Lasun Khursani Achar (Garlic Chili Achar)

Recipe Source  NepaliCooking   Picture: surekha 

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup mustard seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon timur (Szechwan pepper)
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
5 tablespoons mustard oil, or good olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of asafetida
Salt to taste 

Garnish:
1 tablespoon mustard oil, or olive oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
10 dry red chilies
1 tablespoon mint leaves, minced

In a pan, toast sesame seeds, cumin, coriander and mustard seeds.  Spread out on a paper towel to cool down.  Grind to a powder.  In boiling salted water, blanch garlic cloves for about five minutes to soften and remove intense garlic rawness.  Strain garlic cloves from the blanching water and place in a bowl filled with ice to prevent from being further cooked.  After ice bath, drain and reserve in a clean bowl.  Slowly dry-roast sesame, mustard, cumin, and coriander seeds until toasted.  In a blender, mix all the ground toasted seeds, timur, chili and tamarind paste, oil, black pepper, asafetida, and salt into a thick pickle paste.  Pour the pickling mixture into the blanched garlic; mix well.  For garnish, in a non-stick pan heat one tablespoon of oil, splitter fenugreek and dry red chilies until it turns dark.  Add slices of garlic and fry till light brown.  Pour the garlic-oil mixture and minced mint over the garlic pickle.  Mix well and put in airtight jar.  Allow one week for the marination of garlic cloves in the pickling mixture within the jar before serving.