6 healthy pickle recipes you must try!

By: Vaishali Gaud (Food Analyst, Biochemist)

Pickles have been a favourite among Indians for hundreds of years. In different parts of India, pickles are referred to
by different names. In Hindi, it's Achaar, in Gujarati, it's Athanu, in Marathi, it's Loncha, and so on. Regardless of
the various names, one thing about pickles has remained constant throughout the ages: their homey flavour! Pickles
will always have a place in the platters of us, Indians, no matter what the occasion, meal, family gathering, wedding,
or anything else.

So, let us share some amazing recipes for popular Indian pickles with you!

1. Lemon Pickle
When it comes to pickles, lemon pickles are at the top of everyone's favorite list. Here's how to make
lemon pickles.
Lemons to choose from: When selecting the best lemons for your pickle, look for those with a soft outer
cover. The fresher and juicer the lemons, the softer the outer cover!
Ingredients (for 1 dozen lemons): ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, 3 tsp mustard seeds. 3 tbsp red chili powder, ½
tsp turmeric, 3/2 tbsp salt, ¼ tsp asafetida, ¼ cup oil
Steps in pickling:
 Take around 200 ml of water in a vessel and bring it to boil.
 After water starts boiling, add a pinch of salt to it and add lemons to the boiling salt-water.
 Leave it covered while boiling for around 5-10 minutes until the lemons achieve softer texture.
 Remove the lemons from water in half cooked state and gently dry them using soft muslin cloth.
Let them cool.
 Cut each lemon and keep aside.
 Take one pan and roast mustard and fenugreek seeds on low flame until nice aroma starts
spreading.
 Let the seeds cool, grind them to fine powder and add them to lemons kept aside.
 Add rest of the spices to the mixture and mix well. Bring the pickle to homogeneity.
 Now, for seasoning, heat oil in another pan and add mustard seeds and asafetida to it. Allow the
mustard to splutter and then switch off the flame. Allow the tempering to cool.
 Pour this over the pickle mix and again give whole thing, a proper mix.
 Tada! Your very own Nimbu ka Achaar is ready to eat now!
 Store in refrigerator and enjoy it up-to two weeks.
2. Mango Pickle
The mango pickle is everyone's favourite when it comes to the ultimate go-to pickle, whether it's for
steaming dal-chawal or tasty parathas. So here's how to make mango pickle,
Ingredients(for 1 dozen raw mangoes): Raw mangoes, 1/2 cup fenugreek seeds, 1/4 cup mustard seeds, 4
tsp salt, 4 tsp chili powder, 5-7 garlic cloves, oil.
Preparation of Mangoes for pickling: wash raw green mangoes gently. Cut the mangoes in medium sized
cubes after removing seeds. Soak the cubes in salt water for around 1 hour and rub the cubes gently.
Remove all cubes and wipe gently with muslin cloth to remove water. Dry them in sun light for longer
shelf life.
Steps in pickling:
 Prepare methi-mustard seed powder. Roast both fenugreek and mustard seeds on low flame, allow to cool
and grind to make powder. (PROTIP: Fine powder needs less oil while pickling!)
 To a large mixing bowl, add all, mango cubes, methi-mustard powder, chili powder, salt and crushed garlic.
 Warm up oil in a pan. Allow it to cool completely and add it to the bowl. Mix thoroughly.
 Cover and keep aside for a day or two.
 Now mangoes will start releasing moisture. Taste the pickle and add more salt if needed.
 Store in a glass jar.
3. Amla Pickle
 Amla is considered as Indian medicinal fruit. Amla pickle is best combination of taste and health. This
recipe of amla pickle will surely give your tongue a good twist! have a look at the recipe;
Ingredients (for 1 dozen amla): 1/2 cup cooking oil, 3 tsp mustard seeds, 3 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp
turmeric powder, pinch of asafetida, 3 tsp salt, 2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 2 tsp fennel seeds.
Steps in pickling:
 Wash amla’s to remove all dirt and steam them for around 10-15 minutes.
 Press amla and check if it opens up easily. If yes, stop steaming.
 Remove amla’s, wipe gently with muslin cloth after cooling.
 Dry roast mustard, fenugreek and fennel seeds together till they turn aromatic.
 Blend to fine powder and keep them aside.
 Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and hing to it till splutters.
 Add to amla’s and saute until amla’s absorb the flavour.
 Further add chili powder, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
 Add grinded seed mix and homogenize everything.
 Voila! your amla pickle is ready to eat!
4. Tomato Pickle
We are sure that, this all-rounder pickle will be loved by everyone in your family. It is simply tasteful and
goes well with everything, may it be paratha, or dal-chawal or idli sambhar.
So, lets have a look at recipe;
Ingredients (for 1 dozen tomatoes): 1/4 cup oil, 2 tsp jaggery, 1 cup tamarind extract, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp
salt, 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp sesame, pinch of asafoetida, 5-10 garlic cloves, curry
leaves, 1 red chili
Steps in pickling:
 Heat up some oil in pan, add tomatoes to oil and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
 Allow tomatoes to cook completely and turn mushy.
 Add tamarind extract to it and allow to cook for 10 more minutes.
 Allow to simmer till the mixture releases oil.
 Heat up some oil in pan. Add mustard seeds and sesame to it till splutters, then add curry leaves, red chili
and asafetida. Keep it aside.
 Add all spices to tomato slurry and mix well. Garnish with the oil tempering and serve with your favourite
food!
5. Bittergourd Pickle
Bittergourd pickle is a life saving hack for all the mommy’s out there, for whom, making their kids eat
karela is nothing less than belling a cat! So here is the quick recipe for you all;
Ingredients (for 6 bitter gourds): 1 tsp mustard and fenugreek seeds, 50 ml lemon juice, 4 tsp oil, 5 garlic
cloves, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1-2 tsp salt, 2-3 green chilies.
Steps in pickling:
 Wash bittergourd gently. Remove the parts of covering that are degraded. DON’T peel whole cover.
 Slice the bitter gourd vertically, remove all seeds and chop into small pieces. Spinkle some salt on the
pieces and keep aside till it releases moisture.
 Squeeze all the water out from bittergourd pieces and keep it aside.
 Add some oil to a pan and heat. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds to it and allow to splutter.
 Then add bittergourd pieces to the pan and saute. Add all the spices and lemon juice to it. Mix well. Allow
to cool.
 Store in a glass jar in refrigerator and serve with paratha’s or dal-chawal, kids will surely love it!
6. Turmeric Pickle
Turmeric is well known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Pickling turmeric is benifical as
it allows to retain maximum bio-components into the recipe without any nutrient loss.
Ingredients (for 1 dozen turmeric): 20 gram ginger, 5-6 green chilies, 2 tsp oil, 2 tsp salt, 30-40 ml lemon
juice, 4 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, pinch of asafetida.
Steps in pickling:
 Wash turmeric, ginger and chillies properly and allow to dry completely under fan.
 Chop in small pieces and keep in a bowl. Mix well.
 Add salt and lemon juice to the bowl and mix properly.
  Now in a pan, heat some oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds. Heat till splutter.
 Add this to the mix bowl. Add all spices and mix well.
 Allow to cool. You can also add black pepper if you like the taste.
 Store in glass jar. Turmeric improves apetite and helps in digestion. Adding it to daily diet can work
wonders for you.
Conclusion:
Indian pickles are heart of every Indian kitchen. These simple yet wonderful recipies can work really well for your
health as well as taste improvement. Do give it a try. Let us know how you liked it!