Piccalilli

Piccalilli is a relish made from chopped vegetables, mustard, vinegar and hot spices, also known as a yellow mustard pickle. It is an English interpretation of an Indian pickle, and is a vital addition dolloped onto a cold meat and vintage cheddar cheese sandwich, or on a Ploughman’s plate.

makes 4 x 325ml jars
V GF
what you need
1 kg mixed vegetables, finely diced (cauliflower, beans, zucchini, tomato (deseeded), cucumber (deseeded))
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup (150g) fresh corn kernels
¼ cup (60g) fine salt
2 cups (500ml) apple cider vinegar
1½ cups (315g) golden caster sugar (unrefined)
½ cup (125ml) honey
1 tbsp English mustard powder
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, extra
what to do
1. Place the mixed vegetables, onion and corn in a large bowl, add salt and mix well. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to stand in a cool place overnight. Rinse the vegetables thoroughly with cold water and drain well.
2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced). To sterilise jars, wash well and place onto an oven tray. Put into the oven for 15 minutes, to dry and heat.
3. In a large pot place the vinegar, sugar and honey. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes until all the sugar has dissolved.
4. In a separate bowl combine the mustard powder, turmeric, ginger, mustard seeds and cornflour and the extra vinegar. Mix to a paste.
5. Add ¼ cup (60ml) of the hot vinegar syrup to the spice paste and mix well. Return this mix to the pot containing the remainder of hot vinegar syrup. Whisk to combine then simmer over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until thickened.
6. Pour in the drained vegetables, mix to combine and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat.
7. Remove the jars from the oven. Fill the warm sterlised jars with the piccalilli, leaving a 2cm gap between the top of the liquid and the lid. Wipe the jars with a clean, moist paper towel to remove any spillage, and seal with a lid.
8. You can refrigerate at this point and consume the piccalilli for up to 1 month. To preserve for a longer period of time, you will require preserving jars with proper two-piece vacuum caps (consisting of a lid and a band). The jars should then be processed in a hot water bath. Place the jars into a large pot filled with simmering water, covering the jars with 2cm of water. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water to a rolling boil, where it should be held for the entire processing time of 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove lid. Let sit for 5 minutes then carefully remove the jars (using a jar lifter for safety). Cool for 12 hours.

Note: Test the lids to determine if the jars are vacuum-sealed. Press the centre of the lid to determine if it is concave. Remove the band. Gently try to remove the lid with your fingertips. If the lid is concave and cannot be removed with your fingertips, the jar is vacuum-sealed.

Storage: For vacuum-sealed jars, store in a cool, dark place for at least 2 - 4 weeks before opening, allowing for the flavour to develop. Unopened jars will keep for up to 12 months in the pantry. Once jars are opened or if the jars have not sealed effectively store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
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