← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 500 g Cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 200 g Courgette (zucchini), cut into small chunks
• 150 g Green beans, cut into 2 cm lengths
• 200 g shallots or pickling onions, peeled and quartered
• 2 tbsp Salt
• 500 ml cider or malt vinegar
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp English mustard powder
• 2 tsp Ground turmeric
• 3 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)

Method

1. Toss the vegetables with the salt in a large bowl and leave for 1 hour to draw out water and keep them crunchy. Rinse well in cold water and drain.
2. Put the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a large pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Add the vegetables and simmer for 3–4 min, until only just tender with plenty of bite.
4. In a small bowl, mix the mustard powder, turmeric and cornflour with 4 tbsp cold water to a smooth paste. Stir in a ladle of the hot vinegar, then pour it all back into the pan.
5. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 2–3 min until the sauce is thick and glossy and coats the vegetables.
6. Spoon into warm sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool. Keep somewhere cool and dark and leave for at least 2 weeks before opening for the best flavour.

Tips

• Unopened jars keep for several months; once opened, keep in the fridge and eat within a month.
• English mustard powder is fierce: add it gradually if you prefer a milder pickle.
• Malt vinegar is made from barley; use cider vinegar if you need the pickle strictly gluten-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food BBC Food Great British Chefs