Trek Himachal

Khatta - spiced Key Lime

The names continue to be strange. That, however, is expected when you are trying to spell Hindi/Pahadi words in English. This one is quite literal though. Khatta is sour in Hindi and that is what exactly this snack is. It can be made from any of 3 members of the citrus family, Key Lime, Pomelo or Lemon.

Traditionally eaten by women (men are not forbidden) in the warm winter sun, sitting in the outdoors, Khatta goes back a long way to the days when women did not work and attended only to household chores. It was a reason to get together, gossip and share cooking and household secrets. Like all things food, this was a social event. In the process, you also soothed your constitution with a citrus fruit during dry winter and got your share of the sun. Things like these often make you wonder how traditional lifestyles were about getting great joy from apparently daily activities.

The process for making Khatta is pretty similar irrespective of which citrus species you are using. The only difference is how much sugar would you add to slightly neutralize the sourness of the fruit. That of course varies with which one you are using and how sensitive your sour taste buds are. First things first. Do not peel the fruit in sunshine. It leads to bitterness in the taste, perhaps because of oxidation.

If you use Key Lime, which is less sour than the other two, thin peel the outer yellow skin. Thin peel means really thin peel. Only the yellow colour has to go away, the inner thick white layer is integral to the snack. After peeling the yellow, cut the lime into small triangular pieces and keep in glass jar or a clay pot. Avoid any metallic utensils for they react with the acid.

Separately take some coriander, fresh mint leaves (both enough to eventually impart a slight greenish tinge to the finished product), green chilli, tulsi (a variety of basil), rock salt, sugar, cumin (roasted) and use mortar and pestle to grind them together. Grind these ingredients thin and then mix with the cut lime pieces. Mix thoroughly and place a lid. Now, take a piece of wood charcoal and heat it on fire till it is red hot. Remove the lid of the utensil holding the lime mixed with spices and hold the hot charcoal piece over it. Pour a few drops of mustard oil and a few grains of Heeng (asafoetida) on the charcoal, drop the charcoal into the vessel and immediately close the lid.

Wait for sometime and remove the lid and the charcoal. This is called Dhuri lagana (smoking), gives a smoky, mustard flavour to this. Don't miss this step for anything, this is the soul of the entire recipe. This is what makes the difference and imparts a subtle flavour which I could kill for. Yet again, like Patrodu, this is not commercially available. If you are having this, please if you will heed my request. Do it on a sunny winter morning, on a lazy weekend, sitting out in a courtyard on a charpai (charpoy for english speakers). Savour each piece like there is no tomorrow and that will give you the ultimate joy.

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