"The life and spice of India"

When we talk about Indian cuisine it is incomplete without the mention of Indian pickles and chutneys. Pickles come in large varieties and it serve as a flavour enhancer. It is usually eaten along with the main dish in very small proportion. Infact just one or two pieces are taken along with the main food. Pickles can be made with a variety of vegetable and fruits. It can be sweet, sour or hot. It can either be made using oil or without oil. Making of pickles is one of the ancient art for preservation of food which has been practiced sinces ages in India. The pickles that we make in India is very different to the ones that is made in Europe as in Europe vinegar is used instead of oil.

Pickles are an important part of an Indian meal.They are usually made of fruits and vegetables that are seasonal. Firstly they are thoroughly cleaned and cut finely. Then they are mixed with special spices that are grounded and marinated in lemon juice or oil. The unique flavour of the pickle depends on the spice that is used.Generally pickles are made during summers and allowed to mature in the sun for a minimum period of three weeks before it is used. Pickles are generally stored in glass or porcelain jars which have air-tight lids as pickles are fresh as long as they do not come in contact with moisture. The marinade that is used for the pickles is acidic thus it slows down the growth of bacteria and the oil that is used is for preservation.

The most popular pickles are the ones like mango garlic chilli pickle or onion pickle. Pickles are also made of vegetables like carrot, cauliflower and raddish. lime and lemon as well as different types of chillies

Chutneys can either be freshly prepared and have to be consumed within a day or two.They are also eaten in small quantities and used to enhance the flavour of the food. Chutneys are usually grounded daily on a grinding stone. It can be made of fresh herbs, green chillies, ginger, green mangoes or lime juice, peanuts as well as other spices. Freshly grounded chutney is very refreshing and can be eaten with snacks or the main meal. Cilantro chutney is one example of fresh chutney.

Chutneys that are seasonal have to be cooked like those of mangoes,tomatoes,pineapple, apples, pears and tamarind. When seasoning of hot chillies, lemon juice and ginger are cooked with spices they give a taste that is heavenly. Tamarind chutney is very popular and served with any sort of snack.It is a sweet chutney. Tamarind chutney is not hard to make. We just need to deseed the tamarind and place it in a pan which is deep. Along with it we put jaggery, sugar, dates and water and boil it for about 10 minutes. When its cool we blend it with blender and again boil it till its thick. We lastly add the seasoning and when cool transfer it into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge.

Thali