PICKLE TIME AGAIN! IT'S THE TIME WHEN I FEEL THE PROUDEST OF MY TELUGU ROOTS

Yeehaa..! it's that time of the year again when we put fresh Aavakaaya- and many more pickles, the live-wires that run through the famous Andhra cuisine. Our cuisine has a huge profile of pickles including the great Gongura- a biological cousin of the friendly cannabis. But the big daddy of 'em all just has to be the Aavakaaya. It's a mind blowing amalgamation of tasty green mangoes, the deadly Warangal red chillies and a special Gingelly oil made from de-husked seeds specially for pickles along with lots of mustard seeds and garlic.

Some like it fresh and new, like me, with a zing of raw spice and the hot red chillies spinning their magic. Others like it aged a few months with the juices from the Mango cut by the spicy salty flavours. I'm lovin every time I lick it off my fingers. Mmmm......