Mirchi ka achaar aur bachpan ki yaad!

 

2020 has been a roller coaster ride for people all over the world. Come the 18^th of December, and I will have completed total nine months in complete lock down! No going out anywhere and not letting anyone come home. No maid, no nothing. Wherein several people made babies during this period, I made loads and loads of delectable dishes :-D Ok, bad joke! Agreed, my sense of humor is not great!

So, one month into the lock down, when I resigned from my job, I thought I’ll pick up something soon. Maybe just part time, but then slowly the idea of being a complete homemaker got the better of me and I started enjoying tiny domestic accomplishments!

Today, I conquered another unexplored territory and that was making those mouth-watering pickles which are an Indian household’s indispensable food accompaniment, and immediately I was transported back to the days of my childhood when we would drool over the assortment of pickles that Maa used to make every season.

Summers meant various varieties of Mango pickles, Aam ka achaar, Heeng ka achaar, and Aam ki meethi chutney achaar. My sis was a lover of Aam ka achaar, so Maa had to ensure pickling at least 10kg of raw mangoes so that the supply could be maintained until the following summer. How can I forget those days, when the raw mangoes would be cut and then left to dry in the sun on flimsy cotton fabric! As, the entire neighbourhood slept in the warm sunny afternoon, we children would sneak upon those drying mangoes and eat up almost half of those tangy delights, much to the horror of the ladies who would realize that they had been deprived of their labour by some wayward children. Of course, we felt bad for them, but who would give up the fun we had pilfering those knick knacks!

Then came winters, my time of the year as Maa made my favourite Laal Mirch ka achaar!!! She also made Gajar, gobhi aur Shalgam mixed pickle and not to forget the succulent Nimbu ka achaar! We would stare greedily at the jars packed with those brightly coloured things inside, dipped in mustard oil, mixed with spices, laid out in rows under the bright winter sun. Our friends would be envious of us, as our Maa made the most varieties and the tastiest pickles according to them. We used to be ecstatic as we had those jars full of ‘Neighbour’s envy, Owner’s pride.’

Being brought up in the hills, we had a certain advantage as our school used to be visible from home. We stayed on the hill right opposite to the hill on which our school was, so Maa could see the students spilling on the school road during chhutti time. As soon as she spotted us from afar, she was light up the burner for rice to be cooked and by the time we got home, changed, and sat at the dining table, we would be served steaming rice, with dal, sabzi and our respective favourite pickles! Its strange how the simplest of meals can be so magical! No one in my memory has had the ability to deliver that taste which has settled on my taste buds over the years.

This magic of mom-made pickles continued even after I got married. I was dependent upon Maa for my regular supply of pickles. I just had to say the word, and the pickles would be made. However, this suffered a setback, when Maa started spending time abroad. Whenever she would be away in winters, I would miss my favourite and this annoyed me immensely.

So, this year, with loads of time in my hand, and a burning desire to replicate my Maa’s pickles, I went ahead and made my favourite Laal Mirch ka achaar and the winter staple, Gajar Gobhi and Shalgam ka achaar.

I don’t know whether I’ll be able to do justice to the taste or not, but I surely savoured every moment of making these pickles and was overjoyed to see Maa’s reaction when I showed them to her over a video call.

Besides teaching me so many other things, 2020 has added this one too to my list!