Cranberry Thokku/ Spicy Cranberry Relish

Thokku is one of the south Indian delicacy, which is similar to pickle. Thokku is usually a preserve that's made by reducing fruits or vegetables. I had not tasted these for very long. My mom introduced me to this which she bought from one Brahmin store in Bangalore. This is pretty staple in Tamil community. My favorite is the one made from Nellikayi or Gooseberry. Ummm, they are just so delicious.

Long time back, one of my friend Sowmini had put a status on FB that she made Cranberry Thokku. I was intrigued since I used to hardly use fresh cranberries in any recipe then. I asked her for the recipe and she gladly shared it with me. Since then almost every year I prepare this thokku during cranberry season. Usually cranberry is available during fall and winter season over here in US. So I load up on this and preserve for us to get through next 2 or 3 months.

Prep Time: 5 min | Cooking Time: 15 min | Makes : About 1 Cup

Ingredients:

Fresh Cranberries - 12 oz (About 2 Cups)
Red Whole Chilies - 6 to 8
Methi/ Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Hing/ Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric/ Haldi Powder - 1/4 tsp.
Water - 4 Cups
Salt - 1 tsp.
Sesame Oil - 4 tbsp. *
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Grated Jaggery/ Brown Sugar - 2 tbsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ In a pan dry roast red chilies and methi seeds. Switch off the heat and add haldi and hing and fry for few seconds. Let it cool and then grind them into fine powder.
~ Boil 4 Cups of water with salt. Add cranberries, stir and leave for a minute. Drain the water and keep cranberries aside.
~ Heat sesame oil in a wide pan, add mustard seeds and let it crackle.
~ Add ground powder, cranberries and jaggery. Mash cranberries gently using a potato masher. Let all the ingredients mix evenly. Add half a tsp. of salt and keep mixing for about 5 minutes on a low flame.
~ Cool and store it in a clean, dry jar. Use it only after couple of days since it tastes better after that. This stays well for months in the refrigerator.
~ You can use it as a pickle or just add to the rice with hot ghee.

Note:
* You can use other refined oil or olive oil. Sesame oil really brings out the flavors in the dish.