Pickle that green Peppercorn

It has been almost 5 years since I laid sight on the green Peppercorns, which used to be available plenty in Chennai.  I guess the city has become so metro, that the age old favourites are going away or fading away. 
The joints, jaunts, haunts, and now even the foods are getting the ‘small-world’ treatment. 

• A couple of decades back, the afternoon snack used to be the bondas, bajjis or masal-vadai; now it is all samosas, cutlets and spring rolls.
• An evening munchies when we feel a little perky used to be pakodas;  now it is pani-puris.
• The all time ‘time-pass’ used to be peanuts either plain or masala fried or dried peas - pattani; now it is bhel-puri and potato wafers.
• The pre-dinner appetizer used to be the sundal-gravy-masal vadai; now it is sweet corn soup.

So over the years as I could not spot them anywhere, I assumed that green Peppercorn pickles, Mahani pickles and the like have ripened away from memory.

Today morning it was a bit of a surprise to spot the green Peppercorn in the market.  Though a little bit on the expensive side - 250 gm. costs me Rs. 40/- - I immediately bought them home.



So how to pickle them?

• Wash them in water and allow them to dry - if you have the patience, you can even pat them dry. :-)
• Boil a little water with white vinegar and a pinch of asafoetida, and turmeric power in a large frying pan or kadai. 
• Sputter some mustard seeds in a little bit of oil.  Switch off the flame.
• Mix them up together and allow the whole thing to cool off a little.  Squeeze a couple of lemons on to it.
• Add the dry green peppercorns to the fry pan.  Sprinkle about a 100 gm. of salt on them.  Stir, mix them till the concoction is spread like a film or coating over the green peppercorns.
• Store for about a week in a pickle jar.  Stir or shake the green peppercorns every 2nd day - if not every day.
• On eighth day enjoy them with curd rice.

;-)

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