Raw, crisp chunks of guava, pickled in subtle spices to give layers of tang and flavour.

What’s a winter season if you haven’t sat in the sun in the afternoon, having a pre-lunch snack of freshly cut guava sprinkled with some rock salt? As children, Ammiji’s verandah was the place where we would get all our winter pre-lunch goodies at. She used to start her day early, finish her housework quickly and spend the afternoon out in the sun, peeling oranges, slicing up amrood and urging us to eat it all.

 One day, one of her sons, while munching on a piece of guava, jokingly remarked that he wished that such crispy, tangy guavas were available the year round. The next day, Ammiji pulled out her pickling pitara and set about chopping up a whole lot of guavas. We sat with her, surrounded by guavas, and filched a lot of slices – she usually turned a blind eye to this and then later pretended that we had finished the entire lot! Soon, two barnis were full of guava, spices and oil, happily sunning themselves and Ammiji sat back with a satisfied smile.

From then on, the guava pickle was made every winter – to see us through the summers. In keeping with the tradition, we’ve put a big batch of Amrood ka Achaar too. This pickle is being made in Amritsar under Ammiji’s supervision. The guavas are from an orchard nearby and the mustard oil is custom cold-pressed. Only select, premium and hand-sorted spices are used in this pickle.

 Amrood ka Achaar will add that special tang to all your meals. Munch on it between bites of your meal, and make your meals more interesting and nostalgic…

Ingredients: Guava, Cold-pressed Mustard Oil, Black Salt, Raw Turmeric, Red Chilli, Cumin, Coriander, Black Pepper, Mustard seeds, Nigella seeds, Fenugreek seeds

 Weight: 250 gms

Good for: 6 months

 Refrigerate after opening. (This pickle contains no preservatives.)

 Always use a clean, dry spoon while scooping out Ammiji’s delicious pickles!