Locally known as “kalakkai” this is a berry with a taste that ranges from sour to mildly sweet depending on its state of ripeness. This is the time, between summer and monsoon when the berries are available for sale in the local bazaar. School-children here, when returning from school, usually buy these berries and the jamun fruit (naaval-pazham) and eat it as they return home. During my school days in the town nearby, there was an elderly lady who used to sit outside our school compound. She used to sell the berries, jamuns, and guavas. Kids used to run up to her calling her paati, paati, thrusting change into her hands and getting a paper cone of berries in return.

In today’s blog post, we will see a quick recipe to make a tasty and spicy pickle from these berries. First step is to clean, wash, and thoroughly dry the berries. I have roughly about 350 grams of green and deep pink berries.

Let the berries dry. We shall now prepare the masala / spice-mix that will add flavour to the berries.

10 red chilies, one heaped tablespoon of black and yellow mustard seeds, one spoon of black sesame seeds, two spoons of kadalai paruppu, one teaspoon of mustard seeds, ten whole peppercorns, half a spoon of turmeric powder, a spoon of fenugreek seeds, and a spoon of salt. Dry roast these ingredients and once the mixture cools, pulse it into a granularly-textured powder. See image below.

Now in a kadai / deep-bottomed pan, add sesame oil generously about 100 to 125 ml. The more oil, the more the berries get cooked, the longer the pickle stays good. (Remember always use a dry spoon to take pickles out from a jar and keep the lid closed tightly after usage.)

Add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds to the heated oil and stir gently, the seeds will start crackling, reduce the flame, gently add the dried berries, take care that oil does not splatter, and that the berries do not explode suddenly. Once all the berries are transferred to the kadai, cook by stirring gently, do not hurry or rush, pickle-making is all about love and gentle moves. Handle the ingredients with love and care, hum a song if you are musically inclined, and watch magic unfold. Once the berries are half cooked, a gentle aroma of the berries will waft in the kitchen. This is the signal for you to add the powdered spice mix to the berries. Add as per the spiciness that you crave to the pickle. Cook the berries along with the spice-mix and keep stirring so that the berries are completely coated with the spice-mix and the oil seeps into all the berries.

Note – A sweet variation of the pickle can also be made by using jaggery and deseeded dates.

Let the mixture cool down. Transfer to a clean jar and seal tightly. Note you can layer the bottom of the jar with rock-salt and a bit of vinegar if you intend to preserve the pickle for a long time.

Do try out the recipe and share your thoughts.

Happy cooking and happy eating.