessel, bring it to boil and keep it aside until it comes to room temperature.

Drain the water content and spread the ambates in a clean dry cotton cloth as shown in the picture below.

Wash the red chillies and sun dry it for about 4-5 days. Wash the mustard seeds and sun dry it for about 4-5 days.

Put red chillies, black pepper in a pan and dry roast them in medium/low flame for about 3-4 mins. Add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric pieces. (If turmeric powder, add it at the end along with asafoetida.) Fry them for about 2-3 min until they give nice aroma. Add mustard seeds and fry them for about 2 mins until mustard seeds splutter. Add asafoetida and fry them for about 1 min in medium/low flame. Keep this masala aside until it comes to room temperature.

Put this fried masala in a mixer/grinder, add sufficient amount of prepared salted water and grind them to smooth paste as shown in the picture below. (The mentioned ingredients in the recipe will make around 2 cups of ground masala)

Transfer this ground masala to a vessel, add the cooked ambates, required amount of salt water and mix them well. Transfer this pickle to another clean porcelain/glass/plastic airtight jar. Store this pickle in refrigerator for longer use. It goes well with rice, dosas, etc.

Ambate(Amte) Kayi Saru(Rasam)

Ingredients:
8 - 10 Hog Plum / Ambate(Amte) Kayi / Ziziphus Mauritiana / Ber
2 large Lemon sized Jaggary
2 - 3 Green Chillies
1 tsp fried Fenugreek seeds powder (Optional)
Pinch of Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
4 - 5 cloves of Garlic
5 - 6 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1-2 broken Red Chillies
Pinch of Asafoetida powder
2 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Wash the ambates and chop them as shown in the picture below. Cut the green chillies into two halves.

Put chopped ambates, green chillies, turmeric powder, jaggary, salt, around 5 cups water in a vessel and cook them well by covering a lid. Add fried fenugreek seeds powder and bring them to boil. Keep the rasam in low flame for about 2-3 mins.

Remove the outer cover of garlic flakes and mash them. Put this mashed garlic in a pan, add 2 tsp oil and heat. Fry this in medium flame until they turn light golden in color. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, broken red chillies and fry. As soon as it starts spluttering, add curry leaves, asafoetida powder and keep this in low flame for about 10-20 seconds. Add this seasoning to Rasam. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice and it can also be served as soup.

Ambate Capsicum Chitranna

Ingredients:
1.5 cups White Rice (Preferred: Basmathi or Sona Masuri)
3 Hog Plum / Ambate(Amte) Kayi / Ziziphus Mauritiana / Ber
2 large Capsicums
3/4 - 1 cup grated Coconut
3 Green Chillies
1.5 tsp Mustard seeds (1 tsp Masala, 1/2 tsp for seasoning)
10-15 Curry leaves (Half for masala and half for seasoning)
Big pinch of Asafetida
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder(1/4 tsp for Masala + 1/4 tsp Seasoning)
2 - 3 tsp Bengal Gram seeds / Kadle bele
1 tsp Black Gram seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 - 3 broken Red Chillies
Salt to taste

3 - 4 tsp Oil

Recipe:
Wash the rice in water for about 2-3 times, cook the rice and keep it aside.

Chop the ambates into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put grated coconut, chopped ambates, green chillies, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, asafoetida, 6-7 curry leaves, salt in a mixer and grind them coarsely by without adding any water.

Chop capsicums into medium sized thin pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, black gram seeds, cumin seeds, bengal gram seeds, broken red chillies, oil in a thick bottomed vessel/pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add chopped capsicum, remaining curry leaves, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, salt and fry them for about 4-5 mins in medium flame.

Once the capsicum is cooked, add the ground masala and mix them well and keep it in low/medium flame for about 1min.

Add cooked rice, mix well and keep the Chitranna in low flame for about 2-3 mins. Serve hot.

Hunasekayi(Tamarind) Tokku(Pickle)

Ingredients:
1.5 KG Tender Tamarind / Ele Hunasekayi
3/4 KG Green Chillies
8 - 10 tsp Turmeric powder
4 - 5 tsp Asafetida powder
7 - 8 tsp fried Fenugreek Seeds powder
3 - 3.5 cups Salt

Recipe:
Wash the tender tamarinds and spread it over a cotton cloth to remove the water content or just wipe the tamarinds in a clean dry cotton cloth. Cut the edges and remove any fiber/strings as shown in the picture below.

Cut the tamarind into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Remove the stem of each green chilly and wash them and spread it over a cotton cloth to remove the water content.

Put fenugreek seeds in a pan and fry them in medium flame until they give nice aroma. Once its cooled,  grind them in a mixer into smooth paste and keep it aside.
Put chopped tamarind in a mixer and crush them coarsely by without adding any water. Put green chillies, little amount of salt and crush them together coarsely by without adding any water. Add remaining amount of salt, turmeric powder, asafetida, fenugreek seeds powder and mix them well.

Put this above mixture in a mixer and grind them together for few seconds as shown in the picture below. Store this in an airtight container.

Take little amount of prepared thokku in a bowl. Put 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp oil in a pan and heat. Once it starts spluttering, add pinch of asafetida powder, keep it for few seconds and then add it to tokku. Mix well before serving. It goes well with hot rice & ghee or along with curd. It can be used to make rice bath, rasam, chutney, etc.