Torshi Hafteh-bijar (Pickled Green Tomatoes and Chili)

I was in an Indian convenience store a few days back and saw a bunch of small fresh green chilies in the fridge. It took me back to the time where my mom used to buy tonnes of chilies and green tomatoes in the late summer to make jars upon jars of this northern-Persian pickle for use in the winter.

Freshly made
Green tomatoes cannot easily be found in Hong Kong markets, but as mentioned in one of the last posts, we managed to get our hands over some in a bit of an unexpected place in the city!

3 weeks later

These pickles are very similar to a variety of northern Indian pickles, but where those only need to be fermented for a couple days at most and use green chili, shallots, lemon juice, onions, with a bit of red wine vinegar, these use a mixture of aromatic herbs and have to be left to age for a much longer time. They go well with many classical Persian stews, especially with Gheimeh.

Ease of Cooking Yummy Factor Apprx. Cost
HK$40 (US$5)
Ingredients (makes over 600ml/20oz)
200g green chili, chopped
200g green tomatoes, chopped
50g fresh parsley, chopped
50g fresh mint, chopped
1tbsp dried dill
1tbsp dried tarragon
1tbsp dried mint
1tsp mixed Italian seasoning
1l white vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions
  1. Mix all vegetables and herbs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Transfer to a glass jar and pour in vinegar until contents are completely covered.
  3. Leave to age for a month, though they can be eaten after a week. 

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