The Piquant Prawn Pickle That Stole This Bawi’s Heart!

Lots of people these days cook items at home and sell them. One such post at a food forum, on Facebook, grabbed my attention. That post mentioned three magical words, 'Goan Prawn Pickle' and after that there was no looking back! I contacted the party concerned and voila! 2 bottles of Prawn Pickle were promptly sent to my residence that afternoon. The price for a 250 gram bottle was 300 rupees and as I'd ordered two bottles, I paid 650 rupees in all (Rs 50 delivery charges).

The bottles came neatly wrapped in a plastic bag with a rubber band on it. The packing was simple, yet neat and effective. I say 'effective' because the oil from the pickle hadn't leaked through while making its way across town, to my home. 

Even through the sealed package I could get a whiff of the pickle. 

I took photographs of the sealed bottle, then took a few more photographs and finally opened the lid of the bottle. I spooned out some pickle in a bowl and of course, clicked a couple more photographs.

Now, I'll have you know I'm battling a viral relapse and have been told to steer clear of cold, spicy, oily and sour stuff. But those prawns in the bowl looked at me with such cute 'puppy dog eyes' that I had to give in and sample some. How can one not give in to 'puppy eyes'?

I grabbed a spoon, scooped up a prawn with a bit of pickle masala, slowly chewed on it and.... WHAM!! I was blown away, Bollywood style. Imagine the hero standing on the cliff, on the Greek island of Santorini. There is a gentle breeze blowing - He turns, faces the lady he is wooing, arms outstretched and... the climax! (Don’t get me wrong with this word dammit! :P ). I meant the Karan Johar-Yash Chopra kind with the lady falling into the arms of her man and the screen lighting up with words, 'and they lived happily ever after because (prawn pickle) love conquers all'. (What can I say, I like their movies, don’t you dare judge me! :P ) That pickle made me sigh in bliss and believe all was well with the world just like in the movies. Also, it transported me to the late 80's/early 90's when a grand old lady, Achamma, made a pickle very similar to this, for me. To have experienced those flavours again after so many years felt so good!

The pickle is the kind one can write ballads about. The flavours are spot on. Keeping the price in mind, I’d say, the quantity of prawns are very adequate. It is oily but then most homemade prawn pickles are, more so, if they have no added preservatives. I cannot wait to make dal-chawal because I'm going to give the Parsi patio a miss and instead opt for this bottle of deliciousness as accompaniment.

This pickle is Leena and Benjamin Joseph’s pet project; it’s their baby. The bottles are sold under the brand name ‘Bombay Fresh’ and they come in two sizes; 100 grams for Rs 150 and 250 grams for Rs 300. There is free delivery to Camp (Pune) and a charge of Rs 50 for places around Camp. They also have a pick up spot at Amanora Mall. Order it, savour it; you can thank me later. ;)

To Order call Nikeeta Jagallo: +91 9975283719