"Achard de légumes"

(Pickled Vegetables)

Ingredients (serves 5):

• 125g   finely shredded cabbage

• 125g fine carrots, cut into matchsticks

• 125g french beans, sliced finely, lengthwise

• 1/2 a cauliflower, separated into very small bunches

• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds

• 4 cloves garlic

• 3 dried chillies

• About 7 to 8 tablespoons oil

• 2 onions, coarsely chopped

• Salt to taste

• 1 tablespoon vinegar

• 3 green chillies (slit)

Method:

1. Drop vegetables in  hot salted water and remove after 2  or 3 minutes only or until they are slightly cooked and still crisp. Drain well and keep aside to dry out.

2. Crush mustard seeds, garlic and chillies with a little water and make into a paste.

3. Heat oil, fry onion for 30 seconds only. Add the ground pasate and some salt. Stir-fry for a minute. Add vegetables and green chillies, mix well and remove from heat.

4. When cool, stir in the vinegar.

5. Serve with bread.

Note: vegetables, pickled in this way, store well in the fridge.

NOTE: We would like to say a big thank you to the author of the recipe book called "Mauritian Delights", Mrs Lalita Sookhee,  who has kindly given  us the authorisation to copy some of the recipes that are in her book. If you wish to buy the "Mauritian Delights" recipe book which contains over 300 absolutely delicious mauritian recipes, please contact Mrs Lalita Sookee at Lsookhee@usa.net   or Connect@netcourrier.com. Her address is as follows: 1 Farquhar Street, Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius.      Telephone number: 230-425-3803 or 230-750-1860.      Fax number: 230-425-3803.