Home Made Hog Plum Pickle

Description

Hog plum, amtekai, is the sour fruit that arrives in Bengaluru markets with the first rains, and our mums have always pickled it the same way: firm fruit, hand-cut, salted and sunned, then packed with mustard, red chilli, turmeric and oil. No preservatives and no shortcuts, so the jar tastes like the monsoon it was made in. It is a seasonal pickle, made in small batches while the fruit lasts.

Amtekai uppinakayi has a sharper sourness than mango pickle, and the fruit keeps a slight bite even after weeks in the jar. In Karnataka homes it sits next to curd rice all through the monsoon. A small spoon is enough to liven up a plate of rice and dal, and it is equally good folded into curd or spread on a hot roti with ghee.

Keep the jar in a cool, dry place and always use a dry spoon. In cool weather the oil may thicken and rise to the top, that is natural, just stir it back in before serving.