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Piccalilli Recipe | a favourite English Pickle

Click here for a brief history and recipe for Piccalilli, an old English pickle made with various vegetables and spices.
4.88 from 55 votes
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Course: Condiments
Cuisine: English
Keyword: piccalilli, pickle
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 36 Makes 6 x 240ml (just under 1 cup) jars
Calories: 23kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Equipment

  • large glass bowl
  • wooden spoon
  • 6 x 240ml (about 1 cup) glass jars or the equivalent of in volume.
  • Knife
  • Chopping board

Ingredients

1kg (2.2 lb) vegetables, made up of

Other Ingredients

  • 5 Tbsp coarse salt
  • 2 Tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 Tbsp mustard powder
  • 500 ml regular clear vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp mustard or vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 4 dried red chillies left whole (optional)
  • 3 Tbsp white sugar

Instructions

Day 1

  • Cut up the cauliflower into little florets, see the images to get an idea of size, but about 2.5cm (1in) is a good guide.
    400 g cauliflower
  • Peel and quarter the shallots.
    8 shallots
  • Cut the cucumber, carrot and courgette (zucchini) into thick julienne strips about 6cm (2⅓in) long.
    1 small cucumber, 1 small carrot, 1 small courgette
  • Cut the beans into roughly the same length.
    10 green beans
  • Place all the vegetables into a large glass bowl and sprinkle the salt all over. Stir to mix. Cover and leave to sit overnight or a minimum of 1 hour. Stir the vegetables up in that time, a handful of times if salting overnight.
    5 Tbsp coarse salt

Day 2

  • Rinse the vegetables thoroughly in cool water for about 1 minute. Leave to drain.
  • In a cup, mix the flour, turmeric and mustard powder with just enough vinegar to get a smooth paste. Set aside.
    2 Tbsp plain flour, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 Tbsp mustard powder, 500 ml regular clear vinegar
  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the cumin, mustard seeds and chillies (if using) for about 20 seconds.
    1 Tbsp mustard or vegetable oil, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp black mustard seeds, 4 dried red chillies
  • Add the turmeric paste and give it a good stir, then pour the rest of the vinegar in.
  • Tip all the vegetables into the saucepan and sprinkle the sugar all over. Increase the heat and stir everything together and bring to a simmer.
    3 Tbsp white sugar
  • Then, lower the heat down, and cook for just 5 minutes.
  • Spoon into the warm sterilised jars and cover tightly. Let the piccalilli mature for at least 2 weeks, in a dark, cool place before eating. Once opened, store in the fridge. Unopened, they will keep for 6 months.

Optional Water Bath

  • Place your jars in a large saucepan or stockpot of simmering water. Make sure the water comes to halfway up the jars.
  • Cover, lower heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. The higher up above sea level you are, the longer you need to simmer your jars for. See above.
  • Turn the heat off and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes.
  • Carefully remove from the hot water and leave to cool completely on a tea towel, then store until you're ready to use it.

Notes

Prep and Total time do not include the salting of the vegetables. The times indicated are the actual hands on time.

Nutrition

Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 975mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 268IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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