Hari Mirch Achar – Pickles form an integral part of our Indian food. These not only make the food tasty, some are good for digestion, some preserve a fruit or vegetable so that it can be enjoyed later on, some provide necessary vitamins, minerals to our body. We simply can’t ignore them in our food.

This year I have made lots of pickles. His hari mirch achar is one of them. I have already made 3 batches. In winters we generally like spicy food. That is why this pickle is very popular in this season.

We get really nice moti hari mirch for achar in Jaipur. I was already thinking of making this pickle when I got a call from one of our cousin’s to post this recipe in February. That was enough to motivate Axat and kids. So chilies were bought, jars were cleaned and the process was started. But for some reason, I could not take photos earlier. well Better late than never…;-)

How to make Hari Mirch Achar

preparation time: 30 minutes
cooking time: about 2 minutes

Ingredients:

500 grams Green Chilies
2 tbsp moti Saunf/fennel seeds ( coarsely grounded)
1  + 1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp rai/mustard seeds powder ( coarsely grounded)
1 tsp dana methi/ fenugreek seeds ( coarsely grounded)
1/2 tsp kalonji/nigella seeds
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp amchur/dry mango powder
1/2 tsp Haldi/turmeric powder
1/4 tsp heeng/asafoetida
1 cup mustard oil

To make Hari Mirch Achar

Select firm, spot free shiny green chilies for achar. Wash them and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. They should be completely dry when you start making the pickle. Remove the top, make a slit lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the chilies in the desired size. I like keeping the pieces short so that we can easily serve them.

This is the size I like.

For achar masala Grind the Saunf/fennel seeds, rai/mustard seeds, and the dana methi/ fenugreek seeds to a coarse mixture separately. If we grind them together saunf and rai will be ground to a fine mixture which we do not want. That is why we grind them separate.

Heat oil so that when we drop saunf it starts floating on the surface. switch off the flame and let the oil cool down completely. If you want you can use oil without heating also in this recipe. But the flavor of the mustard oil is very strong in that case.

Get all the masala ready for achar.

Mix them in a bowl.

Add green chili to the masala and mix properly so that all the masala coat chilies.

now shift the green chili masala mix to a glass jar and add oil once it has cooled down completely. The level of chilies will sink down and oil will rise as achar will get ready in 2-3 days. For the longer shelf life oil should cover the chili pieces completely.
Keep the jar in sunlight for 2 days for 3-4 hours and your pickle is ready to eat on the 4th day.
chili pieces will keep on getting soft as the pickle age.

Enjoy with your roti, parathas or use this achar to add a kick to your daily dal chawal.

Tips for hari mirch achar

Always use a glass jar to store achar.
Jars should be properly sterilized and dry before storing achar in them.
You don’t need this big a jar for making achar. This is the only one left free so I had to use this one 😉