Pickled treats

From non-vegetarian pickles to bacon jams, MANASI Y MASTAKAR has found a new addiction

Speak about Indian food and it conjures images of huge thalis boasting of ghee-laden sabzis, parathas /chapatis, fried papads, and pickles. For several Indian households, lunch or dinner isn’t complete without eating a spoonful of lip-smacking pickles. Be it aam ka acchar, nimbu ka achar, karele ka achar, etc., everyone will have a favourite pick.

But these are vegetarian pickles, now how about some treats for meat lovers? What’s the connection between pickles and meat, you ask? Well, because apart from the usual picks, nonvegetarian pickle lovers can now satiate their craving for meat with chicken, prawn and fish pickles. Yes, you have read it right. Somey’s Kitchen has introduced a range of non-veg pickles in the Indian market, along with gluten-free ready-to-cook chapatis and puris. Somey’s was founded in the UK in 2015 by Sandy Jerome Samuel along with her husband, Joel Jerome. And in 2017, Sandy and Joel established their first formal production unit in Bengaluru.

Flavoursome delight

Flavours just burst in your mouth as soon as you take a bite of these pickled masalas (that’s what they call them): Chicken Pickled Masala, Fish Pickled Masala and Prawns Pickled Masala. The Fish Pickled Masala is made from tuna fish and they use fresh prawns for the Prawns Pickled Masala.

Though we found no problem with the fish and prawns pickle, we found the chicken pieces in the chicken pickle a little too hard – even though they were small in size. The fish and the prawns pickles, on the other hand, were very soft and easily chewable. However, none of the varieties were spicy enough and had the right amount of sour taste to it. These can be eaten, more than a spoonful, with any kind of dishes. Be it a vegetable sabzi or a non vegetarian dish, these pickles are a good accompaniment.

The ready to make gluten-free chapatis and puris are not worth spending money on at all. Made from a mixture of grains, they tasted off when roasted and were way too stiff and hard like a papad, especially the chapatis.

Jam time

Any meat connoisseur will tell you that if you have to elevate any meal – breakfast, lunch or dinner – then some sizzling bacon would be just the right thing! This fact is especially known to the Suwal Family who own Prasuma. Made from 100% Bacon & Smoked Chicken, this sweet, chunky jam, is, put simply, just plain delicious. Available in three flavours – the Smoked Bacon Jam, the Spicy Bacon Jam and the Smoked Chicken Jam, all of the flavours together create a sweet, semi-sour, and savoury concoction that goes well with almost everything. You can eat it as a spread on bread or toast, even as a base for pizza or an additional topping with a burger, hot dog or a sandwich or to simply make a plain paratha lip-smacking.

The best part about the jams is that the bacon taste is not overpowering. In fact, even a non bacon lover like me actually enjoyed the jams. And they are reasonably priced too: Rs.350 per bottle.