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Egyptian mixed pickles
Mekhalel: crunchy turnip, carrot, cucumber, chilli and lemon pickles, tinted pink with beetroot
Every koshari shop, ful cart and shawarma stall in Cairo puts a little dish of mekhalel on the counter, and Egyptians at home keep a jar going all year. Turnip batons are the star, dyed bright pink by a single slice of beetroot, with carrot, cucumber, chilli and lemon packed in alongside for crunch, heat and a bitter citrus edge. This quick fridge version is ready to eat in about 5 days and keeps for a month, cold. A common mistake is using iodised table salt, which clouds the brine and can soften the vegetables, so buy plain non-iodised salt. Chef's tip: cut the lemon into quarters but leave them joined at the base, so they flavour the brine without turning the whole jar bitter.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 ⅛ lb turnipspeeled, cut into 1 cm batons
- 2 carrotspeeled, cut into batons
- 3 small cucumberscut into thick slices
- 4 green chilliesslit lengthwise
- 1 lemoncut in quarters, still joined at the base
- 1 raw beetrootsmall, peeled and thickly sliced
- 4 cloves garlicpeeled
Brine
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 ⅝ oz non-iodised salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 3 ¼ cups water and 1 ⅝ oz non-iodised salt to the boil, stirring until the salt dissolves. Take off the heat and stir in 1 cup white vinegar. Leave to cool.
5 minStep 2: Wash two 1 litre jars in hot soapy water and rinse well.
Step 3: Put a slice of 1 raw beetroot in the bottom of each jar, then pack in 1 ⅛ lb turnips, 2 carrots, 3 small cucumbers, 4 green chillies, 1 lemon and 4 cloves garlic tightly, sharing them between the jars. Tuck the remaining beetroot slices among the vegetables.
Step 4: Pour the cool brine over until everything is submerged. Press the vegetables down with a clean small plate or a folded cabbage leaf if they float.
Step 5: Close the jars and refrigerate for 5 days, turning them gently once a day so the colour spreads. Keep chilled and eat within a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 20 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does egyptian mixed pickles take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of small cucumbers?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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