Green chilli pickle recipe is a tasty, instant North Indian style achar made with fresh long green chillis, Indian spices like mustard, fenugreek and mustard oil
green chilli pickle
My most favourite North Indian achar is undoubtedly green chilli pickle. I immensely enjoy a simple, humble meal or roti or chapati with green chilli pickle aka hari mirch ki achar, salad and dahi (yoghurt). A comforting meal which warms the soul. I am happy that I have developed an interest in making my own pickles. The store bought pickles often lack the flavour and punch that authentic homemade pickles call for. We have been blessed with ample sunlight and our Indian weather is perfect for pickle preparation. Our family is pickle crazy and you will always find at least 10-12 varieties of homemade pickles at any given time. 🙂
North Indian style green chilli pickle has been a staple in our home alongside avakai (Andhra mango pickle). Roti or paratha served with green chilli pickle is perfect for your lunch box. While travelling, I love to snack on mathri or khakra with mirchi achar.
hari mirch ki achar
One of the easiest, instant recipe of green chilli pickle you can ever make. Even a novice cook cannot go wrong with the pickle recipe. It is that easy and quick to make. In the northern and western parts of India, each home has its own unique spice mix that goes into the chilli pickle. Pickle of green chilli prepared by the Marwari community is to die for. I relished the aloo or paneer paratha with green chillipickle, my North Indian friends used to bring in their lunch dabba. Absolutely irresistible and addictive hari mirch ki achar! Over the years, I have relied on three types of green chilli pickle. And one of them is a sweet flavoured green chilli pickle that is to die for. You can look forward to the other variations of green chilli pickle in future posts.
fresh green chillies – chopped into 1/2″ pieces for pickling
Method and tips on green chilli pickle preparation
The green chillies grown in western part of India differ from the Southern variety in terms of colour, shape and heat. I recommend the use of long, light green coloured, fleshy green chillies that are used in mirchi bajji preparation. You can use any green chilli that is not too hot or with medium heat. You can pickle them by chopping into bite sized pieces or use the whole green chilli. If using the green chilli as a whole, make a slit in the centre and stuff the ground spice mix. Follow the rest of the procedure called for in the green chilli pickle recipe.
chopped green chillies mixed in turmeric – pickle masala
Mustard seeds are responsible for the sharp, pungent flavour. They lend body to the pickle and oodles of flavour along with fennel seeds, turmeric powder, lemon juice and asafoetida. My Marwari friends recommend the use mustard oil for this chilli pickle. It does make a lot of the difference to the flavour of the matured pickle in time. You can use any other vegetable oil as well except olive oil. I sun dry the spices in the hot sun for two days (summer months) before the pickle preparation. You can even dry roast the spices just before making the pickle.
green chillies with pickle masala – hari mirch achar with mustard oil
Ensure that you pour hot oil over the green chillies and spice mixture. Leave it uncovered till the pickle cools down completely. There should be no trace of moisture and do dry the glass jar in the sun before placing the finished pickle in it.
north indian style green chilli pickle
How to make green chilli pickle or hari mirch pickle
