Chambakka pickle recipe: recipe for chambakka pickle or water rose apple pickle, a popular backyard fruit available in Kerala. 
This is my first pickle recipe on Edible Garden but the thing is, I didn’t make this! The fact is, ever since I moved out of Kottayam for my first job and later, marriage, I have always been given jarfuls of pickles and podis. Neither TH nor I eat too much pickle and usually stick with having kozhambu with curd rice, rather than, say, mango pickle. Weird, but true.When Amma was here last month I told her this and said I need to get some of her pickle recipes. My favourite is the sweet mango pickle (which will be posted very soon) which she made for me when she was here.
This recipe is special for a couple of reasons. It came from Amma (translated and emailed by my fave uncle, Radha Mama), which is reason enough, but she actually made it, put some in her ‘pretty bowl’, got my brother’s dear friend Rajesh Anna to click pics and he then emailed it to me. There were about 8 pics, all in different angles, in true food blogger style!
Chambakka Pickle Recipe
Ingredients
- Chambakka Water Rose Apple - 250gm
- Chilly powder - 3 tbsp
- Asafoetida / Hing / Perungaayam - 1/4 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds / menthayam / uluva - 1/4 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
- Oil - 4 tbsp
- Mustard seeds / kaduku - 1/4 tsp
- A few curry leaves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the rose apples thoroughly. Cut into halves, de-seed and set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds pop, add the fenugreek seeds and fry lightly until fragrant and the colour starts to change. (Make sure you don't over do this otherwise the pickle will turn too bitter. )
- Add the rose apples next with some salt. Saute lightly until the colour starts to lighten and its cooked more than half way through (about 7-10 mins).
- To this, add the chilly powder, hing, turmeric powder and the curry leaves and mix well, frying lightly for another 5 mins or so on low heat.
- Store in a clean, dry jar and use after let all the flavours mingle for 2 days.
This pickle doesn’t keep for too long so refrigerate and consume within 2 weeks.
Huge thanks to Amma, Radha mama, and Rajesh anna for making this first pickle post on Edible Garden possible 🙂
For chambakka pickle recipe in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
Wow… mouthwatering recipe.. looks soo delicious.. 🙂
Havent heard abt this at all….looks spicy and tangy!
never heard of this water rose apple before. pic looks tempting.
OMG! Mouth-watering! and so many memories…of plucking chambakka from the tree at my grandmom's place and eating them as is, or dipping them in a mixture if salt and chilly powder. Then my aunt use to pickle it (if there were any left :P). Almost the same recipe, but with a little less chilli powder so us kids (back then) could eat it…
Wow! 🙂
The only way I have ever eaten this fruit is staright off the tree! 🙂
Never knew it could be pickled.
Is this really your first pickle post ever? Congrats.
The only way I have ever eaten this fruit is right off the tree! 🙂
Never knew it could be pickled. Is this really your first ever pickle post? Congrats.
Hi Nags, what an amazing lovely family you have!:-) I have seen Sig's Chambakka pictures before and had commented on her post too. Chambakka brings back lots of memories for me and I love that fruit. I have never tasted chambakka pickle though. I am quite curious. Considering the awesome taste of the fruit, the pickle must be amazing. In my present state, my mouth is watering and my mind says yum yum!, wish i could have some…Keep it up, and bring on more pickle recipes, I love pickles:D ~ Shreya
Thanks for letting me know a new fruit,looks really juicy,curious to taste it too!
Dear …ithu kanumbol ente grandmother ne orma varunnu…Enikku vendi undakki thararundu eppozhum…Looks so spicy and tempting…
I knew you would like this post Shreya 🙂