For a flavoursome fix

Bombay chutney sandwich

Food can be anything but boring. To put that avowal in context, our taste buds are the kind that instantly identifies with chef Samin Nosrat's un-boring Thanksgiving chutneys - fried sage salsa verde, cilantro-date chutney and a herby shallot and bread crumb crunch; sides she whips up with Fava Bean, her dog, in one of her videos. But honestly, our sentiments are more aligned with desi chutneys - pockets of flavour that can hold a dish together. While ketchup struggles to subsume homegrown dips, we can't think of vada pav without the dry and spicy shengdana chutney, and bhajjiyas without a tamarind-coriander mix. For a balanced palette, acid is key.

Murmura bhel with Kolhapuri jhatka sauce

So, when we learned that a local brand is serving Indian sauces in easy-to-use, squeezy bottles, we dived in. Six bottles packing in flavours from across India reached us last weekend. We began with a light street-style bhel made with Spice Story's original Kolhapuri jhatka (Rs 199). We cautiously added a spoonful of this hot sauce that reminded us of our Khau Galli adventures. Given its pulpy texture, it can be directly used in curry and fried rice recipes, too.

Nolen gur er payesh

Those who prefer a tried-and-tested dish can fall back upon the Jhatka egg fried rice recipe on the brand's website. Next, we indulged in the mildly sweet, more sour and spicy dip - Gujarati tamarind date twister (Rs 149). Imli chutneys often have a cloying sweetness that we aren't fans of but this version uplifted our taste buds for its gentle sweet-sour playfulness. A dollop of this is what makes a mediocre plate of dal-rice tasty and comforting.

Mathri with tamarind and date twister

We tried it with mathris and absolutely loved it. The Superstar Bombay sandwich chutney (Rs 149) didn't blow our minds, but delivered as expected. Though we could distinctly taste the coriander, mint and green chilly on our toast, we were left wanting for a stronger, garlic-y punch.

Spice Story sauces in squeezy bottles

The Agra ki saunth (Rs 149) and Indori lemon chutney (Rs 149) were the downers. The saunth had a pungent robustness that overpowered the kachori (we expect sides to complement), while the lemon chutney left a synthetic aftertaste despite the pleasing achaar hit. Our taste session ended on a sweet note - the oozing goodness of their Nolen gur won our hearts. After a few greedy licks, we generously poured it in a pan brimming with milk and gobindo bhog rice, and voila! The nolen gur payesh was ready. Good-quality gur can be a heavenly ride, and this is the perfect answer to an after-meal sweet craving or midnight mood swing.

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