Achaar is an integral part of south asian cuisine and Indian pickles have been part of culture and history for years. They add the perfect punch to any meal and it is not uncommon to find dozens of jars of pickles in indian pantries. In fact, in few regional cuisines, they serve a pickle course where a selection of pickles and chutneys are served to refresh the palate. No wonder, many indians believe that the meal is incomplete without pickles. Come summertime and my grandmother would get busy in achar making. She would pickle green mangoes, jackfruit, chilies, different kinds of gourds and what not. Her pickles were the tastiest- really balanced in terms of flavors and perfectly fermented/ cooked. I make only a few kinds of homemade indian pickles. My husband is a huge fan of garlic achar so it is made a lot in my kitchen.
What is Achaar?
Achaar Or Achar = Pickle. South asian pickles are also known as athanu, loncha, pachdi or avakkal etc in different regional languages. Unlike pickles in the western countries, most Indian pickles are preserved in edible oils like mustard, sesame or peanut oil. A variety of vegetables and fruits, seafood or even meat are preserved in oil with generous addition of bold indian spices. Depending on the region, season and local ingredients, the spice selection varies. In north india, most punjabi style achar are preserved in mustard oil. Down south, sesame oil is the choice for pickling.
My Garlic Achaar Recipe
My Garlic Achar recipe is super simple to make. It is a small batch pickle recipe and has a hot kick from the green chilies. You can skip chilies if you wish (read notes below on how to adjust heat level in that case). I like to make small batch because I feel that the pickle retains freshness and crunch. Just gather the spices, grind them and mix together with garlic, chilies, oil and vinegar. It is not an instant achar recipe, you do need to wait for 2-3 days for the flavors to develop. The flavors of this achar are pungent, spicy, tangy and savory- you would want to serve this lahsun ka achar with every meal!
What Spices Go in Lahsun Ka Achaar?
My achaar recipe calls for common indian pickling spices. You will need :-
Yellow Mustard Seeds. If you dont have substitute with 1.5 teaspoon black mustard seeds. Fenugreek Seeds Fennel Seeds Ajwain (carrom seeds) Nigella Seeds. Dont grind the nigella seeds else the achar masala turns black.
Powdered Spices
Turmeric Powder Asafoetida Red Chili Powder Kala Namak White Salt
Please see recipe card for quantities and notes about how to go about substitutions.
How To Make Garlic Achaar At Home?
Making this garlic achar is super simple.
Step 1:- Take the end off the green chilies. Wash and let completely air dry. You can slit the chilies if you wish.
Similarly, prep the garlic. Peel the garlic pods. You can use ready to use garlic pods as well. Make sure that the ready to use ones are good quality. Wash and completely air dry. Chop off the dried ends of garlic. Slice the big ones lengthwise into small.
Tip:- While the garlic and chilies are drying, sterilize your storage container and lid by dipping them in boiling water. Completely dry the container & lid.
Step 3:- In a dry pan, very lightly roast the whole spices. Cool them completely and proceed to next step. Grind the whole spices except nigella seeds. In a small bowl, mix together the ground spices, nigella seeds. salt and the powdered spices. Mix very well using a clean dry spoon.
Step 4:- Warm the mustard in a sauce pan oil till it’s a little smoky. Switch off the stove and let cool off for 3-4 minutes.
Step 5:- In a large non reactive bowl, add the garlic & chillies. Sprinkle the spice powder, apple cider vinegar and hot (but not sizzling hot) mustard oil. Using a clean dry spoon mix everything very well.
Step 6:- Spoon the pickle to sterilized jar. Cover the achar with 2 tablespoon of mustard oil. Close the lid (not too tightly) and let sit for 2-3 days in a warm & dry spot of your kitchen. I keep it near my kitchen window. Shake once a day. The pickle will be ready to use on 4th day.
How to peel a large batch of garlic easily?
You do need quite a bit of garlic for making this achar. Use one of the below methods :-
Separate the pods and add them to microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20-30 seconds depending how how big or small the pods are. The garlic softens a bit and the peel separates as well. It comes off easily. Just keep in mind not to microwave on too high else the garlic will cook. You can microwave in short intervals of 10 seconds to keep an eye. My grandmother used to use this method. Add the unpeeled garlic pods to a large bowl. Add hot(not warm) water. Let soak for 30 minutes. This method serves two ways and I can really tell why she chose this. The peel softens and comes off easily. Also, the garlic gets washed in the same go. Smart, right?
Few Useful Tips
Make sure that every utensil that you use while making and for storing achar is dry and clean. Sterlize and dry the jars . Water or moisture(other than in vegetables) is the number one enemy of oil pickles. If you are touching any ingredient, make sure that your hands are dry and clean. Make sure that the green chilies and garlic are fresh and dont have any dry, spotted, discolored parts. Those perpetuate fungal growth. Use fresh spices (sitting for not more than 2-3 months in your pantry) Since we are not frying the garlic and using it raw for making the achaar, make sure that the garlic pieces are small. That is why, I slice all the garlic cloves in half. If you are using desi lehsun, its cloves are small and you dont need to slice. Make sure that the achaar is not under salted. Under salted achaar tends to go bad. You can skip the green chilies and make achar just with garlic. In that case, add extra red chilli powder to the masala (see recipe notes for quantity). Add long cut ginger pieces to this recipe to make ginger garlic ka achar. Make sure that the oil is hot (but not smoky sizzling hot) when you add to the pickle. After the achaar is mixed, with a clean spoon, taste a tiny bit of masala to check the salt. The masala will taste very sharp, bitter and salty right now. But dont worry, once the pickling is over, the pungency will go away and the garlic and chilies will absorb the salt so it won’t be over salty. It is natural that the green chillies will lose their bright green color and turn pale yellow after pickling.
How To Store Garlic Achaar?
Once the pickling is over, store the garlic achaar in a dry dark place away from sunlight. It stays well at room temperature. Finish off in next 2-3 weeks. If you have leftovers after 2-3 weeks, you can store them in the refrigerator for a month. You cannot freeze achaar. Always use a clean, dry spoon to serve garlic achaar with indian dishes such as khichdi, flatbreads or rice dishes.
