Why it works: Turmeric and ginger 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
Prepare
Prepare a large jar for the pickle.
Add vegetables as they come into season, ensuring they are dry.
Make the brine
For the brine, mix vinegar, salt, mustard flour, turmeric, ginger, cloves, and mace in a bowl.
Pickle and store
Pour the brine over the vegetables in the jar.
Seal the jar tightly after each addition of vegetables.
Let the pickle sit for at least one year before using.
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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Turmeric + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,776 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Mustard + turmerictop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,279 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Turmeric + clovetop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,876 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Flour + turmerictop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,637 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- White wine vinegar
- Provides the acidity that preserves the vegetables and gives the pickle its sharp flavour.
- Mustard flour
- Adds pungent heat and sharp flavour that deepens as the pickle matures.
- Turmeric
- Gives the pickle its bright yellow colour and earthy flavour.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws moisture from the vegetables and helps keep them firm in the brine.
The step that matters
Ensuring the vegetables are dry. Vegetables added wet dilute the vinegar brine and can encourage spoilage, weakening the preservation. Drying them first helps the brine keep the pickle safe and crisp over the long storage period.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (white wine, vinegar, mustard, flour, turmeric, ginger, clove):
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against white wine, vinegar, mustard, flour, turmeric, ginger, clove. 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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