Red hot chili pepper

The folks from the Northeast in India sure love their chilies, I say. The spicier, the better.

These chili pickles makes for a perfect accompaniment to a simple meal of dal, vegetables, and rice.

It is thanks to them that I eat green chilies with my food now. It makes for a perfect accompaniment to a simple meal of dal, vegetables, and rice.

However, there is something else that I was introduced to – red chili pickles. They come in all shapes and sizes.

On the road from Guwahati to Shillong, you will spot small shops along the highway selling these in various-sized bottles. It is all homemade, of course.

A local villager at her roadside stall in Meghalaya.

The first time I had it, let us simply state that I was spending a lot of anxious moments in the, umm, toilet.

However, with time, and taking just a bit, it is a pickle I have grown to relish. It is still potent, and not advisable with every meal. And on the occasions when you do have, lunch or dinner takes on a different flavor.

Oh yes, do not handle it with your bare hands. Let us just say you’ve been warned.