Pickles that tickle the palate

Pickling started as a necessity to preserve food for a long period of time but pickles today have become a must-have along with most meals, writes Anu Abraham

Pickles have been on the face of the earth for more than 4,000 years and have been an integral part of all cultures. Each country has its unique variety of pickles but the techniques of pickling are believed to have originated from India. The humble cucumber was one of the first foods that was pickled in India. In ancient days, pickling was done by drying food under the sun and later curing it in salt or immersing the same in brine. Now people have evolved and so have their techniques and the ingredients they use to make pickles. If the English are known for their sweet pickles made with vinegar, sugar, and spiced syrup, the Europeans introduced the world to Lacto — fermented cabbage, known as the sauerkraut. The French served tiny, spiced cornichons, while the Koreans swear by their kimchi. But we Indians still pride ourselves on a variety of pickles especially the pickle made with the king of all fruits — the most beloved mango pickle.

(The writer is the author of the cookbook Manna: Your Guide to Indian & Continental Cooking which is a result of her culinary journey during which she documented some of the most sought-after heritage recipes of India and elsewhere.)

The small joys

Although I was born and brought up in Bengaluru, I have my roots in Hyderabad and for any true-blue Andhrite, summer is incomplete without pickles! Made with simple ingredients like raw mangoes and a few spices, a typical lunch is complete only with the accompaniment of the fiery red pickle on the plate. Some varieties of the mango pickle include avakai, maagai, menthi avakai, pesara avakai, turumu pachadi, thokkudu pachadi, etc., all made with more or less the same ingredients. The traditional pickle-making process is well crafted and detailed. Divided into three phases, it would include cleaning, chopping, and finally marinating.

Red-hot Avakai

Ingredients

Sour raw mangoes, chopped
into cubes: 1kg
Gingelly oil: 1/2 litre
Mustard powder: ¼ kg
Salt: Around ¼ kg (adjust to taste)
Chilli powder: ¼ kg
Fenugreek seeds (1 tsp) and
raw kala chana (1-2 tbsp) [optional]
Use a standard measure for all spices
like a 250 ml glass.

Method

In a large ceramic jar, mix all the powders thoroughly. Add the mangoes and coat each piece with the spice mix.
Drizzle some oil, just enough to let everything blend.
Add the fenugreek seeds and kala chana for crunchiness. Set aside for three days, then add the rest of the oil and mix well.
Traditionally, avakai should be a blend of sour, spicy and tangy.
It is best had with steaming hot white rice, ghee/oil, and a spoonful of pickle.
Tear the mango piece with your teeth in between and enjoy the sour yet tempting taste.

(Recipe courtesy Sharanya Vishnubhatla.)

One ingredient, one recipe

This column celebrates food and explores the possibility of forming an invisible chain that will bind us together as a family. Readers can send us a unique recipe that has either a childhood memory attached to it, or even a food philosophy they learned from their ancestors. We will hand-pick one unique recipe and publish it along with this column the following month. Please share your heritage recipe and story in 300 words with “Food Family: Love” mentioned in the subject line to [e-mail] by July 4.