Weekend project
Indian chutneys & pickles
An Indian meal isn’t complete without a pickle or chutney on the side, and there’s no substitute for the homemade stuff, says expert Romy Gill. Spices at the ready...
PHOTOGRAPHS: NASSIMA ROTHACKER FOOD STYLING: SOPHIE PRYN STYLING: MAX ROBINSON
I used to watch my grandmas making pickles, ensuring the seasonal vegetables were never wasted. “It’s relaxing,” they would say, and it gave them a sense of social gathering.
My parents were a great team, too, while making mango pickle. Mum washed the mangoes and diced them into chunks, while Dad would place them on the muslin cloth in the sun to dry. Next Dad would carefully toast the spices, blend them, then add them to the mangoes in a large clean bowl before cooking the mixture and adding it to a huge, sterilised jar.
It’s good for the soul to spend time making condiments so you can enjoy them later. Sometimes we tend to focus on the main dishes, but pickles and chutneys add something extra special to the food.