Hot nostalgia in a jar

TNIE unravels the spicy secrets of mouthwatering pickles

Pic | @yummymsberrys 

KOCHI: The wind brushes the Chandrakaran mango tree in our courtyard just before the Edavapathy (southwest monsoon) sets in. And it scatters kanni mangas (tender mango) on the ground,” recalls 70-year-old Nalini Menon at her house in Ernakulam.

“In childhood, during summer vacations, my younger brother Rajan and I would collect all the tender mangoes from our courtyard and give them to our amma, Thankam. She would clean the mangoes with utmost care and preserve them in brim filled in ceramic jars (bharanis).

“This is followed by an elaborate ritual that involves the roasting of mustard, fenugreek, red chilli and asafoetida. These are powdered and mixed with sesame oil and combined with the salted mangoes before storing them in the big ceramic jars… it is a long process.”

For many, like Nalini, pickles bring back fond memories of childhood homes, mothers and grandmothers. Pickles are more than just a spicy side dish. They remind of ancient culinary traditions and nostalgic tastes. Different varieties of homemade pickles are popular in the food market today. For Thiruvananthapuram native Krishna Veni, pickles carry a heap of memories that even led her to try out her grandma’s recipes. Hailing from a Tamil Brahmin family, pickles were a must during meals at her house.

“Pickles were always seasonal side dishes for us. Being in a joint family, I have seen my mother and grandmother making pickles and keeping them in big bharanis then,” she says. “Pickling was an annual process, especially for lemons and mangoes. Then it was not practical to buy it from shops as every house had joint families with 10 members or more.”

Now in her 50s, she is actively making her grandmother’s pickles with the traditional recipes passed on to her. “Nowadays, the working generation sometimes finds it difficult to prepare separate side dishes for lunch or breakfast. These pickles are now mostly consumed by them as side dishes,” says Krishna Veni.

“Though not on a big scale, I prepare and sell vegetarian pickle varieties. Among them, green chilli is easy to make and goes well with idli, dosa, chappati, rice or with a bowl of hot gruel. Green chillies are a rich source of Vitamin C, too. I prepare them and give others as I love to keep alive my traditional food recipes.”

Meena Gopalakrishnan from Palakkad lets us in on her secret family recipes. The 62-year-old sticks to homemade pickles only as she says there is a need to preserve these family recipes for the next generation. With her two-year-old food venture, ‘Mamma’s Pick’, she brings a variety of homemade pickles and other food items from the past to the table.

“Apart from consuming modern food, I felt people should also know the taste of our traditional food. Pickles, just like other food items, are different across Kerala,” she says. “Also, I have seen more enquiries for traditional pickle in the food groups on social media. Also, there are many women in the agraharams in Palakkad who earn their living through pickle making. I see pickle making as a support to their small business and sharing the taste of Palakkadan-style pickles with everyone.”

Meena’s style involves processing the product in natural sunlight. Though she prepares lime, gooseberry, garlic, lime and mango, her kadumanga pickle is a hit among foodies. “It is actually mustard and mango pickle. The availability of native mangoes has become less. These mango shoots are broken by placing them inside the ceramic jars so that the mango stains fall inside the jars as a base layer,” she says.

“The mango, coated with rock salt, preserved in the jars for one week, are then sun-dried for alternate weeks by ensuring that there is no more water content in them. After the pickle mix is made using seedless, red chillies, semi-ground mustard and other ingredients, is combined with the dried mangoes and kept for two months before using it.”

Pickles were usually made to store or save leftover seasonal native fruits including mangoes, hog plums, lemons, and gooseberries. They were preserved by sun drying or putting them in brine. In Kerala, our pickles are considered spicier than those made in northern India.

Tamil Nadu pickles also follow a similar dry and sweet flavour. According to Teena Augustine Joseph, recipe curator from Kochi, pickles are always popular in Kerala because of the rice we consume. “Pickles are part of Asian food culture, which can be also seen in other countries like South Korea (think kimchi),” she says. “These are fermented and probiotic food which aid gut health and digestion. Mostly Vitamin C rich fruits are used to make pickles, that too in sesame oil or mustard oil, which have good fermentation properties.”

Ever since the pandemic, with people experimenting with their culinary skills, there have been diverse varieties of pickles in veg and non-veg. Today’s generation prefers easy-to-make and instant pickles, which will be finished within days of preparing,” she adds.

Teena shares one of her family pickle recipes, which is made using brinjal and dried fish: “The brinjal pieces are coated with salt, chilli powder and turmeric and dry fish is deep-fried in oil separately. Later mustard seeds are spluttered in seasame oil and ginger and garlic pieces are roasted. All the ingredients are mixed well and stored in a glass jar. It can be consumed instantly or after a few days too.” Kannur native Sajna Riju who is settled in Kochi has a different story to share. In Kannur, pickles are common during any celebrations.

“It is commonly known as ‘Kalyana veetile biriyani achaar’ as it is mostly made as a combination to the Malabar- style biryani served in wedding houses there. It’s a raw pickle recipe. It does not need any cooking and is preserved in vinegar only. No oil is required too, for this healthy recipe,” says Sajna.
The easy-peasy pickle includes grated carrot, beetroot, 20 to 25 seedless dates, minced ginger and garlic cloves, chopped curry leaves, green chillies, a few raisins, vinegar, sugar, red chilli and coarsely ground mustard seeds. “Mix everything with hands along with one or half teaspoon of sugar to balance the spice and sweet taste. It tastes best when served after two-three days of preparation,” says Sajna.

Strawberry Pickle

Ingredients
Sliced strawberries- 500g
Sliced garlic- 1 cup
Sliced ginger- 1/2 cup
Salt- 3 tbsp
Vinegar- 1 cup
Sesame oil- 200ml
Turmeric powder- 1tbsp
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Asafoetida- 2 tbsp
Kashmiri chili- 3 tbsp
Fenugreek powder- 1.5 tsp
Mustard seeds- 2 tbsp

Preparations

• Chop the strawberries into half or medium-sized pieces if they are big.
• Heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the sliced ginger and fry till they are golden.
• Add the garlic and saute for 2 mins on medium flame.
• Mix all the spice powders in a bowl and add them to the seasoned ginger and garlic. Saute over medium flame till you get a roasted aroma.
• Add vinegar and salt and bring the pickle gravy to boil.
• Add the strawberries and let them cook for 5-10 minutes.

recipe credit: @ooonuready

Teena Augustine Joseph, recipe curator and food vlogger.

Kingfish pickle

Ingredients
Fish - 1kg ( 1.5 inches cube)
Oil - 400ml
Garlic - 100gm ( minced)
Ginger - 50gm ( minced)
Chilli powder - 55gm
Turmeric powder - 3gm
Fenugreek powder- 10gm
Palm jaggery - 40gms
Mustard - 25gm
Mustard dal - 40gms
Vinegar - 300ml
Salt - 40gm
Curry leaves - 5 springs

Preparation

• Heat oil and deep fry the fish pieces in a stainless steel wok. Fry it till they have slightly brown edges.
• Next, crack mustard in the same oil and add some curry leaves
• Add in mustard dal and fry it for a while. Then add minced ginger and garlic, and fry till the raw smell goes and till the bits turn brown in colour.
• Add in the masala powders and finely roast them. Spatulate it and take care not to burn the masala.
• Add in powdered palm jaggery , vinegar and salt. Once it starts boiling add in the fried fish pieces. Mix well and let it boil for two minutes.
• Once cool, bottle it and let it mature for two to three days.

by Riyas Shukkoor, Saira’s homemade pickles.

Shallot pickle

Ingredients
Pearl Onion - 2 handfuls
Gingelly oil - 3/4 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Dried Red chillies- 4/5
Curry leaves - 2 springs
Asafoetida powder- 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek Powder- 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder- 2 Tbsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tbsp
Tamarind - a small ball

Preparation

• Heat Gingelly oil/ Nallenna in a wok.
• Add the chopped onions and sauté until they turn golden brown and transfer them to a bowl.
• In the same oil, add some mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Add dried red chillies and curry leaves, asafoetida powder and sauté well.
• Add fried pearl onions, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt, and mix well.
• Partially mash the onions. Add crushed mustard seeds, fenugreek powder, and a small piece of jaggery and mix well.
• Mix tamarind pulp and adjust salt if needed.
• Allow it to cool completely before you transfer it to an airtight jar.

@macaron_gal

by Keerthy Nair, techie and food vlogger