It’s been said that just the mere mention of mango and lime can cause some to salivate or hanker for the taste.

It would be little wonder, then, why Fallon Jacob, 32, has enjoyed a regular stream of loyal customers, as she tempts with 10 flavours of traditional homemade Indian achar, from orange peel to three-leaf mint, coriander and curry.

Jacob’s Corner Achar, her baby venture, was borne of dedication and a commitment to customer feedback and fine-tuning her jars of flavour bombs.

Jacob, having been in advertising for six years, has always loved cooking, but when the time came for her to try her hand at homemade achar, she admits, with a light laugh, “I learnt how to make it myself, from asking my mum and aunties, Googling and experimenting.”

It’s not that her 65-year-old mum didn’t want to teach her, Jacob adds: “It’s just I’m too stubborn to listen to those recipes. I just like making it in different styles and she knows that!”

Jacob’s maternal grandparents were originally from Kerala, India, while she herself grew up in Kuala Lumpur. Which is why she asked an uncle “who knows the original achar recipes from India and how it’s different there and why it’s different here.”

After collating all the information, the determined young lady cooked-up her own achars, an activity that eventually led to her decision to quit the advertising industry in 2018.

“I use everyday ingredients anyone can buy at the supermarket, wet market or ‘pasar borong’, and all the prep is done in my own home,” she says.

The secret is, like grandmothers of decades past, Jacob sun-dries the spices, “so that they last longer,” she smiles.

The precious spices are then dry-roasted in the ‘kuali’, bottles are washed and sterilised under the sun, and all the ingredients are fried and slow-cooked.

“I still follow most steps but the way of cooking is different,” she explains, “and a lot of my customers tell me that my achar tastes like something their grandmother used to make, and that it reminds them of their grandmothers sun-drying spices on the balcony or outside the house,” she shares.

Achars are readily available in the supermarket in a commercialised version and they are made in bulk, mostly in plastic jars, Jacob explains for the benefit of achar-newbies.

“To get these achars to last in plastic jars a lot of preservatives are added, but my achars don’t have all these added preservatives, so I have to store them in glass bottles, so that they last longer,” she says.

Tried and tested, Jacob’s Corner Achars will last about six months, without refrigeration. One jar retails at between RM17 to RM25.

“Traditionally, achars are very sour and very salty, because of the additional salt and vinegar used – that’s how it lasts longer,” she explains.

“For someone like me, I didn’t grow up eating achar because it was too sour and too salty, so when I started making my own, I tried to reduce that part of it, and what I do differently is I cook it a bit longer, so it’s a bit drier and it will last longer.”

Over the last few years her customers have told Jacob that they, too, didn’t really eat other achars because they were too salty and too sour.

“Over time,” she recalls, “it was my regulars who made me make these two traditional mango and lime achars that you would find at most banana leaf eateries,” she laughs, “so I took the idea and obviously made it my own.”

For example, Jacob’s lime achar is a mix of lemon and lime, her mango achar is not overly sour: “it’s masam-masam manis a bit,” she adds.

The inspiration for the orange peel achar, she relates, “which is the weirdest one, came from me watching a video for orange marmalade, and me wondering what would happen if I made achar with orange peel,” she laughs.

The final product is a mild sweet achar that Jacob’s regular customers love. Mind you, this is a big compliment as these are the same people who’ve bought all the other achars three to four times and “for their mothers too,” she quips.

Jacob’s decision to market her products on Instagram has lent that additional modern touch to the way achars are acquired.

“The surprising thing is that the unusual achars are my bestsellers – like the Sweet Coconut, Cili Padi and 3-Leaf (a mix of mint, coriander and curry leaves)!”

She started out with just the one achar, and her product range has grown to 10 varieties in just two years.

“The other point of differentiation for my achar is that it doubles up for cooking! I’ve used it as a meat marinade, as a stir-fry paste, as an enhancer in curries.

“This has helped some of my customers who have just started experimenting in the kitchen to whip up simple yet delicious meals in just 10 – 15 minutes. I love seeing how it simplifies time in the kitchen so I’m always thinking of new recipes they can try!”

With such fiery commitment, Jacob is clearly relishing the spice of life.

Find Jacob and her goodies on Facebook and Instagram.