Pickles and pastes include oil-based Indian achar, curry pastes and concentrated cooking bases. Mango, lime and vegetable pickles add acidity, salt and spice to a meal of dal with rice or flatbread. Pastes help build a flavourful sauce more quickly while keeping an aromatic base. Pickles offer very different profiles: mango is often sweet-sour and spiced, lime more piercing, and vegetables more earthy. A small taste on the plate helps you find the right accompaniment. Their acidity can also lift a rich meal without needing an additional sauce at the table.

Serve a teaspoon of pickle beside the dish, rather than as a generous sauce, because its flavour is intense. Ginger, garlic and curry pastes should be fried briefly before adding tomato, coconut milk or other liquids. Start with a small amount and adjust salt and heat at the end.

Once opened, follow the pack instructions and always use a clean, dry spoon. Indian Flavours sends pickles and pastes from Barcelona throughout Spain and Portugal.