Curry Wise, Kitchen Foolish!: Vegetable & Vinegar Achar (Surka nu Achar)

Today we are making a vegetable vinegar achar.

One of the things that I like about this achar is its vibrancy in color. It provides a pop-up of color to the plate, at the same time giving a little crunch to the palate. This is one of my family's favorite achar. However, due to the tedious prep work it is not often made; but doable.  I suggest dividing the prep work and cooking between two days. Day 1, chop up the veggies, and day 2 prepare the syrup.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: ~15 minutes
Makes: ~2.8 liters (that's a lot of achar!!!)

Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower
8 Carrots
15 Serrano peppers

For syrup:

2 cups vinegar
1.5 cup sugar
3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
1 tsp hot chili powder
1 tsp ground mustard seeds
Salt to taste

Method:
Chop cauliflower, carrots, and Serrano peppers into small cubes. Wash and set it aside to dry (I left it overnight). Also it is tempting to use the food processor instead of chopping them by hand, however in the food processor the veggies have consistency of a mush, which we don't want.

For the syrup:

In a pan add vinegar, sugar, ginger-garlic paste, Kashmiri chili powder, hot chili power, salt, and bring it to boil. Once the syrup starts thickening, set it aside to cool.

Once the syrup has cooled add ground mustard seeds, your chopped vegetables and mix well.