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12 Best Achar and Pickle Recipes of India
Pickles native to South Asia are made from various vegetables and fruits preserved in brine, vinegar, or oil along with various spices. In the South, pickles are known as achar or achaar, athanu, loncha, oorugai, or avakaai.
In India, one of the most important ingredients used is the chilli pepper, although it varies depending on region. Citrus fruits, mangoes, ginger, eggplants, and other regional ingredients are also commonly used.
Achar can be made with or without oil in India. One type is made with mustard oil/sesame oil and the other is made without. Limes are pickled by combining them with salt.
In the summer and winters, homemade pickles are prepared and left to mature in the sunshine for two weeks. Muslin is used to cover the pickle while it is maturing.
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Achar Vs Pickle: What is the Difference?
In terms of nouns, pickle refers to a cucumber preserved in a solution; usually, brine or pickle can refer to a kernel or grain (Scotland), whereas achar is a spicy and salty pickle of Indian cooking.
As a verb, pickling means to preserve food in a salt, sugar, or vinegar solution.
Pickled cucumbers (also known as pickles and gherkins in the United Kingdom) are cucumbers that have been pickled in brine or vinegar and then fermented for a period of time, either through immersion in an acidic solution or souring through lacto-fermentation.
A typical Indian pickle is made from specific vegetables and fruits which are cut into small pieces and cooked in oil or brine with spices such as asafoetida, turmeric, fenugreek, and red chili powder.
Pickled meats and fish are also popular in some regions. You can also combine vegetables to make mixed vegetable pickles. You can use whole fruits and vegetables in some cases.
Regional Achar Variations in India
Although Indian pickles are made with the same main ingredients, their preparation techniques and spices vary widely.
In South India, mango pickles are different from pickles made in North India – sesame oil is used and the pickles are usually spicy, whereas mustard oil is used in the northern states.
Panipat is famous for making a variety of delicious achar in Haryana’s northern state. In addition to the ever-popular varieties made with mango, chilli, and lemon, the city is also famous for its satranga and pachranga, which are pickled with whole spices and matured in mustard oil with ingredients like raw mango, chickpeas, lotus stem, karonda, and amla.
Pickles are an everyday staple in Southern India, where vegetables are sun-dried with spices in order to take advantage of the hot and sunny weather throughout the year.
In addition to mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, chili powder, salt, asafoetida, and turmeric, the sun-drying naturally preserves the vegetable. Vegetables can be cooked/blanched first to speed up the process.
The spicy pickles (āvakāya) of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are famous. Occasionally there is unripe tamarind with either green chilies or red chillies with unripe mango. Gooseberry and lemon are also widely eaten pickles as well.
During the summer months, when mangoes are still so young as to be barely an inch long, the state of Tamil Nadu makes a mango pickle called mvau. The pickle’s unique flavor comes from castor oil, which is used in the preservation process.
Tamil Nadu is also home to a pickle known as nārttaṅgai, which is made of unripe oranges stuffed with salt.
Tamilian people also stuff sun-dried chillies with salted yogurt, thus making a dry condiment called mōr miḷagai, which they usually eat with rice.
It is a traditional pickle recipe in Karnataka to serve tender whole mango pickles, called māvina uppinakāyi in Kannada.
Tender whole mangos are preserved by dehydrating them with salt and they are very salty and sour. There is a special type of this called jīrige miḍi, which is prepared from special tender mangoes that have a refreshing aroma.
Indians living in the Southern coastal areas also pickle fish and meats. Various species of fish are salted and sun-dried to make karuvāḍu in Tamil Nadu. Nettili karuvāḍu, made from anchovies, is one of the more popular types of karuvāḍu.
Kerala prepares mīn acār by marinating tuna and sardines with spices, then cooking them over the stovetop. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also make fish and shrimp pickles, but their lamb and chicken pickles are more popular for their spiciness.
Typical Gujarati pickled mangoes include salted mango pickle made with groundnut oil and spiced with fenugreek seeds, mustard, and red chili powder; hot and sweet mango pickle made with groundnut oil and jaggery, fennel seeds, dry dates, and mustard. Hot and sweet mango pickle made with sugar syrup, cumin, and chili powder.
Unripe mangoes, lemon, green chilis, gundā (Cordia dichotoma) and kerda are commonly used as key ingredients in Gujarati cuisine. you may want to learn How To Make PICKLE MASALA • ACHAR MASALA • ATHANA NO MASALO
The herb karonda (karvanda) is used in the ancient Indian herbal medicine system of Ayurvedic medicine, as well as in pickles, chutneys, jams, jelly, etc., for treating acidity, indigestion, fresh and infected wounds, skin diseases, and urinary disorders.
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Pickles are really an integral and interesting part of our Indian diets. The sheer variety of pickles of India is amazing, from north to south and east to west, there is a mind-boggling range of pickles to choose from.
Thank you so much for your feedback.
I love having them with my lunch or dinner. India is known for its spices and pickles. They are amazing. Thank you for sharing this.
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Pickles are best condiments to meals here in south.love the varied varieties of pickles and I’m glad got to know many more from your post.
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Achar is very essential in North Indian plates. it adds flavour & spice in food. Thanks for sharing these amazing achar & pickle recipes.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I am glad that you enjoyed the recipes. Do try them out or place an order with us.