Home-made pickles have been an integral part of my childhood. As a kid, my lunch to school, most days, was plain parantha with some kind of home-made pickle. It was always a home-made pickle. I had never eaten a store-bought pickle as a child, except in restaurants. Come to think of it, what a well behaved and fuss-free child I was to bring home an empty lunch box every single day even after getting the same food most days. Well, to be fair to my mom, she prepared lunch early morning for 4 kids (my siblings and cousins) and she packed some of the yummiest food the rest of the days. I lived just 5 minutes away from my school so my lunch used to be hot when I reached school. And not surprisingly, it used to get over before the classes even started. In India, food is shared among friends during lunch time unlike here. My friends would have their mothers call my mom for her pickle recipes. And my mom always said the same thing “I made it just like everyone else does. I don’t know what to tell.” Needless to say, no one believed her. [Read on…]