It’s funny - I didn’t know lime pickle existed in a spicy form until I was an adult.
Sweet lime pickle was in my top 3 as a child (probably still is - I recently tried my hand at it).
The other 2 were the sweet-spicy shredded mango pickle (chhundo) I linked above (that’s like marmalade but with firmer shreds and not bitter), and its sweet-only cousin (murabba) that’s like marmalade scented with cardamom and cloves. The latter is hard to find commercially - I’ve been searching for years. Ikea’s elderflower marmalade is the closest I’ve come
Yes my mom could often be heard scolding “that’s PICKLE, not vegetable!!!” when pickle was piled onto someone’s plate - usually she was just annoyed because it was an indirect critique of the meal
I have seen a couple murabbas at the indian store. I want to say one of them was Deep brand?
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
27
Intertesting. My experience, from UK restaurants only, is that lime pickle is always spicy. Perhaps it’s become one of those things where the mainly Anglo customer base has come to expect that’s how it should be, so that’s how it is.
What about the pickles you’re referencing tastes horrible to you?
Basically it is the most pungent substance I’ve ever tasted. I think it’s the combination of fenugreek and mustard that does it. I’m not familiar with the taste of asafoetida. I didn’t say that to mean I dislike the pickle, but I’ll never forget the first time I had it, it was just pungent on an otherworldly level. But I’m quite enamoured by it and couldn’t stop going back for more. Same way people who like fermented fish enjoy it but agree that it smells awful.
flavor enhancer for an otherwise mildly flavored meal
I think that’s the key, because I am usually eating it with other high powered indian foods, and it just turns into like a flavor rager. The other night I had it with mashed potatoes and it absolutely blew my mind! It really allowed the pickle to shine. I’m in love with the combo! Still haven’t had it with cheese but it’s on my list.
And thank you so much for all that knowledge and brand recommendations you dropped!! And thank you @boogiebaby for the recs as well! I’m happy with the one I have now but I’ll check some of those out for my next jar. Yes I think it’s a lot like anchovies now that you mention it. I think having it with like plain rice and raita would be a great combo too.
My SO has Steamed Rice with Plain Yogurt, a bit of South Indian Pickle (Inji Puli, Ginger Tamarind Pickle is his favorite )topped with a crushed Papad! Super Delicious My favorite is Prawn Pickle!
Try the oil / spice paste / masala in a chicken marinade - it’s delicious that way (maybe a little yogurt added).
Also yummy as a dip or garnish if you mix a bit into yogurt or sour cream.
The carb doesn’t even have to skew indian. Porridge / oatmeal, jook / congee, risotto, polenta, toast - a little bit of pickle is an easy garnish and delicious pick-me-up.
I never eat pickle with anything that’s already heavily spiced, btw.
Prawn pickle??? Ok I need to learn more about this.
@Saregama yeah I totally get it now, that mashed potato with pickle was a total game changer for me.
@DavidPF my favorite oatmeal is made with chicken stock! I don’t get how oatmeal turned into a sweet dish, it’s just a grain like everything else that’s usually consumed sweet. Imagine if everyone ate sweet rice.
I don’t get it either, but sweetened at breakfast was how I ate it as a kid, and it stuck that way. I don’t get why coffee isn’t drunk salted, but it usually isn’t. I really don’t get why anybody likes milk in tea - but they do.
Those dished are called “Achari” correct? There is a Pakistani Restaurant here that does an Achari Murg and Achari Mutton as Specials. Both are delicious. The Nigella/Onion Seeds really make the Dish for me.
They do Arroz y Leche, American/Euro Rice Pudding, Yaksik, Kheer, Sakkarai Pongal, Khao Niao, South African Yellow Rice, Many Chinese Breakfast Cereals … Just to name a few
I misworded what I meant to say, of course there are many tasty sweet rice dishes. I meant to say “imagine if everyone primarily associated rice with being a sweet dish”.
Or any other grain really. Oatmeal is pretty unique in that way in the US. Not sure how it is in other countries.
Achar is the Hindi and Urdu word that’s attached to the main ingredient. The words in other languages are different - athanu in Gujarati, for example.
But also, some pickles have standalone names (without the word for pickle attached). The marmalade-y ones I referenced above, for example, are just “chhunda” and “murabba”— no achar/athanu in the name. And I recall a couple of types of spicy mango (chunk) pickles that also had unique names, without the word pickle.
(Chutney is a common word across several (north/west regional Indian) languages, though. There are other words in the east and south. )
Arroz y Leche, American/Euro Rice Pudding, Yaksik, Kheer, Sakkarai Pongal, Khao Niao, South African Yellow Rice, Many Chinese Breakfast Cereals … Just to name a few
