I was watching chef Vivian Howard’s Food Show called Somewhere South on PBS. She visited chef Cheetie Kumar and she made this green tomato and watermelon rind achaar that sounded delicious. Last week Safeway had these watermelons for 65cents each and I had a lot of watermelon rind so I wanted to make this recipe. I didn’t have all the ingredients but I had enough to get it to taste similar. I didn’t have green tomatoes but a traditional ingredient for this recipe is green unripe mango. I didn’t have that either. But Costco dropped off a package of 6 mangos that I didn’t order so I decided I would use them here. Chef Kumar would not approve of this recipe because you must use an ingredient called mustard oil. I don’t have mustard oil and I’m not l’m not searching for it during the pandemic so I ground some mustard seeds instead. My recipe is very different from chef Kumar’s recipe but it did come out amazing and I did use the majority of her seasonings. I also note that my idea of serving size may differ from your idea of serving size.

Ingredients for around 8 servings

1 watermelon rind – green removed and cut in planks (around 3 lbs)

1/4.cup kosher salt + water to brine watermelon rinds

6 mangos (I used yellow) skin and seeds removed and cut in planks

1 teaspoon kosher salt – to salt mangos

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

2 teaspoons nigella seeds ( also known as black cumin)

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

2 oz white sugar

1 oz turbinado sugar

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 cup white vinager

Directions

Toss the watermelon rinds with 1/4 cup kosher salt and place in a colander and put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Toss the mango with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and place in either a bowl or quart ziplock bag and let sit in the refrigerator along with the watermelon rind for four hours.

After 4 hours drain and rinse the watermelon rinds and just drain the mango and keep to the side.

Boil the watermelon rinds in water for 5 minutes and rinse and drain watermelon rinds again.

Combine vinegars and sugar. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Add rinds and cook till rinds are clear. Remove from heat and drain and discard liquid.

Grind your spices together and then mix with the three ounces of sugar and one teaspoon salt.

In a wok or deep skillet heat up oil toll it’s hot and add the spices mixed with the sugar and salt. Mix well till fragrant. Add the rinds and mix well. Add the vinegar and let it boil a few minutes and then shut off heat and fold in the mango.

It’s delicious and full of flavors you will love it!

I special THANKS to chef Cheetie Kumar for your wonderful recipe to inspire me to create this delicious dish.

I came across a jarred version of Hungarian Borscht by Gold’s on the internet. It’s different and is made of the usual soup vegetables, beets, cabbage and spicy paprika. I thought that sounds delicious and I happen to have beets and cabbage that I have to use up so I wanted to make it. I looked for recipes for Hungarian Borscht and came across many other varieties of borscht. There is Russian Borscht with cabbage, beets, potatoes, caraway seed, dill and sour cream, Another is Jewish Borscht that is cabbage, beets, tomatoes, short ribs and is sweet and sour. There is also meatless Polish Borscht that is made with a lot of mushrooms. Another is Mennonite Borscht that is made with a beef base and carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, tomatoes, allspice, star anise and heavy cream. I thought the Hungarian Style sounded like what I wanted to do today. I didn’t have recipe and winged it off the ingredients from The Gold’s Jar of Hungarian Borscht I saw on the internet. It came out FORKING DELICIOUS! It’s a hearty vegetable stew. It’s delicious and zippy…not as spicy as you might think. I didn’t call it Hungarian because I made up this recipe from just reading the ingredients from a jarred product. My idea of serving size may differ from your idea of serving size. To me this makes around 6 medium sized bowls.

Ingredients for around 6 servings.

2 carrots – peeled, diced

2 celery ribs – diced

1/2 large sweet onion – diced

1 hot Hungarian pepper – fine chopped (they sell them at Asiana Market I buy them and keep in freezer for when I need them..very hot but delicious)

1 lb beets – peeled, diced

5 oz tomato – diced

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves – ground to paste or microplane

6 oz tomato paste (one small can)

5 cups vegetable stock

1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika

2 teaspoons hot paprika

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 small cabbage – sliced extra thin on a mandolin (I used green but either is fine)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot on medium high heat add the oil. When the oil is hot add the carrots, celery, onion, Hungarian pepper, beets, tomato, sea salt and black pepper. Stir well and cover pot and cook till vegetables or fork tender (around 9 minutes depending on dice size…timing may differ).

Remove cover and add the garlic. Mix well. In the center of the vegetables make an empty spot. In the empty spot add the tomato paste and stir it up bit to cook it up for a minute or two. Then mix it all up and add the vegetable stock and mix well. Add the paprikas and let this simmer around 10 minutes.

Next add the cabbage. Stir it around. Add the vinegar. Let this simmer around 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. A dap of sour cream or a hard boiled egg is optional.

It’s FORKING DELICIOUS!