Kasrorh or fiddlehead is a fern that grows predominantly in Asia and Europe. Until I started researching more about it for this blog, I did not even know the millions of ways in which it was prepared worldwide. My only awareness of fiddlehead was that it grew in the forests outside Jammu and only appeared during the monsoon months. But research has shown me that most of North and North East India (amongst other parts of the world) consume it in some form or the other.
One of the few ways it is consumed in Jammu/Dogri cuisine is in the form of a pickle, which we will discuss in this blog post.
This recipe is very similar to the one on pickled beans from last year, and just like the other one, it is fairly easy and does not take too long to prepare.
The ingredients
For this pickle, you will need
Picklehead ferns/Kasrorh - 100 grams
Black mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 0.5 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 0.5 tsp
Mustard oil - 5 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp (or to taste)
The Process
So, I will forewarn you - you will be getting your hands dirty in this one.
Wash the ferns, pat them with a paper towel and leave them for a while to dry. Traces of water will spoil the dish sooner, so make sure you do a thorough job drying them.
Add all the spices and the mustard oil to a container of your choice and mix well.
Now introduce the fiddlehead ferns into the container.
It is now time to dirty our hands a little bit. Use your hands and basically rub the spice and oil mix all over the ferns. Basically, it is done when it looks like the photo I have attached above. Ok, honestly, you don't need to use your hands. Mixing with a spoon is perfectly fine and reasonable. Using our hands is the traditional way of doing it, so I led with that :)
And that is it, simple and easy but packed with flavour. If you ever decide to make it, I would love to know about your experience.
See you in the next one.