Ingredients

• 6 drumsticks
• 100 gms Tamarind
• 4 table spoons red chilli powder
• 4 table spoons mustard powder
• 4 table spoons  salt
• one cup oil
• 2 table spoons jeera and 1 table spoon (roasted and ground to fine powder)
• 8 to 10 garlic pods mashed
• qtr cup lemon juice
• 1 tspn each rai, jeera and urad dal, 2 tspn chanadal and 3 to 4 red chillies for thadka
• 1 tea spoon haldi
• a pinch of hing
• few curry leaves 

Method

Wash drum sticks and wipe them with a kitchen towel.  See that they completely dry.  Cut them to medium size pieces.  Soak tamarind in warm water for  10 to 15 mins and extract the pulp.  Heat a vessel and add the pulp to it.  Cook in a medium flame until the pulp thickens.  Allow it to cool.

In a pan heat 2 table spoons of oil and shallow fry the drumstick pieces.  When they are cooked properly take them into a bowl and allow it to cool.  

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add rai, jeera, urad dal and chanadal.  When rai starts spluttering add the red chilli pieces, a pinch of hing, mashed garlic pods and the curry leaves.  Stir fry the the thadka and switch off the flame.  Allow the thadka to cool.

Now add the cooled tamarind pulp the the cooked drumstick pieces.  Also add the red chilli powder, haldi, musturd powder, salt, jeera methi powder and the thadka to it.  Mix well adding the lemon juice to it. 
 
Drumstick Pickle/Munagakaya Aavakaya is ready..........take it into to a air tight container and store it.  Tastes good with rice or any south indian tiffens like: idli, upma, dosa, uttappam etc....You can use the pickle from same day you have prepared.  It can be stored in the refrigerator to use for more than 2 to 3 months. 

Tip: Taste it before storing and add salt if needed.

By Mrs Uma Ramana
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