Carrot and Dry Fruits Pickle. (Gajar, Sookha Meva Nu Achar)

1 kg carrots grated
500 ml apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
50 grams chili powder (medium heat) (or to taste)
500 grams jaggery block (light colored)
100 grams dried apricots (seedless)
150 grams kharak (if kharak is not available increase dates to 250 grams)
3 bulbs garlic peeled and slit lengthwise in 4 quarters
150 grams seedless dates (slit in two)
100 grams black currents (seedless)
100 grams resins (seedless)
2 tablespoon crushed mustard (not completely powdered)
200 grams dried figs (cut in two after removing stems)
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt

Soak the kharak for 4 hours in the 500 ml vinegar and drain. Slit kharak
lengthwise in two and remove seeds.

Squeeze out some of the juice from the shredded carrots- but not all. (Retain the juice in a jug).

In the drained vinegar, add the shredded carrots, chilli powder, and salt.

Boil the mixture in a large sauce pan on medium heat until carrots are half
cooked, stirring frequently. (about half hour). Add some more vinegar, and/or
retained carrot juice (only if mixture appears dry).

Add jaggery (after breaking/crumbling the block in small pieces). Add kharak, mustard, turmeric and garlic to the carrot mixture.

Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently

Add apricots and dates and cook till the mixture is thick and most of the liquid
is absorbed. Stir frequently ( Note that the pickle will soak up some of the
liquid while it is cooling)

Add figs currents and raisins.

Stir and cook further for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Cool mixture and bottle in sterilized jars.

Note. If the pickle appears somewhat dry after cooling, add some Golden Syrup.
Golden Syrup could be made somewhat more liquidly for easier mixing with the
pickle by first heating it a little for half a minute or so in microwave or on
stove.

NOTES. Does not need refrigeration. And keeps for several months.

Dried apricots with seeds (Jardaloo) are often not easily available outside of
the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. I have instead used dried, seeded, orange
colored apricots which are easily available in supermarkets.