Hari Mirch ka Achar Recipe

Hari Mirch ka Achar

Hari Mirch ka Achar

Hari Mirch ka Achar or Green Chillies Pickle is a traditional pickle, which is made with green chillies, spices and lime juice.

There are many versions of green chillies pickle recipes in India with each family, region and state boasting of their own favourite recipe. At my home, we prepare it in 5-6 different ways, but this recipe is my favourite amongst them all. What I like about this pickle recipe is that there is no cooking, and it takes 10 minutes to prepare it.

It is popularly known as ‘hari mirch ka achar’ or ‘mirchi ka achar’. Indian pickles are hugely popular as condiments for spicing up the Indian meals, served up as a side dish and spooned over dishes. This recipe is also a great way to preserve fresh chillies, as the pickling is a great preservative. If you love Indian food, this could become one of your new favourite recipes.
This is one of those ‘hand me down’ recipes as my mother- in-law taught me how to make this pickle. This pickle is a staple in my family, and we always keep a big jar of this pickle in the fridge.

This is one of my family’s favourite pickles which we usually enjoy with Indian breads like Gujarati Methi Thepla, Dal Poori, Aloo Paratha, Palak Poori, Sindhi Doda Roti, Gujarati Biscuit Bhakri and Chawal ka Tikda.

Ingredients

For The Pickle Masala
¾ cup mustard seeds
½ cup fennel seeds
¼ cup fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
½ cup oil

Other Ingredients
250 grams medium spiced green chillies
Juice of 2 limes

Directions

Step-1

Grind the mustard seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds to a fine powder.

Empty it in a bowl and add salt, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder and oil. The pickle masala is ready. You can store his masala in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 months.

Step-2

Slit slightly the green chillies taking care it is not cut into two pieces. Spoon ¼ teaspoon of the prepared masala in the chillies to fill them partially.

Add the lime juice and toss. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days for the pickling flavours to develop.

Enjoy with any Indian bread.

Tips & Variations

  1. This masala can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for 2-3 months.
  2. It is important to use dry chopping boards, spoons, bowls and knives as any moisture could lead to bacterial growth in the pickle.
  3. If you want, you can roughly chop the green chillies and then add the masala and lemon juice.
  4. While tossing if you feel the chillies look a bit dry then you can add either 2-3 teaspoons of lime juice or warm mustard oil.