Pika Pila
Apatani bamboo shoot pickle, fiercely sour and hot, eaten a spoonful at a time
Allergens in Pika Pila: mustard.
Ingredients
Quantities for 8.
- 300g, fermented, very finely chopped Bamboo Shoot
- 150g fat or very fatty belly, finely diced Pork
- 8, broken Dried Red Chillistanding in for the local king chilli, which the catalogue has no id for; two king chillies would do the work of all eight of these
- 2 tbsp, finely chopped Ginger
- 8 cloves, finely chopped Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1, juiced Lemonbacks up the sourness of the ferment
- 2 tsp Salt
Cookware
stovetop
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Squeeze the chopped bamboo shoot out over a bowl and keep 2 tbsp of the liquor. It is intensely sour and goes back in at the end.
- Sterilise the jar you plan to store this in: wash, then dry it in a low oven for 10 minutes.
- Everything must be chopped fine and evenly. This is a relish eaten by the teaspoon, not a curry.
Method
- Render the diced pork fat in a dry pan over low heat for about 12 minutes, until the pieces are shrunken and gold and swimming in clear fat.Low and slow. Rushed on high heat the fat browns bitter and the crackling stays chewy.
- Lift the crisp pieces out with a slotted spoon and set them aside, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Fry the dried chillies in the fat for 30 seconds until they darken and the kitchen makes you cough.
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook 2 minutes until pale gold.
- Stir in the squeezed bamboo shoot, turmeric and salt and cook 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until the liquid has dried off and it no longer smells raw.Keep it moving. Bamboo shoot sticks and scorches the moment the pan goes dry.
- Return the crackling, pour in the raw mustard oil, the lemon juice and the reserved bamboo liquor, and cook 2 minutes more.
- Taste for salt and sourness. It should be sharp enough to make you flinch.
- Cool completely, uncovered, before spooning into the jar and pressing down so the oil covers the surface.Jarring it warm traps steam, and steam is what makes a pickle go mouldy.
Safe temperatures: Whole cuts of mutton, beef and pork are done at 63°C / 145°F, rested 3 minutes. A long braise passes that well before the meat is tender. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 3 weeks refrigerated in a sterilised jar with the oil covering the top. Always use a dry spoon. Serve a teaspoon per person alongside rice and a plain boiled vegetable.
Nutrition Good estimate
One serving of Pika Pila (71 g) is about 92 calories, or 130 calories per 100 g.
Low protein: 5 g a serving, 23% of the calories
| Per serving71 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 92 kcal | 130 kcal |
| Protein | 5.3 g | 8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 3.8 g | 5 g |
| of which sugars | 1.2 g | 2 g |
| Fibre | 1.0 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 6.5 g | 9 g |
| of which saturated | 1.0 g | 1 g |
| of which unsaturated | 4.9 g | 7 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Healthy Indian recipes · Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Northeast Indian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.