With age, dwindling senses and increasingly limited mobility (not helped by the cold weather), food comes to play an important part of the daily routine. My mother, a good cook in her time, has abdicated from the kitchen and seldom interferes with the menu. But she is curious each day as to what is being prepared for lunch, has comments on the preparation and frequently reminisces about meals and recipes of the past. Recently, while discussing my trip to Lucknow, she remembered the stuffed red chilli pickle that my maid there used to make in the winters. And just a few days later, I saw these absolutely lovely red chillis in the vegetable market. So, I picked up some…….

The chillis sat around for a couple of days, with my mother prodding me that they would go bad. I had made this once before and vaguely remembered the ingredients, some…