"Ajji cha Limbacha Loncha"

 Story time 

I remember when I was a kid in school, in winters, I used to come home to this bottled pickle made by my late grandmother. Unlike most pickles made at home or found in the market, it didn't have any masala or a layer of oil floating on top. It was simple and unassuming, like my dadi. Made of all but 3 ingredients - lemon, ginger & green chilli, probably pickled in a concoction of sugar syrup and very little oil. It tasted tangy and sweet at the same time, one piece was simply never enough and the taste lingered on long after the meal. 


Then my grandmother passed away and this pickle never found its way on our dining table. And over the years that followed this pickle became a faint memory. 


Until a week ago when my dad told me that he found ambe halad in the market and did I want him to buy it for a pickle. Suddenly the taste of dadi's achar came rushing back, bringing a smile. And I decided to recreate her pickle and give it my touch as well. So I did - I substituted ginger with ambe halad & skipped the sugar to make this simple, tangy pickle that reminded me of my dadi. After 2 decades, my grandmother's presence, memory & legacy found its way back to our dining table - in the form of this simple, fresh, tangy pickle - "Ajji cha Limbacha Loncha" (Dadi ka Nimbu ka Achaar)

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