Green Pepper Pickle & breathing Mylapore air!

Like Emeralds in the Sea!

Green Pepper, the spice "they" came to India for!

Want to soak in the spirit of Tamil Nadu, then simply soak in the atmosphere around the Kapalishwar Temple in Mylapore, “Tank” for the locals, because of the huge square water tank with steps leading down. It is the heart of the city, and there is something about the place that has a huge attraction for me. Every visit to Chennai, includes at least one to Mylapore. Often more. And there is always there is something new that I find in the place. And though I know it may not be easy to live there, I wish I could… such a hustle and bustle of business and spirituality, of the mundane and the divine. It encapsules life like nothing else does. Some of the stores have remained, for ages, unchanged. Time in fact stands still even as the atmosphere is dynamic, effervescent.

I always stop to buy coffee beans at Leo’s. And some little stuff at Vijaya Stores,where there is every dress and accessory that Hindu gods may want. This is where women converge to shop for their "navaratri " requirements.

I buy a  lot more from Ambika stores in the corner. Once known only for Appalams, now it has everything a South Indian kitchen would need, in terms of ingredients.

And I  never come back without one of the stainless steel vessels I can do without. I have tender coconut, and  the raw banana bajji outside the Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan. 

I peep into the Rasi Silks just to feast on the stuff, and also admire every piece of art and craft that Rasi has in a tiny, traditional house, restored a bit odd , in the shadow of the tall  and colourful gopuram of the temple.

The fragrance of fresh jasmine and desi roja raft in the air, alongside that of freshly roasted coffee, sambar and spices, supari and turmeric...all blending peacefully with each other.

I invariably go back home with some odd vegetables, they are fresh and lovely. This time it was green pepper, to pickle,that I decided to buy. It is what dries into what the world knows as black pepper.

 They look like pearl shaped emeralds, jewels indeed-- bunched beautifully, like grapes, perhaps with more detailed crafting. 

I am surprised fashionistas haven't strung the bunches to make an exotic, original and organic necklace -- it is that beautiful. 

No wonder the spice is a treasure exported from India. I missed it on a trip to Kochi because it was not in season.

 The women selling it, also sell everything else that goes into it-- lemon and ginger primarily. 

It is simple to make.

Wash and drain off water. Cut as many lemons  as you please, and ginger if you have. I used the lovely, huge, seedless and juicy lemons that I harvested from my  five-year old lime tree  in Chandigarh.

Toss them all in a clean dry glass jar, add four tablespoons of salt for four cups of the pickling material, top it with fresh lime juice.

 Rest the jar in the fridge for a few days, and it is ready !

Pickled Green Pepper or Kurumilagai

We eat it with curd rice, but toss some on a salad, and it will be out of this world!