Summer is just around the corner and vendors have begun stocking up on the season’s freshest produce such as gooseberries, baby mangoes and green pepper. This is also the time when dozens of pickle jars come down from the attic to be washed and dried.

 

For many, the smell of freshly ground masala powders wafting through the air brings back a fond sense of grandmother’s home, where she tirelessly prepared fresh pickles. But with everyone living life on the run, who has the time to eat a wholesome meal let alone make oorgai or podi? To solve this problem, some Chennaiites have taken to making traditional South Indian pickles and powders — these are sold through online portals or are door-delivered to hungry customers.

“The main aim of setting up our venture was to provide people authentic pickles, masalas and coffee powder that are free of artificial flavours,” says Vishnu Charan, one of the founders of Pickles and Powders. Along with his three colleagues, he handles the marketing and technology, while their mothers whip up the delicacies. “All the ingredients required are hand-picked by our moms, ground and processed in a production unit in Velachery. As for the coffee beans, they come from Yercaud,” he adds.

There’s a vast difference in taste when a pickle or masala is made from fresh ingredients as opposed to artificial flavours, additives and preservatives. “My husband used to nag me about how all the ready-to-eat condiments I bought tasted like chemicals. Since the need for authentic, tasty and pure pickles arose, I decided to start making them at home,” explains Laksmi Prasanna, whose nine-year-old brand Vaikuntam Organic Foods is popular within India and abroad.

 

She specialises in Andhra-style pickles such as avakai (mango), gongura (sorrel greens), pandu mirapakai (ripe green chillies) and chintakaya (tamarind). She shares, “All my recipes are a family heirloom and to maintain authenticity, I source ingredients from Vijayawada and Guntur.” Her list of masalas and powders include charu (rasam), kobbari karam (coconut curry masala); she supplies fresh ghee too.

While Vishnu and Lakshmi have got Andhra and Tamil style recipes covered, Abraham Varghese Aby brings to the city heritage pickles from Kerala under the name Ammini’s. This self-taught culinary expert, ably guided by his mother, is so secretive about the recipes that no one except one cook is allowed into the kitchen! He indulges us in one tip though, “Our condiments are extra tasty because we package and sell them only a month after they’re made. This is to ensure they are well-marinated.”

 

Two innovative aspects he has introduced are corporate packaging and smoked pickles. “For office goers, we provide two teaspoons-worth of six different pickles sealed in leak-proof containers. People can keep them at work and consume one type of pickle each day — in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian variants,” he says. As for the smoked pickles, he has installed a firewood stove to bring about a new flavour profile.

One might assume that pickles are a big no-no for the summer but Abraham has to say otherwise. “We make all the products in gingelly oil, which acts as a coolant for the body. Most importantly, one should consume it only as a side dish in small quantities, not mix it with rice like it’s a thokku,” he says. They are also less on spice, vinegar and salt and have a shelf life of about a year. All this talk of pickles and podis is sure making us await the summer. It’s time to get that plate of curd rice ready!