Ber ka Achaar (Kuler Achar)

Ber ka Achaar or Kuler Achar

The other day we were taking a walk and we smelt the fragrance of ripe 'ber', which brought back a host of childhood memories of 'bodo kul & choto kul' and the 'ber-wala' outside the school. Buying a 'chatak' of ber from the ber wala for 5 np (naya paisa) and shooting the seeds from our mouths like cannon. The tree was laden with a thousand ber, so with the kids we had an outing to pluck the ber. I dont know about the kids but i sure had loads of fun throwing a stick up into the tree and waiting for the shower of ber, some ripe and brown and others green; then rushing around to see who picked up the most!!
The recipe was something I tasted as a kid and I referred to the net a bit but went by feel....

Ingredients -
250 gms Ber
2 tsp Haldi (Turmeric powder) -
1 1/2 cups Jaggery (grated)
2 tsp Mirchi Powder (Chilli powder)
1 tsp Jeera (cumin) Powder
Salt to taste

Jaggery

For Tempering - 

1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
1 pinch Hing (Asofoetida)
8 tbsp mustard oil

After drying for a day

Method

• Wash the ber. Carefully slit each one to check for worms (some wild ones do have larvae inside).
• Add haldi (turmeric) powder and dry in direct sunlight for a day.
• In a kadai (wok) heat the mustard oil, add the ingredients for tempering; as they splutter add the jaggery and reduce heat and let the jaggery melt. At this point you can add 2-3 tbsp of water to help the jaggery dissolve. This will evaporate as you reduce the mixture.
• Once the jaggery has melted, add salt, mirchi (chilli) powder and jeera (cumin) powder. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.
• Now add the ber and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Take off the heat and let the mixture cool. The 'kuler achar' is ready to be bottled and consumed.

The final product!!

 What is ber?
This is what the wikipedia has to say - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_mauritiana