IT is the Banarasi's challenge that there are no chillies in India that are as brightly red as the chillies available in the chunna sattis of the holy city at this time of the year. A chuna satti is a vegetable market, and it is true, the Banarasi red chilli is of a brighter hue than any other chilli grown in the country. You may keep your Kashmiri and Guntur variety, even the Mathania chilli of Jodhpur is no comparison.

The Banarasi lal mircha is a plump, big fellow, fire-brigade red in colour, and thick-skinned. It is grown in farms outside Banaras from January to April. In Banaras' markets, it is sold for between Rs. 6 and Rs. 8 a kilo. Men on carts, women with baskets on the road, everybody seems to be doing great business with the lal mircha. A kilo has about 25 of these lal mirchas. And it is sold with a masala that is stuffed into the chilli to make a pickle.

In satvik khanna, the Banarasi lal mircha is dried and used as a spice. But its thick skin takes away the chilli's sharpness and pungency, and it is practically without flavour. So it is consumed as a pickle. You can make the pickle at home or you buy it from the market. The lal mircha pickle has a simple enough recipe.

The chilli is deseeded and dried in the sun, its stem removed, then it is stuffed with the masala and soaked in mustard oil. The masala is made of corinder, red chilli powder, amchur, salt, and mustard. Dhania, saunf, jeera, methi seeds and kalonji are roasted and added to it. The masala is painstakingly poked into the lal mircha with a toothpick. Banarasis swear by it. The pickle-seller in the market also has murabbas or fruit preserves in syrup. The favourites are karonda (berry), apple and kamrakh (star apple). And there are pickles made of every conceivable fruit, vegetable and spice. Apart from the lal mircha, there are other red and green chilli pickles, sweet and sour mango, lemon, and jackfruit, which is another great favourite.