Recipe Garlic Achaar

Herbie

Herbie

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This pickle/chutney-type condiment has a rich, sweet, spicy flavour. It's served with Indian food, is also delicious with simply cooked meat/fish/veg, and is great on toast!

Like most pickle/chutney/relish dishes the ingredients vary, but garlic in mustard oil and lots of spices is the basis.

The garlic
  • 2 cups peeled garlic cloves (with bottoms chopped off. Larger pieces cut in half lengthways)

Spices for toasting
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • ½ tsp onion/nigella seeds
  • 4 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp brown mustard seeds
The rest of the ingredients
  • ¼ cup mustard oil (I added a bit more)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon asafoetida
  • ½ tsp fenugreek (If you have whole then toast with the above)
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • half a dozen curry leaves
Method

Toast the spices in a dry pan until the smell nice :)
Cool and roughly crush. (Don't powder. I use a coffee grinder for a couple of blitzes)

Put the garlic in a pan with the (cold) oil and bring to a medium heat. Cook until soft. Don't let them burn!)
Mix in all the spices and lemon juice (it might spit) and salt.

Store in a clean glass jar. Leave it out of the fridge. It's better after a day or two.
 
I'll bet this is very delicious. I note you use mustard oil - I think its almost impossible to find in the US (banned I think?). I do have mustard oil - I think the same one as you have from Morrison's which is a blend of mustard oil and vegetable oil. However, I reckon the recipe would work with vegetable oil since there are mustard seeds in the achaar anyway.

Herbie said:
Put the garlic in a pan with the (cold) oil and bring to a medium heat. Cook until soft. Don't let them burn!)
Click to expand...

Approximately how long do they take?
 
Mustard oil can be found in the States. Theoretically, it's supposed to be labeled "For external use only", but I bought a bottle from an Indian grocery store a few years ago.

By the way, do the curry leaves just stay whole as part of the pickle (and you work around them as you use it)? And, are these dry or fresh leaves?
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
By the way, do the curry leaves just stay whole as part of the pickle (and you work around them as you use it)? And, are these dry or fresh leaves?
Click to expand...

I bought these and they were still green and pliable when they came despite being sun dried. I put them in the bag in a plastic bag and froze them. They got brittle in freezer, but were still aromatic.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
Mustard oil can be found in the States. Theoretically, it's supposed to be labeled "For external use only", but I bought a bottle from an Indian grocery store a few years ago.

By the way, do the curry leaves just stay whole as part of the pickle (and you work around them as you use it)? And, are these dry or fresh leaves?
Click to expand...

I have them frozen and use in curries whole, I take out before serving, just me though.
I bought a bag of them for like $3

Russ
 
I just made a half recipe. Got tired of peeling garlic cloves. Knew I should have bought the already peeled ones. I used too much oil though. I'll probably pour some off once everything settles.

65164
 
Last edited:
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