Just Walking Around

Just Walking Around

Pickle Nation….

Every time someone asks for my name and I say its Sameer Pikle, I get an odd look from the requester. Yeah I know what he or she is thinking . What a funny last name Pikle. If its an Indian and especially a Maharashtrian they are curious and ask me is it  Pikle as in Amba Pikle or Kes Pikle , Pikle in Marathi is Ripened . And I say with a wry smile ,yes Ripened with age and experienced I guess. On other occasion and most often than not people pronounce my last name as Pickle or a spicy side dish in Indian Cuisine and I say its not Pickle but Pikle but atleast I add some spice to life .

To think of it Pickle is not just some side dish or condiment its one of the go to dish if you are down with cold & fever and the tongue is tasteless. Adds a serious bit of spice and taste to your food which otherwise would taste bland. It’s the best complement to the other famous Indian rice recipe of Kichdi that soft yellow mix of rice and lentils made into a mush but tastier and soothing to the stomach than any of the chaptpata dishes that you normally gobble. It also goes well with your Chicken / Mutton Biryani to enhance the spices and the flavours of the Biryani itself. Growing up in a home where something was cooking up all the time , I mean in the Kitchen. We used to have fresh pickles being made by Aai all the time. If it was Gudi Padva which comes in the months of March-April , it would be pickle made from raw mangoes cut into pieces , marinated in turmeric , chilly powder and salt and them tempered with hot oil and mustard seeds. Kept away for a few days before the special day and eaten on Gudi Padva . To think of it I remember Aai making pickle from fresh vegetables like for example the fluffy Cauliflower , cut into pieces and mixed with the same spices , the pickle so made had a totally different texture giving it a great taste . Or take the case of the Carrot pickle made from the red carrots , a mix of little sweet and spicy taste and the crunchy texture  makes me take a second helping evrytime I have it even today. 

Another one of my favourites was the pickle made from fresh and wet Turmeric roots , we call it the Oli Halad . Its looks like Ginger but when cut is bright orange inside and has a little pungent taste. Mixed with this was the Ambe Haladi , this again is a distant cousin of the turmeric looks like ginger  but is bright yellow from inside and has a distinctly tangy taste. If you bit into a small pice with your eyes closed you will confuse the taste with that of a raw mango , hence the name Ambe (Mango) Haldi. Made into a pickle and served with curd rice it tastes like heaven.

One more of my favourites and an acquired taste was the green chilly pickle my Sudha Aatya used to serve when I stayed at her place during vacations in my childhood days. We had named it the “Nakaat janare lonche” or the pickle that used to go to your nose as an after taste due to the ground mustard base. One small bite of the green chilly piece and you were sure to get the zing. But I loved it and it went best with my aatya’s favorite rice recipe of Teen Rangi Bhaat or the tri-coloured rice with its exception flavour and the most visually appealing dish I ever had .

To think of it Pickles are second nature to all Indians. Even while using the same main ingredients, Indian pickles can vary widely in flavor due to differences in the preparation techniques and spices used. A mango pickle from South India may taste very different from one made in North India, and is generally a lot spicier than a pickle from  North India. In the southern states, sesame oil is generally preferred, while mustard oil is generally preferred in the northern states for making pickles. The capital of India, New Delhi is home to many centuries-old pickle brands, one of them being Harnarains. It was originally started off in 1860s, and still continues to be one of the best in India. Single main ingredient varieties prepared with mango, chilli and lemon are ever popular, but the city is famous of pachranga (literally 'five colors', prepared with five vegetables) and satranga (literally 'seven colors', prepared with five vegetables) which are matured in mustard oil using main ingredients such as raw mangoes, chick peas, lotus stem, karonda and amlas or limes, pickled with whole spices. True to its Haryanvi and Punjabi origins, this pickle is large hearted with its range of ingredients and spice. Pachranga achar was first created by Murli Dhar Dhingra in Pakistan in 1930, his Dingra and Malik descendants brought it to India in 1943. Panipat produces over INR50 crore worth of achaar every year (2016 figures), supplied to local markets as well as exported to UK, USA, UK and middle east.

In Southern India, most vegetables are sun-dried with spices, taking advantage of immensely hot and sunny days throughout the year, thus making pickles an everyday staple. The sun-drying naturally preserves the vegetable, along with spices such as mustard,  fenugreek seeds (methi), chilli powder, salt, asafetida (hing), and turmeric. To speed up the preparation process, vegetables may be cooked first on slow heat.

The states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are famous for their spicy pickles. Unripe mango with garlic and ginger ( Aavakaaya in Telugu), unripe tamarind coupled sometimes with green chillies (Chintakaaya in Telugu) and red chillies (Korivikaram in Telugu) are a staple in everyday meal. Gooseberry (Usirikaaya in Telugu) and Lemon (Nimmakaaya in Telugu) are also widely eaten pickles as well. All these are best eaten with the all time favourite Hydrabadi Biryani.

The state of  Tamil Nadu makes a mango pickle called maavadu, which is usually made early in the summer season when mangoes are barely an inch long. The preservation process uses castor oil, giving the pickle its unique taste. Another pickle from Tamil Nadu is narthangai consisting of unripe Citrons or EEd Limbu as we know cut into spirals and stuffed with salt. Tamilians also use sun-dry chillies stuffed with salted yogurt, thus making a dry condiment called Mor molagai that is typically eaten with rice. We have a similar variant in Coastal regions like Konkan where these de-seeded Dhabbu Mirch as they are called are stuffed with salt and spices and dried. These and then fried in small quantity of oil and served with curry and rice.

In the state of Karnataka, the tender whole mango pickle is a traditional pickle recipe. This is preserved entirely by dehydrating tender whole mango known as Appe Middi a special variety of mango which is small in size and a little flat in structure. This is marinated with salt and spices and made into a very salty and sour pickle. A special type of this is appe  midi  pickle is has a refreshing aroma.

People residing in Coastal India have their own special recipe for pickle made from fish. Yes take the case of Prawn Balcao from Goa a pungent pickle made from tiny prawns or shrimps. In Tamil Nadu, karuvadu is made by salting and sun-drying various species of fish. Nethili karuvadu, made from anchovies, is among the more popular varieties of karuvadu. In Kerala, tuna and sardines are finely chopped and marinated in spices and later cooked on stovetop, resulting in Meen achar. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also make fish and shrimp pickles but are more famous for their lamb and chicken pickles known for their spiciness and all around flavour.

The list can go on and on but one thing is for sure that Pickles add a spicy flavour to your thali or the food plate with the usual dal ,sabji , chapatti and rice. So next time you are feeling tasteless or simply want to enhance your food grab a spoonful of the pickle and enjoy your dinner. 

Bonn Appetite….