We love our Konkan Mango Chilli Sauce with a passion, and for good reason. It has just the right balance of fruitiness and spiciness that makes it the perfect companion for savoury meats, BBQs, kebabs and copious snacking, but at the same time you get the full on unadulterated mango experience. Wondering what inspired this signature sauce? Read on, my friends...
THE KONKAN COAST
Tucked neatly between the frenetic streets of Mumbai and the swaying coconut trees of Goa's beaches lies 600km of practically undiscovered coastline that would almost certainly win the best coastline in the world award, if only anybody knew it even existed. Imagine vast sweeping beaches book marked by rocky cliffs and crystal clear waters, where the Western Ghats - the steep, lush mountain range that hugs India's coastline - rise up dramatically behind a thicket of coconut trees. As the coastal road wiggles its way up and down the folds of the ghats one crease at a time, the coconut trees quickly give way to beautiful terraces of immaculately maintained mango groves that line the steep slopes for a few hundred kilometres.
HOW WE FOUND IT
Back in the days of our adventurous youth we used to own a classic Royal Enfield 350cc motorcycle - The iconic Indian adventure machine - that we would take out to explore this hidden coastline. Early morning chai stops involved watching the mist rise up through the branches of the mango trees as we tucked into hot fried pakodas that we would dip into a locally made spicy mango sauce.
THE THINKING BEHIND THE SAUCE
Our Konkan Mango Chilli Sauce is less an attempt to replicate that sauce, and more an attempt to capture the emotion of what we experienced and bottle it, so that others could relive those trips with us. In some respects the Konkan coast couldn't have been further away from the life we knew (and also loved) in Mumbai, but at the same time it was the closest we ever got to seeing a side of life in India that hasn't changed in decades and that we love just as much. We want everyone to experience this amazing side of India and at the same time we hope no one ever finds it so that it stays untouched forever.
NOW WHAT?
A few years on and the great old Royal Enfield has been sold and replaced by a Vauxhall Corsa that trundles around drizzly London with somewhat less pizzazz. While we can't drive down the Konkan coast at a moment's notice, we can still relive those heady days of adventure when we eat our Konkan Mango Chilli Sauce and have a sip of masala chai on a rainy afternoon. The imminent launch of our sauce in the UK is particularly exciting because we can now share our experiences with our whole Pico Sauces community.
If you're wondering what to do next, head over to our product page and try out our Konkan Mango Chilli Sauce for yourself! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.