Green Chilli Pickle Recipe | How to make Hari Mirch ka Achar (Video Tutorial/Recipe)

Learn how to make Hari Mirch Ka Achar or Green Chilli Pickle

‘What next?'

A question that kept popping in my mind after many years of blogging. If one has been blogging for more than a decade, there comes a time when it all gets, well, little repetitive and boring. And then comes the feeling to either quit or do something which fuels the passion. Both this blog and I have come a long way, from wanting to record family recipes by an amateur cook to the one who is curious about the story of origin of the dish; from blog posts with photographs taken using handy cam to the proud owner of full frame dSLR who, if I may say, has learnt to take a decent photograph; from someone who was uncertain about everything to someone who has found her voice.

I won’t be lying if I say that I have put my heart and soul into growing and maintaining this blog and it’s not that easy for me to quit. Although the web world is over flooded and saturated with food blogs, I appreciate my readers, both new and old, who have been part of the Monsoon Spice. You have been my constant source of inspiration for keeping this blog alive after all these years and I can’t thank you enough. So, instead of quitting, I decided to do something new; video recipes!

Fresh Turmeric and Ginger Pickle Recipe | Kachchi Haldi Aur Adrak Ka Achar

Learn how to make Fresh Turmeric and Ginger Pickle or Kachchi Haldi Aur Adrak Ka Achar ~ Pickled fresh turmeric and ginger in salt and lime juice

There's something soul satisfying about working with fresh ingredients which takes you down the memory lane and warms your heart with nostalgia! Especially when it something that’s difficult to source when you are thousands of miles away from home, like this fresh turmeric roots. After making a unique winter dish of Rajasthani Raw Turmeric Curry (do check this recipe and cook some if you haven’t already), I decided to make another favourite recipe that takes me back home, to the carefree days which coloured my hands and heart with sunshine yellow hues... I am talking about a very simple and easy to make Kachchi Haldi aur Adrak Ka Achar or Raw Turmeric and Ginger Pickle.

The word ‘pickle’ comes from the Dutch pekel or German pókel, meaning salt or brine, two very important components in the pickling process. Throughout history pickling was a necessity, as it was the best way to preserve food for a long period of time before canning came into picture. Pickles are created by immersing fresh fruits or vegetables in an acidic liquid or saltwater brine until they are no longer considered raw or vulnerable to spoilage, hence extending their shelf life to months and some for years. Pickles have been around for thousands of years, dating as far back as 2030 BC in India. It is believed that pickles originated in India and the cucumbers were the first to be pickled in the Tigris Valley. As one of the earliest mobile foods, pickles filled the stomachs of hungry sailors and travelers, while also providing families with a source of food during harsh cold winter months when fresh produce were hard to grow or source. (Source: History in a jar)

Lime and Fresh Green Peppercorn Pickle Recipe | Pickled Green Peppercorns and Limes in Brine

Learn how to make Lime and Fresh Green Peppercorn Pickle ~ Pickled Indian limes and fresh green peppercorns in brine

‘Sacred’ is a very special word that I use for pickles. Pickles, a heart and soul of Indian cuisine is the most precious condiments without which our meals are unimaginable and well, incomplete. The word pickle is an emotion and it screams ‘home’. Whichever part of India and Indian subcontinents we might come from, a smudge of pickle on a plate has the capacity to make even the simple meal of dal and rice seem more appetising. For Indians, pickles are not mere a condiment, but an integral part of the meal and a tasty accompaniment which keeps us connected to our roots even when we are thousands of miles away from our home and homeland.

As a child, my first food memories revolves around pickle. Come summer and my ancestral home would transform into a buzzing pickle factory. Pickle making was a family effort and everyone in our large joint family had a role to play in this most exciting process. There were special mango trees cultivated in our family estate specially reserved for pickling. These pickling mangoes had right amount of acidity, texture and crunch for making the perfect and most delicious pickles. It was my grandfather’s role to make sure that the farm workers plucked the mangoes at the right time before they matured, taking care not to drop them on the grounds as they reduced the shelf life. Most mangoes were pickled before they developed hard stones and some were left on the trees to mature for other varieties of mango pickles. As a child, I remember watching the workers expertly climb a century old mango trees and pick the mango bunches and carefully stock them in a wicker baskets hanging next to them in a long rope. Once the basket was filled to the brim, it was carefully lowered to the ground where it was emptied into huge wicker baskets lined with gunny bags. Thousands and thousands of tender mangoes were then carried back home where the ladies of the house eagerly waited.

Spicy Dill Chutney/Pickle Recipe | Andhra Style Sabbasige Soppu Chutney

Learn how to make Spicy Dill Chutney/Pickle ~ Andhra styled spicy sabbasige soppu /shepu chutney with aromatic spices and jaggary

My fingers hover over the laptop’s keyboard. It’s been little over 15 minutes since I’ve been starting at the blank screen with a curser blinking on a blank page. A blank page and a blank mind! Pretty deadly combination for a blogger who is known for her rants and rambles! ~sigh~

It makes me wonder if it is the life changing event that is taking place in our life that’s making me twiddle my thumbs and raise my heart beat rate? Is it the excitement and nervousness that’s making me lose my sleep, and may be even my mind! I wanted to talk about it as there is no tomorrow, but it seems it’s not going to happen today! Hopefully the words will come to my mind and flow through my fingertips as they will tap and dance on the keyboard like those Irish dancers I saw few weeks ago. Since the words refuse to surface in my mind, I will share the recipe that I experimented few months ago and to my pleasant surprise it turned out to be one of best tasting chutneys.

Nimbu Ka Achaar | Simple Spicy Indian Lemon Pickle Recipe

Learn how to make Nimbu Ka Achaar or Spicy Indian Lemon Pickle ~ Spicy lemon pickle with garlic and aromatic pickling spices

To Indians ‘Pickle’ is not just a word, it is a sacred word that injects the feeling of happiness and joy! Imagine yourself wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold night, your feet tucked under the blanket while you sip a cup of hot chocolate made by someone you love. You feel warm, relaxed, happy and content… To me when a jar of homemade pickle gifted by my loved ones invokes the same feeling!

Herbs and spices used in Nimbu Ka Achaar/Spicy Indian Lemon Pickle

My country India is diverse country and that diversity doesn’t confine to regions, languages and people. Indian cuisine is as diverse and colourful as the country and the people living there and the varieties of pickle that we make and consume will blow your mind if you are just used the idea of few vegetables immersed in a jar or vinegar! Hundreds of these extraordinary varieties of pickles are the pride of our country and we can’t imagine ending our meals without a smidgen of tongue tickling pickles adorning our plates. Whichever part of the India we might come from, pickle is mostly likely to be part of our earliest food memories that has ingrained into our culture, life and memories. Pickling techniques and the finished products vary from one region to another and even differ from one house to another, but the joy it brings and the bond it creates is same all around the country!

Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle Recipe | Simple Andhra Style Tomato Pickle Recipe with Nirlep Cookware Product Review and A Giveaway!

Learn how to make Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle ~ Instant Andhra style tomato pickle flavoured with spices, tamarind and garlic tempering

It is always hard to come back to England after a fun filled trip to India! The colours, weather, buzz, noise, and the sense of never being alone are just other things you miss apart from family and friends. The holiday is always too short when one visits home!!!

Juicy, firm, red Tomatoes for Instant Andhra Style Tomato Pickle

This holiday with our family was one that finally helped us in taking one of the big and most important decisions of our life. I will talk about it in one of my next posts in coming days. For now all I want to talk about is food... The food cooked by our loved ones and the few I cooked for them, like this Instant Andhra Tomato Pickle!

No Oil Spicy Cut Mango Pickle Recipe | Step by Step Indian Mango Pickle Recipe

Learn how to make Spicy Cut Mango Pickle ~ No Oil Spicy Raw Mango Pickle Recipe

Family recipes, the recipes that have been cooked for decades and some even for centuries are the most treasured ones and close to my heart. Our taste, preference and choice change with time, but certain recipes withstand the test of time as they tie us to our roots and happy memories. Recipes like these need to be treasured, preserved and cherished for honoring the previous generations and for the new generations who are yet to sample the goodness of life!

Black & White Wednesday: Childhood is Calling

If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good!
~ Dr. Seuss

Pickled raw mangoes and Indian gooseberries sold in wooden carts… Isn’t it one of the tastiest treats of childhood, or even adulthood for that matter! Oh this excitement and anticipation is killing me! I can’t wait to be child again and relive it with my Lil Dumpling :) It’s gonna be soon… very soon….

Bharwan Mirch ka Achaar | Stuffed Red Chilli Pepper Pickle Recipe

Bharwan Mirch ka Achaar

We Indian’s LOVE our pickles. Period.

I know I should stop here but I just can’t stop leave it when the topic in question is one of my most favourite things. Given a choice, I am among those who can rant on for hours and also end up writing PhD thesis on the subject of pickles. My love for pickle is talking point among my loved ones who know my weakness for this irresistible treats. When God created me, he forgot to give me sweet tooth. Instead I was blessed with a taste bud that swirls around doing Tango when it meets its love, irresistible spicy pickle. I know that there are many people out there who are just like me, who love pickles more than any sweet desserts and delights.