Roughly chop the dates. Soak both the dates and the raisins in half the vinegar. Leave this to soak preferably overnight. If that's not possible then allow to soak at least for two hours.

Peel the carrots and grate them on the thickest setting on your grater. You can grate it fine as well but this will lead to your pickle not having that much texture.

In a large flat bottomed pan add in your grated carrots and the jaggery. Start sautéing this on medium heat until the jaggery melts and the carrot is about half cooked (about 20 minutes). If you're using only jaggery and not sugar then only add half the jaggery now and adding the rest when the recipe talks about sugar.

Add the cloves, star anise, chilli powder, garlic cloves, salt to the carrots. Turn down the heat to low. Mix in about 250ml of the balance vinegar. Mix everything, cover and allow to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes. Your mixture should be getting a jammy texture by now.

Now add in the sugar and the date/raisin mixture along with the vinegar it was soaked in. Cover and allow to simmer for another 30 - 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

When the carrot is completely soft, add in the balance 250ml vinegar and mix well. Allow to simmer for a final 15 minutes. In case the pickle tastes too sour for your taste, add in a bit more sugar and salt. You will need to balance the sweet and sour based on what works best for you.

Ensure you do not add any water (aside from the steam of your lid) at any point to the pickle. If you like your pickle to be spicy you can add in a bit more chilli powder. Do note that the primary taste of this pickle is sweet, the spice is just there to balance things out.

Allow the pickle to cool completely. Fill into sterilised glass jars and store at room temperature. This stays well outside for almost six months. However, you can also refrigerate it if you stay in a hotter than usual climate.