Sunday, June 29, 2008

ANDHRA PICKLES

Spice up your life with Andhra pickles!

Do you love your spices? Do you like your food with a tang?
Then you will enjoy this feature on Andhra pickles!

For an average Indian family no meal is complete without achar (pickle). To really relish Indian cuisine you have to put your taste buds to the test and enjoy a little bit of the chutney and mango pickle. So are you ready for it?

Get ready for a spicy rollercoaster, as the cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is known for its tangy and spicy flavors. The Andhras have an abundance of pickles and chutney called Pachchadi (Telugu). Pickling fruits and vegetables is an old Indian custom used for food preservation. No vegetable is spared while making pickles, and practically every vegetable can be converted into a pickle in this spice-loving state.

Without their pickles and chutneys, Andhra food would be incomplete. It is a part of the diet in this state, where ‘spice’ is the only way to go. Even your lazy shrimp can be converted into a pickle that is spicy and delicious and makes your mouth water at its very sight. Another famous concoction is the garlic-ginger chutney which will have you licking your fingers for that lovely lingering taste.

The most popular pickle of Andhra is called avakkaya – a mango pickle. It’s made by pickling raw mango in gingely oil with some mustard powder, red chilly powder and salt. This is the pride of many a household and bottles of each home’s unique version of this pickle are sent away with any guest.

Another famous spicy pickle-like concoction is the Gongura chutney. This is made from the Gongura leaf and one cannot even begin to describe the exotic taste of this chutney – you really have to taste it to believe it. Another unusual Andhra pickle is the chintakaya uragayu made with tamarind. Tangy and spicy, it really gets the taste buds tingling!

The Andhra tomato pickle is so dangerously delicious that it can be eaten with just plain rice and it will waken all your sleeping taste buds. The brinjal pickle, the nellikai or gooseberry pickle, and the dried mango magaayi arealso popular.

The people of Andhra Pradesh eat traditionally on banana leaves, sitting in a circle on mats or small wooden seats. Water is sprinkled on the banana leaf signifying that food can now be eaten. Meal time is usually a family affair with all the relatives sitting together and enjoying the food. And of course, no leaf is ready for eating from until a scoop of spicy pickle finds its way there!

Have you tried Andhra pickles? Which is your favorite kind? Do you enjoy the off-the-shelf stuff or does only the homemade stuff cut it for you?
Do you love your spices? Do you like your food with a tang? Then you will enjoy this feature on Andhra pickles!

For an average Indian family no meal is complete without achar (pickle). To really relish Indian cuisine you have to put your taste buds to the test and enjoy a little bit of the chutney and mango pickle. So are you ready for it?

Get ready for a spicy rollercoaster, as the cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is known for its tangy and spicy flavors. The Andhras have an abundance of pickles and chutney called Pachchadi (Telugu). Pickling fruits and vegetables is an old Indian custom used for food preservation. No vegetable is spared while making pickles, and practically every vegetable can be converted into a pickle in this spice-loving state.

Without their pickles and chutneys, Andhra food would be incomplete. It is a part of the diet in this state, where ‘spice’ is the only way to go. Even your lazy shrimp can be converted into a pickle that is spicy and delicious and makes your mouth water at its very sight. Another famous concoction is the garlic-ginger chutney which will have you licking your fingers for that lovely lingering taste.

The most popular pickle of Andhra is called avakkaya – a mango pickle. It’s made by pickling raw mango in gingely oil with some mustard powder, red chilly powder and salt. This is the pride of many a household and bottles of each home’s unique version of this pickle are sent away with any guest.

Another famous spicy pickle-like concoction is the Gongura chutney. This is made from the Gongura leaf and one cannot even begin to describe the exotic taste of this chutney – you really have to taste it to believe it. Another unusual Andhra pickle is the chintakaya uragayu made with tamarind. Tangy and spicy, it really gets the taste buds tingling!

The Andhra tomato pickle is so dangerously delicious that it can be eaten with just plain rice and it will waken all your sleeping taste buds. The brinjal pickle, the nellikai or gooseberry pickle, and the dried mango magaayi arealso popular.

The people of Andhra Pradesh eat traditionally on banana leaves, sitting in a circle on mats or small wooden seats. Water is sprinkled on the banana leaf signifying that food can now be eaten. Meal time is usually a family affair with all the relatives sitting together and enjoying the food. And of course, no leaf is ready for eating from until a scoop of spicy pickle finds its way there!

Have you tried Andhra pickles? Which is your favorite kind? Do you enjoy the off-the-shelf stuff or does only the homemade stuff cut it for you?


Avakaya Pachadi (Avakaya Pickle)


Spicy Avakaya Pickle

This is a traditional pickle from Andhra that is famous the world over. After the right mangoes are bought or picked at the onset of summer, these magoes are washed and dried, chopped into pieces along with the hard shell in the middle (called 'tenka' or 'vaata'). The chilli powder (yerra khaaram), mustard seed powder (avapindi), turmeric powder (pasupu), salt and methi seeds are mixed together evenly. Then a large quantity of gingely oil (nuvvula noone) is poured into theis mixture. The cut mango pieces are added and mixed well. This mixture is them stored in a jaadi for a few days until it is ready for consumption. The storing process ensures that the mango pieces absorb all the pickle mixture and become temder enough to be eaten.
This goes best with hot rice and ghee as shown in the Avakaya mudda below, or with rice and curds (plain homemade yogurt).
Chintakaya Thokkudu Pachadi

This pickle always came from my grandmother's native village to our house parceled in a big jaadi. I guess the reasoning behind that was, chintakaya trees (or tamarind trees) grew in abundance over there. The tamarind is always picked fresh and is in its raw form for this pickle. Unfortunately, i have no idea how this is made. I am going to have to make a few phone calls to find out this guarded family recipe. I promise to update this post soon after :-)
Best served with rice and Ghee. Carbohydrate overdose u guys! Beware!