Nellikka Achar

Just thinking about the word “pickle” makes my tastebuds dance. Yep I just love pickles. My heart leans towards the sharp vinegary taste like a moth to a flame. If it happens to be Fish or Prawns or Beef pickle, just forget it, I'm a lost cause! I love the flavour explosion in my mouth after having a spoonful of the pickle. I'm trying my best here not to drool on my keyboard ;)

The sad thing is, the deeper my heart fell for it, the more my stomach revolted against it. And the more I got addicted to it. The consequences were getting worse… I mean you cannot blame my stomach, imagine finishing a bottle of fish pickle in 3-4 days by yourself! If I love something, I'm all in. Yep, that's how committed I was in my relationship with pickle. Sadly, I got to a point where I had to walk away. It was a difficult decision, but I did it.

As a first step, I stopped bringing a fresh batch of Mummy's pickles from back home. It was a very difficult thing to say no to. Her pickles are fabulous! Every time, I share it with our friends, they come back asking for more. I thought the idea of “out of sight, out of mind” would help me to get rid of pickle addiction. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of readymade pickles. I usually find them too oily or too spicy for my taste.

As far as pickles were concerned, it was a dry spell for me for more than a year. I let myself indulge in it only during my India trips. Since, the past one month or so, whenever I go veggie shopping, I started seeing these fresh Nellikka (Gooseberry) in the veggie counter and somehow I got the feeling that I should make Nellikka Achar (Gooseberry Pickle). The funny thing is I wasn't even a big fan of Nellikka Achar! Sometimes, there is no explanation for what you want or how you feel, right… good old mysteries of life !!!

So, one day, I gave into my temptation, bought some Nellikka, got the recipe from Mummy and it just took off from there. I was really surprised about how easy it was to make this. I think I've told you this before also, somehow I've this thing in my head, that pickle making is a tedious and complicated process. Trust me, it's not. It's one of the quickest and simplest thing that you can make and the best part is it will last for months! It's a really good deal, isn't it?

One more thing… holiday season is almost here and let me say, homemade pickle is a great gift idea. I'm sure a bottle of homemade pickle is a well thought out gift for your friends or loved ones. I do hope you get to make this and like it too, but hey, make sure you have it in moderation ;)

Click Here For Recipe…