Remember that small dollop of deliciousness that was omnipresent part of a traditional thali. A different one every day. Yes I am talking about a home made pickle. There’s actually a lot going for the home made pickles.

Eating them delivers lots of health. They are:

1. Full of good bacteria called probiotics, which are great for our gut health.

2. They are loaded with multiple antioxidants, which are potent disease fighters.

3. Low in calories but have high nutrient density. Deliver many essential vitamins and minerals and help fill the deficiency gaps.

Note: With pickles less goes far. So make sure you eat them like a ‘pickle’ not like a sabzi.

So to satiate your cravings and also to ensure holistic health try these delicious, healthy pickle recipes:

Andhra Cucumber Pickle

Cut the cucumber into two halves and de-seed the cucumber and cut it into small pieces (about 2 cups). Mix 3 tbsp red chilli powder, 3 tbsp mustard powder and 1 ½ tbsp salt. Take a wide vessel, add the above spice-mixture and the chopped pieces. Mix well and slowly add 4 tbsp til or sesame oil and combine with the pieces till well coated. Store in a covered jar, and keep at a moisture-free dark place overnight. It is ready to eat next day.

Karela pickle

Chop 250 gm bitter gourd (karela) into thin, long pieces. Heat oil, crackle mustard seeds, add sliced ginger, garlic, green chilly and curry leaves. Add the bitter guard and sauté well. Add the turmeric powder, chilly powder, asafoetida powder and fenugreek powder to taste. Pour 100 ml vinegar and cook it for few minutes. Season with salt to taste and 1 tsp sugar. Let it cool.

Rajasthani Mango Pickle

To 500 gm peeled, chopped raw mango add 100 grams salt and generous amount of asafoetida (hing), about 8-10 gm, chilly powder to taste. Mix well and keep in an airtight bottle for 3 days. Then it is ready to eat.

Lemon Rind Pickle

Cut lemon rinds into pieces. Mix in some salt (1-2 tsp) and refrigerate for two days. Now add to them 2 tsp chilli powder, some turmeric and mix well. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, some sliced garlic and ginger, and the lemon rinds, now add juice of 2 lemons and some jaggery, coat well. Switch off gas, cool and store in a bottle.

Dates Pickle

Clean, wash and remove the seed of 250 gm dates and cut it in to thin pieces. Make syrup with 50 gm sugar and water. Heat oil in the pan, crackle mustard seeds, add sliced ginger and curry leaves. Now add tur-meric powder, chilly powder, asafoetida powder and fenugreek powder to taste. Add dates, pour the sugar syrup and 25 gm honey. Cook it for few minutes. Cool and refrigerate.

Amla Pickle

Steam the amlas (gooseberry) for 10 minutes. Separate the segments, remove the seeds and let them cool. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, and pinch of hing. Remove the pan from heat and add segmented, steamed amlas, stir for a few minutes, then add in chilli powder, turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well. Now add pickle masala (dry roast mustard, methi seeds and fennel seeds till they turn golden and blend to fine powder).

(Kavita Devgan is a nutritionist, weight management consultant and health writer based in Delhi. She is the author of Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaico), Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter You (Rupa) and Fix it with foods.)