Most Indian curries are eaten with either breads or rice, but did you know that having a pickled veggie or fruit (“achar”) is also very common during our meals? It’s actually a bit of a “palate cleanser” and “food flavor enhancer” all in one – if that makes sense! LOL.
Now that you’re confused, let me continue further! Haha.
Most of our Indian pickles (“achar”) consist of pickling spices, lemon, sugar/jaggery, oil and salt. Then usually what happens is that you mix all your ingredients together and like traditional pickles – let them sit a few days to really mesh all flavors together and soften the fruit/veggies a bit to really have a nice flavor. It’s a 2-3 day process before you can really enjoy the pickled labor of love!
But recently, I learned of a “not so secret, secret family recipe” (that means someone had no issue sharing their knowledge with me, for once) that made a delicious Indian pickle in a fraction of time. As a matter of fact, you can enjoy some spicy & sweet Indian “achar” the same day with a very short list of ingredients.
Chili Pickle (Spicy Chili Achar)
Serves: Approx. 6-8 people
Ingredients:
– 6-8 large chili peppers (long hots, jalapenos, serrano, etc.)
– 1/4 cup of Red Ketchup
-1/4 cup of Mild/Hot Achar Seasoning (sold in Indian markets and/or Amazon)
Instructions:
- Clean and Cut the chili peppers into long slivers (use gloves to avoid chili oils going onto hands) and then cut into halves (cut about 6 slivers from each chili pepper)
- Place clean chili into a small/medium mixing bowl and add ketchup and Achar seasoning.
- Mix well till all chili’s are coated with achar seasoning and mixture is moist.
- Transfer to serving bowl or plate for enjoyment.
Yes, its that simple. If you want to serve your pickle later, feel free to put in fridge till you eat. But the beauty of this recipe is that you don’t need to wait too long anymore!
AND – for variety, you can use carrots, onions, instead of chili peppers or make a mixed veggie achar blend. That choice is up to you! :O)
Enjoy!
