Why it works: Ginger and turmeric match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,776 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Indian Pickle
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pickle base
Combine all ingredients in a stone jar.
Cover with a bottle soaked in the pickle mixture.
Keep the jar warm by the fire for three days, shaking it well three times a day.
Add the vegetables
Add fresh vegetables like small cucumbers, green grapes, green tomatoes, cauliflowers, small onions, and string beans, but avoid red cabbage and walnuts.
Wipe the vegetables, cut them if too large, and add them to the vinegar.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Ginger + turmerictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,776 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together29,058 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
-
Mustard + turmerictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,279 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Pepper + turmerictop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,478 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Mustard + garlictop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together4,053 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Vinegar
- Forms the acidic liquid that preserves the vegetables and carries the spice flavours.
- Mustard powder
- Adds sharp pungency and helps give the pickle its characteristic bite.
- Curry powder
- Supplies the main spice aroma and warm, earthy flavour of the pickle.
- Turmeric
- Adds a deep yellow colour and a mild, earthy flavour.
- Garlic
- Contributes pungent aroma and savoury depth to the infused vinegar.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws out moisture and seasons the mixture, helping to preserve the vegetables.
The step that matters
Keeping the jar warm for three days. Warmth speeds the infusion of spices into the vinegar, so the flavours develop evenly. Shaking the jar mixes the solids through the liquid, preventing uneven seasoning and spoilage at the surface.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, mustard, pepper, turmeric, garlic, onion):
- Cuminfits better
- Tarragonfits better
- Thymefits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, mustard, pepper, turmeric, garlic, onion. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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