Achaar—known as pickles in South Asia—are made of fruits and vegetables, cooked with masalas, and combined with vinegar and oil as a preservative. A favorite of millions, achaars are a delicious blend of flavors that add a tangy and spicy touch to your food! We’ve got 3 mouth watering and easy-to-make recipes for delicious achaars.
Achaar’s ingredients vary from region to region: North Indians tend to use mustard oil for preservation, while South Indians mostly use sesame oil. There are also different types of achaar that can be made from mango, lime, amla, ginger, haldi, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, onions, red pepper, and green chilli—just to name a few!
To maintain an achaar’s integrity for a long period of time, use dry and clean utensils while preparing it to avoid moisture, and store it in sterilized container. Many commercial pickles made by companies can be stored for about 2 to 3 years! They add citric acid and another preservative for longer shelf life. Instead of buying achaar though, try using our recipes for a delicious kick to your meal!
This achaar is very famous in North India and is loved for its sweet and sour taste. Chhunda achaar is often eaten with paratha, but is surely not limited to this—we even recommend using it as a tasty sandwich spread. It can be stored for up to 6 to 8 months.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat a pan and add grated mangoes, sugar, and salt. Mix it well and stir continuously until the mixture takes on a syrup-like consistency.
Remove from heat/flame; add red chilli powder, roasted cumin seeds, and turmeric powder—be sure to mix thoroughly. Cool completely and store in sterilised container.
This achaar is made with red chillies (popularly available during winter in India) filled with spices. It is mainly popular in adults who prefer spicier foods.
Ingredients
Directions
Dry chillies in the sun for at least 1 hour prior to pickling.
Vertically slit chillies and remove seeds; transfer chili seeds to one bowl, reserving chili pods for later use. In a large mixing bowl, combine chili seeds, methi, saunf, mustard seeds, salt, turmeric, hing, mustard oil, and vinegar. Using a wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients well.
Open the slit of each chili red and stuff it with spice-oil-vinegar mixture. Repeat this for all the peppers one by one. Leave it in a container for 2 weeks to pickle.
The instant achaar is usually made with commonly used vegetables—such as cauliflower, carrot, and cucumber—that are cut into equal and small pieces. The crunchy flavour of vegetable with masalas is delicious!
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan then add all ingredients to it. Cook the mixture of vegetables and spices for 5 minutes. Cool completely and store in a dry container.
A ratio to keep in mind is, for every 1 cup of chopped vegetable, you can use 3 tablespoons of masala and 2 tablespoons oil for an instant pickle. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week before tasting rancid.
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