To begin making the Meat Ka Achaar recipe, in a heavy bottomed pan of suitable size, add the meat, turmeric powder and salt.

Cook the meat on medium heat (covered), stirring it occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. The meat will take about 40 minutes to cook though it depends on the size of the pieces.

If the liquids dry up and you find the meat is sticking too much to the bottom of the pan, add water a tablespoon at a time and make sure all the water has completely dried up once the meat is cooked.

In a separate heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil, add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf.

Then add the cooked meat and keep the flame low-medium so as not to excessively fry the meat which in turn would make it hard.

After a couple of minutes add the garlic and continue cooking for a minute or two. * If using mustard oil, heat it to smoking point first, cool slightly then use as usual.

Take it off the heat and add the fennel, cumin and nigella seeds. Let it cool for 2 to 3 minutes then add the chilli powder and lemon juice. Taste for salt and adjust accordingly.

Store in a sterilized jar if you plan to keep it for long. I keep the pickle refrigerated in a regular jar with a lid, as it never lasts more than a week.

Simple and delicious, Meat Ka Achaar is enough to jazz up a simple meal, especially served with dal chawal or Tawa Parathas.