You love pickles with rice and rotis, and snacks as well. Usha R Munshi discovers that making them is fun, too!

Our grand-mothers and generations before that made pickles year after year with great enthusiasm. You've probably wanted to, too, but couldn't bring yourself to expend all that time and energy. The good news: It's easy! And can be quick!

The Truth About Making Pickles

Pickles are not difficult to make, nor preserve!

Essentially, there are two things to pickle making - the main ingredient (mango, lime), and the method.

These days, you have the choice of several pickle making methods. In our 'Gourmet' section, you have the slow traditional way that takes four to six weeks - the way our grandmoms would do it -- and the cheat's ways. There are also pickle masalas available in the market that you could try. Pick your style.

Next come the ingredients - again you have numerous choices.

So, ingredient, method... Next, follow the law book.

Spices, Powders And More

Most spices are easily available. But, if you want to get a bit adventurous, and experiment, here are a few tips to use home-ground powders for a better taste.

Chilli powder: Clean the red chillies and dry them in the sun for two days. Have them crushed and powdered. Pass through a sieve before using.

Mustard powder: Wash the mustard seeds and dry them. While grinding, care should be taken not to allow the oil to seep out. For that, coarse-grind the dried seeds quickly in the grinder. Ideally, the grinding should be done just before mixing into the pickle.

Salt: Salt crystals (rather than iodised or table salt) should be dried and then powdered.

Getting It Right

Even when you follow the method of the pickle recipe to the last 'T', you might still have a slightly less-than-perfect taste. This could be because of the inherent taste of the fruits/vegetable or other ingredients. For example, in a mango pickle, the sourness of the mangoes or the fieriness of the chillies available could vary from region to region. Also, there can be inconsistency in the taste and flavour of the fruit within the quantity bought in one purchase, if they are from different orchards or trees!