Include a delicious dose of health in your daily meals. This pickle harnesses the massive power of garlic in tiny, delicious and intensely addictive bites.

 Who hasn’t heard about the multifarious benefits of garlic? From curing colds to increasing longevity, garlic and the compounds present in it have been credited with myriad health benefits by civilizations through the ages. Maybe that is why this aromatic is revered and included in almost every cuisine around the world.

 And of course, Ammiji is all for the wisdom passed down through generations! While ginger is her favourite remedy for anything that ails you, garlic is her steady way of ensuring that nothing ever ails you. And her garlic pickle is our way of ensuring that you get a regular dose of good health!

 Ammiji’s Garlic Pickle has fat cloves of desi garlic, pickled with mild spices. It’s not very spicy – Ammiji believed in letting the flavour and umami of garlic shine through in this pickle. It will go well with almost anything – from theplas to paranthas, and from dal-chawal to sabzi-roti. Just make sure that you eat it every single day, as Ammiji intended!

 Ingredients: Garlic, Salt, Red Chilli, Fenugreek seeds, Mustard seeds, Fennel seeds, Nigella seeds, Vinegar, Mustard Oil.

 Weight: 175 gm

 Price: Rs 400 300 (inclusive of taxes)

 Good for: 8 months

Refrigerate after opening. (This pickle contains no preservatives.)

Always use a clean, dry spoon while scooping out Ammiji’s delicious pickles!

The king of all pickles, they say. We agree. Or at least, the non-vegetarian in us agrees! Boneless chicken chunks and mince, pickled with the choicest spices.

A couple of us - Ammiji’s grandchildren - were in boarding school. When we returned home in the long winter break, it was as skinny, malnutritioned shadows of our robust Punjabi selves. Ammiji did her best to fatten us up during the vacations – paranthas laden with butter, lassi, halwas and thick, nutritious gravies were a daily treat. And then when it was time to go back to the boarding school, she sent us off with love, admonishments, instructions and a humungous jar of her classic chicken pickle. “If you don’t like what they serve in the dining room, just eat this pickle with roti or rice,” she’d tell us. We never told her that her huge jar of pickle was wiped clean in under a week – our friends loved it as much as we did! (Some people befriended us just to lay hands on that pickle, but that’s another story…)

So, of course, we just had to do Ammiji’s Punjabi Chicken Pickle! When we asked Ammiji to give us her recipe, she feigned amnesia. And then she was affronted when we called her out on it. “I’ve NEVER shared this recipe with anyone; I didn’t even tell my sisters when they asked for it. And now you want me to tell you all my secrets?” But then we reminded her of the joy she’d be bringing to so many people, and she relented with a sniff and a gruff “Theek hai pher!”

Ammiji’s secret was in making the pickle like you would a curry. The oil was turned into a thick gravy with the addition of ground spices and chicken mince. And we’ve followed the same process. There are boneless bite-sized chicken pieces, chicken mince and spices, all preserved in cold-pressed mustard oil. Balancing the flavours in this pickle took us a few months, but it was worth the wait! (And truth to tell, we loved sampling all the various samples during these months :D)

This pickle acts as a side to your meals or you can take a leaf out of our book – turn it into the main meal itself! It’s also perfect road trip material. Cold, thin paranthas with Ammiji’s Punjabi Chicken Pickle….mmm, heaven!

If you’re a non-vegetarian, then this pickle is what you need in your life to make it complete. That might sound dramatic, but trust us, we speak from years of eating this pickle! ;)

Please note: There are no preservatives in this pickle.

Ingredients: Boneless chicken, Salt, Turmeric, Green Chilli, Red Chilli, Black Pepper, Cinnamom, Clove, Mustard seeds, Nigella seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Fennel, Aniseed, Pipli, Corainder, Cumin, Dried mango powder, Cold-pressed Mustard oil.

Weight: 275 gms

Price: Rs 800 700

Good for: 3 months

Refrigerate after opening.

Ammiji likes her mirchi. She thinks bland food is the worst there is. She’s been known to spice up her plain raita with a spoonful of red chilli powder or add extra black pepper to her dal. For those who think she’s on the right track, here’s presenting a condiment that got the quickest nod of approval from her that we’ve ever got! 😉

Ammiji’s Bullet Mirchi is not a mere condiment – it’s a cross between a thecha, a dry powdered chutney or the sediment of a chilli oil. Red chillies are sun-dried at home and then stone-pounded with sun-dried garlic and peanuts with the aid of a little oil. There’s much deliciousness there. Also, much much fire. A quarter teaspoon is enough to have your socks rocking!

The first time we experimented with this recipe, we were literally blown away with the magic it added to our meals. Hence, the name. This is truly that blast you need to take your meals from the mundane to the oh-my-god-i-can’t-stop-eating level.

Works beautifully as a topping for snacks like vada pao, momos, grilled chicken, etc. Can also be added to marinades. Or we’ll tell you a secret – wrap it up in a parantha with a sabzi of your choice and watch the fire unfold!

Ingredients: Red Chilli, Garlic, Peanuts, Salt, Rock Salt, Curry Leaves, Mustard Oil.

Weight: 85 gms

A classic mango pickle, made in Ammiji’s inimitable style. Sun-dried raw mango, spices and very, very little oil…

Ask Ammiji what her favorite mango pickle is, and she’ll sniff and say, “Sukka waala.” And her favorite just had to be done.

Ammiji’s Dried Mango Pickle is made with raw Ramkela mangoes, which are cut up into bite-sized pieces and then spread out to dry under the sun on our terrace. They’re then pickled with the choicest spices and minimal cold-pressed mustard oil. The resulting pickle has the typical tang of raw mangoes, intensified many times over. The spices only serve to complement the inherent concentrated taste of them.

What you have here is a pickle that you’ll love spending your time over, slowly slathering the masala over a parantha and then picking up a chunk to take small nibbles out of it…and then when there’s no mango flesh left, sucking the juices from the left-over piece of mango pit. We don’t mean to make that sound kinda dirty…that’s just the way this pickle is! ;)

Get your hands on this super-tempting pickle, made with Ammiji’s traditional recipe, with handpicked ingredients. Thank us later.

Ingredients: Raw mango, Salt, Mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Asafoetida, Red Chilli, Mustard Oil.

Refrigerate for longer shelf life.

Weight: 190 gms

Good For: 9 months

The rains hit India, and the entire country goes into a frenzy of deep frying. Because there’s nothing better than to be munching on piping hot pakodas while it’s pouring outside. Unless, the pakodas are accompanied by our brand new Aam Kasundi – that combination is infinitely better than anything else can ever be!

The goodness and sharpness of fermented mustard seeds are combined with the typical flavors of raw mango, green chilli and ginger to make a mustard sauce that’s a Bengali staple. Spread it on your sandwiches, dip your fried snacks in it or put it into your burgers – it’s a dip/spread that is as delicious as it is versatile.

Mustard comes with a host of benefits from promoting heart health to strengthening bones and aiding digestion. And when it is fermented, the goodness just doubles.

Ditch your bottled tomato ketchup in favour of a dip that’s not only nutritious, traditional and delicious, but is also homemade and preservative-free.

Ingredients: Raw mango, Black mustard, Yellow mustard, Ginger, Green Chilli, Coriander, Cumin, Turmeric, Salt

Weight: 185 gms

This is one classic that translates to a guilt-free indulgence. This no-oil pickle goes well with any meal and is the best way to make the most of the mango season.

Ammiji’s pickling prowess extended from the regular to the unusual. But the one ingredient that she absolutely loved playing around with was the popular summer favourite – mango. Chutneys, juices, puddings, desserts, curries and of course, pickles – everything was blessed with the goodness of sweet or sour mangoes as soon as the season started.

We, as children, used to love the mango goodies emanating out from her kitchen – all except one. For our unsophisticated senses and palate, the smell of strong hing was abhorrent, so we never got to taste her Heeng-Aam Achaar. But now, with more experience and refined palates, we asked her for the recipe of the classic which the family used to rave about. And boy, were we in for a pleasant surprise!

This pickle – if you like heeng – can be eaten by the bowlful. We kid you not. Who knew that the umami of asafoetida or hing would complement the sourness of mangoes so brilliantly! Oh, and the bowlful that we’re advising you to eat – you can do so guilt-free. This pickle contains no oil. It’s preserved in a perfectly balanced mixture of salt and spices. And of course, hing. The pickle contains only mango pulp. No seed or seed-skin to struggle with!

Ingredients: Raw Mango, Asafoetida, Salt, Rock Salt, Red Chilli, Turmeric

Weight: 150 gms

Good for: 3 months

Refrigerate for longer shelf life.

Let’s admit it – there are very few people who claim to absolutely LOVE karela or bitter gourd. Most of us, though, wrinkle up our noses at the mention of this humble vegetable. It’s bitter and pungent – but immensely beneficial and nutritious. It’s proven to counter high blood sugar and may have cancer fighting properties too. It contains several vitamins and micro nutrients that boost overall health.

Ammiji had a novel way of making her grand children eat the magically medicinal karela – she pickled it till the natural bitterness of the vegetable was overwhelmed with tanginess and deliciousness. The karela pickle was had with everything – but our favorite way was to mix it into dal chawal!

Karela are usually fried to reduce the sharp bitterness, but these are sun-dried and then pickled. It’s the perfect way to get in a good dose of health daily!

Refrigerate after opening for longer shelf life.

Good for: 3 months

Ingredients: Bitter gourd, Salt, Black Salt, Turmeric, Fennel, Fenugreek, Red Chilli, Lemon juice, Mustard Oil.

Weight: 120 gms