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| Fayyaz Tahseen Ghazal |
Dear Preeti ,
Thank you ever so much for spoiling me with you crazily delicious Pickles , the series of events that followed were - i won the heart of my Mother inlaw who is the queen of the Kitchen , my pop inlaw freaked on the pickles and btw he is forbidden but yet ate them loved them all , my son who doesn't come close to pickles cherished them , my sister in law who's bedroom is next to the kitchen had her ghost stealing pickle at night , my wife who has a very sensitive stomach got emotional about the mango chutney , my man friday looked for ward to his share after every meal , and me . don't ask .. it took me almost 4 weeks to taste each of the achaars ,to relish them ,click and share all of the amazing pickles .
Your achaars .. perfectly chosen veggies , perfectly cut , excellent masalas , just the right amount of mustard oil to pakao them , the meat achaars rustic , mind blowing flavors , keeping the meat flavors intact .. you have done an amazing job and all of them smelt passion to the end .
And Preeti , Im sorry for hassling you so much for the data on your achaars , the how , when , why etc etc .. but thats me a mad man on achaars and a crazier blogger who digs deep and deeper into the person and the product to be convinced before publishing the blog to public .
You remember the when i commented on your post of FB in some food group , we went into a debate on the achaar , you got pissed with me heheheheheheh but i didn give up , then i read a dear friends compliments on your achaars , made up my mind to try them for sure .. and then our discussion went from public discussion to chat box hehehehe , we became friends or in short mutual Pickle Lovers as one foodie would call us .
What came after this was not expected at all .. 7 pickles to be delivered to my place .. i tried to explain to you that i have to seek for permission from wife as i have high Bp not that i care hehehehehe, but u insisted and how could i say no to a great offer like this ... Home made pickles by Preeti Chadha the Achaar Queen from Noida .
Achaars By PC
So the next day i am sitting in office in my basement , a driver comes with two red thailis, filled with so much achaar i was like "boss ab to lag gayee " one big lecture from biwi pakka and was wondering where to hide them , in the office or where . Then i thot i should keep them in the office fridge safe and away from the tabar, take out one achaar every second day like this i wil not get caught .. magar yeh ho na saka .. hehehehehe so i promised my wife that only one tea spoon for trials and thats it .. she bought it .
You sent me - Garlic , Bamboo shoot , Keema , Chicken , Dheu , Mutton, Karela , Mango , Nimboo i think im missing one .. hmmmm . nah these many only .
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| And its Raining Achaars |
Oorugaai
thokku or aavakai
Pachadi uppinakaayi uppad uppillittuthu lonache
adgai and athāṇũ Some common Names of Pickles in India in different regions.
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| The Traditional Martbaan |
I asked you in one of mails - do you use martbaans for storing your acchars and you said "All the veg pickles
go in martbans. Since time immemorial, martbans have been best to store pickles.
They absorb heat slowly and cool down slowly maintaining an ideal temp/
environment for the pickling process." I am sure people would love to know this fact .. and trust me there is no better way to season and mature the pickles ".
Preeti , you have really made me do research , dig google , use wiki bhaiya extensively , al thanks to your passionate achaars .. the question i kept digging for were ...
How
pickles or achaars became a part of the dining table ?
Who was the first to
make it is still not clear .. how achaars became every homes specialty is being
studied .
My own conclusion was "The Baniya / Marwari community or in short the Traders of
India discovered the art of putting pickles .Being travelers they never knew
when they would get the next meal , hence the wives made paranthas and packed
some homemade aam or mirchi ka achar for
them for the journey , this was accompanied by a ladoo for instant energy."
We have Marwari friends who send us jars of mango pickle during savan ka mahina and this has been going on since years together . Its there way of community building .It was there way of sharing their wealth and I believe in olden times it was a gesture of showing how wealthy the family was .
These were your response to my questions :
Pickles are an essential part of any Indian meal. Its an art
and science of preserving food/ fruits/ vegetables for a longer duration.
We Indians ,almost all of us have grown up with jars full of
pickles made by our grannys and moms.
Wherever we travel in the world, be assured, you would
find a jar or 2 of mango/mirchi pickle in the luggage.
A good pickle is an enhancement to a meal as it’s a perfect
accompaniment. A simple dal-chawal and pickle on the side can make the best of
dishes loose their sheen ! That is the power of pickles.
Although, we have a habit of associating pickles with
pregnant women, it is as much of a temptation for young and old,men or women.
From what I have read, the art of pickling started over 4000
years ago and possibly, although I can,t be sure, cucumbers are said to be one
of the first pickled food. Pickles were used to preserve food for sailors
,travelling long distance, for soldiers/warriors as food
and as provision during months when there was no food.
Pickles find a mention in our Vedas and the key ingredients
used in most of the pickles have medicinal properties.. in susruta and charaka
samhita, the uses have been mentioned.
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| Karela Pickle |
You insisted that you will send me Mutton, Keema , Chicken , Bamboo shoot etc and karela also and i wanted to tel you that na baba na not karela but u did n listen . and trust me that turned out to be the best for my pop in law . every day for dinner he would quietly look around to check if his wife was not looking hearing he would tel me to smuggle some karela ka pickle .. so sweet and i did , beautifully cooked matured pickle , no bitterness at all , it was crisp inspite of being soaked in the masalas and oil .. too good.
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| Bamboo Shoot Pickle |
The East of India shall be proud of you Preeti , Fantastic is the word for this Pickle .. spicy , tangy wholesome well matured and goes perfect with steamed rice . Perfectly cut bamboo shoot , it was well matured hence easy to eat and enjoy.
Preeti , I was reluctant to ask you about who you were etc on chat , you know how people take it in the worng way and then you get labelled as a dirty old man .. so i sent you the same by mail and really appreciate your reply .
Preeti Has an extensive film making experience on
development issues. Preeti started her journalistic career with Mr. Vinod Dua
.She worked for Reuters as a producer and directed a show for Star Plus - Meri
Saheli and Mirch Masala while working with Sanjay Virmani.
Preeti is born in Dehradun, did her schooling at Convent of
Jesus and Mary ,Doon and graduation from GCG , Chandigarh.
Is married and has a 2 .10 year old girl.
Preeti used to make pickles -non veg- for her family and
friends. They pushed her into making the pickles available to the outside
world. The first time she sold her speciality mutton pickle- she was flooded by
praises and reccos on fb and twitter. Orders started flowing in. There has been
no looking back. She makes pickles to order. People carry the pickles to
London, Dubai, Singapore and beyond and place their orders well in advance so
that they can carry the pickles.
Preeti sells by the brand name-Pickles by Preeti Chadha.
She does mutton,chicken, pork,prawn and fish in non veg
In veg, one can choose from garlic, bamboo shoot, lime,
mango, bitter gourd, jackfruit, mirchi including king chilli, raw turmeric,
lotus stem, karonde.
Preeti Chadha , an Independent Filmmaker and Communications
Consultant, based out of New Delhi/Noida in India works under the banner- Nine
Media since 2003.
With specialization in Documentation (print, Video, Audio, Photo)
and content creation by documenting
memorable images and situations, in a variety of contexts with expertise
indevelopment issues and socially-relevant
stories, Preeti Chadha and Nine Media excel in short films and long
format documentaries specialising in development issues and human-interest
stories.
That was long enuf for me to understand who the lady behind these amazing Pickles was .. and i was relived that no misunderstanding happened LOL
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| Keema Pickle |
The Keema Pickle went beautiful with a sadhi paranthee and maybe also with steam rice .. nicely hand pounded well cooked keema ... not like a sabzi and yet could be eaten like a sabzi .. the hari mirchi did wonder to the achaar and added the zing to it .
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| Garlic Pickle |
Every families favorite .. the Garlic pickle .. made by a number of people in numerous different ways .. seems easy to make but is definitely one of the most tedious veggies to make pickles with . peeling garlic itself is a pain and a art .. the masalas merged excellently with the garlic pearls , the mustard added to the tinge of the pickle .. well made and highly recommend .
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| Nimboo Achar |
Preeti to be honest , i wil wait for the nimboo ka achaar to mature more and then relish it even more . at prsent it is a bit like a chutney , i want the real medicinal nimboo ka kala achaar . you know what i mean . I hope this achaar wil mature into the balck one , and i hope it doesnt get spoilt til then.
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| Mango Chutney |
Loved the Mango Chutney , even if the shelf life is not much . My wife as a ritual has this every morning on her multi grain toast .. the only pickle which has suited her stomach and now preeti she is asking for more hehehehehehe.. lovely tangy flavor of the mango , every well cooked .
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| Mutton Pickle |
Preeti , i think this is your prize item , as in all your mails you have been showing offing about it hehehehehehe . Preeti like you i was also in Chandigarh and we used to drive upto this place a bit beyond Kalka called Dahli . for beer and achaar .. and that too only mutton pickle in those days i used to think that it was the best until i tried your pickle .. it was just delicious well cooked mutton , not hard at all .. and now i know why you were so proud of it .. btw the family finished it in one go and is demanding more .. greedy family .
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| Dheu Pickle |
If otherwise someone had told me to eat this fruit / veggie i would said pagal hai kya .. it looked like a kathal and imagine having it kacha , no way .. so when preeti you sent this pickle to me i was like being brave to venture eating it .. proudly questioned the family , does anyone know what dheu is ? they all went hain neva heard of it .. so i said Lakoocha and then mom in law figured it out . since its a very pahdadi fruit very few people know about it .. but the pickle was really nice .. i just had a small bit to gather the flavor , have put it int he sun to pako even more . Nice tangy khata it was .
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| Chicken Pickle |
Thanks for the pictures of the Chicken pickle being made , preeti i realise that the audience loves to see how things are made in collage form hence i was pestering you for the pictures which you eventually sent . The process of pickling is a fact not known to many .. the patience the measurement of masalas , the right sunlight, the passion behind the Pickle needs to be shared with everyone for them to Love the Achaars like we both do . hehehehe The chicken Achhar , the kukad ka achaar was nicely cooked well matured , perfect blending masalas .Loved it .
Preeti in one of my mails i asked you what was the basic concept of putting achaars or making pickles and you replied beautifully to the point
Pickles-making is an art as well as a science. It is
extremely simple, yet a little change in your ratios of ingredients or
methodology can alter the outcome.
People might have a
reputation of a grandmother’s job. Unappealing, non-glamorous. I can bet my
pickles, its coming of age!
Pickle making methods, taste and ingredients vary from
region to region. The same
veggies/fruits can be pickled in different ways depending on the region. The ingredients used will vary depending on
the climatic condition, availability. The oil base used could be different
A good pickle needs to be sour, salty, spicy. You need to
perfectly balance the spices and salt/sugar in order to get a perfect pickle.
Each kind of pickle need to have the right pungency, right
curing.
Salt/sugar and Oil
are the best preservatives.
When vegetables or fruits are dried in the sun/cured with
salt, then salt tolerant bacteria present on the surface digest the sucrose in
the veggie/fruit and produces acetic
acid and lactic acid. This acid is a natural preservative and prevents the
growth of the pathogenic bacteria that could spoil the pickle. Sunlight provide
the warmth required by bacteria to provide fermentation.
Even the slightest amount of moisture can spoil a pickle.
Pickles should have a PH factor of 4.6, that is medium to
high acidity required to kill most kinds of bacteria. Naturally acidic foods
like mango, lime do not require a souring agent like vinegar etc. However,
meats and fish, and certain other alkaline veggies require a certain level of
acidity which could be provided by vinegar, lime juice or amchoor.
I found your reply very educative .. so let me tel you how we put pickles in our home , Tigers Home .....
Pickle making was an annual ritual in our house .. it meant
– perfect weather , perfect timing , seasonal veggies , full sunshine , no
moisture or rain in sight . The Gobhi Shalgam ka achar . Mom used to personally
go to the mandi and pick up fresh Gobhi , Shalagam , Gajar . She also went
sourcing her secret masalas all alone irrespective of the heat etc . Every step
of making the achaar was timed , after boiling the veggies they had to be out
in the open for two to three days . on the say of the achar making ceremony ,
none from the house are allowed into the kitchen come what may , even if u had
to stay hungry for a meal . Girls with their period were not allowed to come
close , each martbaan was washed dried and kept ready . And in the background
the entire tabar , all the relatives would send their empties for the achaar .
We used to have major fight son the dinning table onthis distribution activity
.. we used to hound the kitchen to check how much was being distributed
heheheheheheh . Today I miss the achar as much as I miss my mom .
And then you tried to show off also and wrote to me "I
source my ingredients from smaller grocers whom I can trust for my ingredients
. I need to specify my requirements. I source the best kind of meat with
desirable cuts for my meat pickles. My spices are from all over India,
North-east, to Andhra to Rajasthan. Pepper from down south. Anyone visiting
someplace has to carry my spices back for me " its ok Preeti we admit you are the queen of achaars no need to get upty about it hehehehe.
Now for all you hungry anxious souls : one can place their orders either by calling @ 9811308565 : Email : preetigc@ gmail.com OR On the Facebook page : Pickles By PC
Tigers Confession " My Yardstick in Pickles like everyone else was my Mom's Pickles - who is no longer with me , she was an amazing lady who used to give us more pickle to eat when we had soar throats .. hehehehehe yes actually , whenever on us complained of a bad throat she used to give us her famous gobhi Shalgam ka achaar to eat and trust me we were perfect the next day - I miss you MOM".
Love and Luck
Tiger
https://www.facebook.com/tigersexp
@tigersexp
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