Not ones for waste, my mother and grandmother instilled a sense of using all ingredients available to us, seasonality, and upcycling ingredients and or leftovers. In fact my mother to this day inspects my bins, when she visits, and tells me off for throwing too much away – Indian mothers for you! To be fair she probably has valid grounds.
Of course we’d grow our own veg and herbs, so we’d use these as much as possible. We’d often make green chutney using the mint and coriander in the garden for example, this adds a real zing to vegetarian dishes and is particularly nice with dhal. They’d also make various pickles : carrot, cauliflower, lemons, chilli, mango. There was always yoghurt being cultured next to the fireplace. It’s only when I think back that I realise how inventive they were, and what a shame it is to lose some of the old ways.
Here are recipes for some of the sauces and condiments I eat most, they’re versatile and keep very well:
