Pickling the season’s first raw mango was derigeur at home. My grannies were pros at it and most of our vacations were spent relishing the pickles after a late lunch. The tang of raw mango, the saltiness of the marinade, the bite of the chilli and the slight crunch of the mustard seeds.
Our chilhood was pickled in ecstacy. The languid and lazy lunches ended with home made bida (a paan with granny’s magical ingredients). The elders would then retire for their siesta while we cousins were up to no good.
This usually meant a quick raid of the pickle ‘barnis’ kept in the sun on the terrace. We would scamper off with a tiny handful of the tender pickle, wash off the spicy masala under the garden tap and then sit on the huge teak swing in the portico, slurping and enjoying the bouquet of flavours that each enchanting lick of the tender mango brought.
Pickle-jar raids were serious fun as the spoils had to be counted before we pleasured our palettes. If any of us cousins had even one extra piece, the situation could turn sour. All had to have the same number of pieces. I had an elitist opinion here. Being the eldest of the cousins, I felt that I was always entitled to have more than the others. Sometimes this would end up in pushing and shoving, but for the most part my cousins would let me have my way in return for a reward. Tamarind sweets!
Once at a family function we stood in front of the shehnai quartet and licked the tamarind sweets with such glee that the shehnai began to sound soggy, being filled with drool. We were forced to lick our tamarinds elsewhere after the shehnai players complained sourly about our behaviour.
There may be a lesson here for the world at war with each other. There are better ways to have sour relations. How about a start with tamarind, yoghurt, green mango, lime, kokum and the likes?
Tamarind lollipops
The age old Indian sour bombs! If you know people who like to blow their own trumpets or are errant shehnai players, these lollipops will put them at your mercy. They are, quite literally, droolworthy.
Ingredients
Ripe tamarind (It’s doubly amazing if you can get this off the tree): 250 gms
Jaggery: 50 gms
Salt: To taste
Red chilli powder: To taste
Ice cream sticks: 10-12
Method
Ripe tamarind has what I call beautiful sourness. A taste that is balanced and well rounded. This is important to ensure that we are not left with the harsh and abrasive feel of the young variety. Carefully remove the seeds and tough woody veins of the tamarind. Place in a mortar and pound with firm pressure to break all fibres. Add the jaggery and salt and continue pounding. Jaggery helps to bind and provides the much needed sweetness too. Add in the red chilli powder to taste. Pound well. Mould little portions over the sticks by hand. Make sure you have these ready at family functions where flautists and shehnai players are called. Let the fun begin.
The writer is the executive chef at The Park, Hyderabad
