By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com
Indian Pickle
Forget what you think about pickles, especially when it comes to “Indian Pickle.” I visit Star of India, in the evening for dinner (not the buffet,) and have been doing so for the past 20 years. Almost every time I ask for the food to be spicy. Every time I ask, I receive food that may be spicy for my son, but is not close to being spicy enough for me. A year ago this changed.
One night, my Chicken Tikka Masala arrives and is dark red. Usually it is pink and the redness typically means one thing, it’s hot from the chili spices. Sure enough, its spicy and tastes wonderful. I am not crying from the spice but it gives me the sniffles.
As it turns out, I was given the wrong order. The table next to me, full of natives from India, had ordered the same thing. The server accidentally gave me the “Indian spice” food. When I told Sammy (the manager,) he offered to replace my food. No! I did not want it replaced but wanted to know how to ask for it in the future, and even spicier next time. After half an hour of discussion, Sammy was convinced I like spicy food and promised to make it hot in the future. He told me to ask for it using a scale of 1-10. The next time I at there, I ordered a 20.
After several weeks of wonderfully spicy dishes, Sammy tells me he has a special surprise for me. He promises I will love it. With my dinner he brings a small side dish of very dark, chopped vegetables. They are covered in spice and oil and are pungent. It reminds me of kimchi but with Indian spices. Sammy explains to tear off a piece of naan (flatbread,) put some of my Chicken Tikka Masala on it, and then add some of the “pickle”.
Wow! The flavor is amazing. The naan smooths everything out while the chicken adds the needed texture and spice, offset by the tanginess of the pickled vegetables (which as spicy as well.) Everything in the bite works perfectly together and I have found my new favorite food. Frankly, I do not know how I enjoyed Indian food until this point. It is a game changer for me and something I will use always going forward.
Sammy explains they make the pickle by chopping and covering vegetables in mustard oil, mixed in with many spices, and left to ferment for several weeks (and months.) The result is a very intense chutney of sorts which enhances any savory Indian dish. I’ve even tried it on frozen Indian meals (from Kroger) and it makes them edible. They aren’t the greatest, but for lunch at work they are not too bad.
You can buy the pickle from Indian grocery stores. Just be sure you get the actual pickle spice and not American style pickles. I had to ask the lady at the Indian grocery store three times before she took me to the isle with Indian Pickle (she kept pointing me to the American style pickles!) The funny part is they had about 200 jars of Indian Pickle. I guess most Americans in my area do not ask for Indian Pickle!
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