Cucumber relish for winter
A great accompaniment to any meat! This Indian-style cucumber relish is one of the most popular sauces for meat. And it's good with both cold and hot meat dishes. In our case, it's both a quick treat and a great thing to put up for winter.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
How do you make cucumber relish for winter? Gather the ingredients from the list. Wash the vegetables well and dry them. Seed and stem the pepper. Trim the ends off the cucumbers. If they have a tough skin, you can peel that off too.
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Step 2:
Cut the fresh cucumber into small cubes. Rinse the cut cucumber under running water and drain it. Put the cucumber pieces in a bowl and salt them so they release their juice.
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Step 3:
Cut the bell pepper into the same small cubes.
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Step 4:
Cut the peeled onion into small cubes.
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Step 5:
Finely chop the pickles too; you can remove the seeds (mine were pickled with dried dill seeds, so they're a bit brown).
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Step 6:
Cut the celery stalk the same way.
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Step 7:
Put all the chopped ingredients in a saucepan. Set it on the stove.
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Step 8:
Add the vinegar, mustard seeds, and caraway, bring to a boil, and simmer for half an hour. If a lot of liquid forms, simmer the relish a bit longer. The texture shouldn't become mushy — the key is that each piece is distinct, which is what sets a relish apart from other sauces.
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Step 9:
If you're going to store the relish, pack it into sterile jars while it's still boiling. Seal with sterile lids and leave it under a blanket until completely cool. If you're just making it for lunch or dinner, keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
- Relish is a sauce that originated in India. From there it spread to Europe, and later to America, where pickle relish became the go-to topping for hot dogs. You can make this sauce from any mix of vegetables — the main thing is that the pieces stay distinct. Well-known relishes include chutney and salsa.
- An interesting fact: in pre-war Soviet times, relish was produced by the Mikoyan plant, where the sauce was called "Sweet and Sour Relish / vegetable seasoning for meat and fish dishes."
- To keep your eyes from stinging when you cut onions, rinse the onion and knife in cold water. The cutting board won't pick up the unpleasant onion smell if you rub it with a piece of lemon before cutting.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Fresh cucumbers - 15 kcal/100g
- Sweet pepper - 27 kcal/100g
- Caraway - 333 kcal/100g
- Onion - 41 kcal/100g
- Pickles - 16 kcal/100g
- White wine vinegar - 14 kcal/100g
- Whole-grain mustard - 135 kcal/100g
- Celery stalk - 12 kcal/100g
