Indian pickle (achar): the main types and how to serve them

Achar is Indian pickle: pieces of fruit or vegetables preserved in oil with salt, chilli and spices. It is salty, sour and hot, and you eat a small amount with a meal, the way you would use mustard. The most common kinds are mango, lime, lemon, garlic, chilli and mixed pickle. In Poland you will not find achar next to the jars of ogórki kiszone (sour pickled cucumbers); look for it in an Indian or Asian shop, where Polish labels often call it "marynowane ... w oleju" (pickled ... in oil).

How achar differs from Polish pickles

Polish pickles are mostly vegetables in vinegar brine (ogórki konserwowe) or in a salt brine that ferments (ogórki kiszone). Achar works differently. The fruit or vegetable matures in oil, usually mustard or sesame oil, with a lot of salt and spice. Some recipes add vinegar or lemon juice. Typical spices are mustard seeds, fenugreek, nigella, fennel, turmeric, chilli and asafoetida. The result is a thick, oily paste with a very strong taste. One teaspoon is enough for a full plate.

Achar is not chutney. Chutney is usually fresh or cooked, often sweet, and you eat it like a sauce. Achar is a preserve, salty and hot, and you use it like a condiment. Our chutney recipe post covers the other side.

The main types of achar

• Mango pickle: pieces of green, sour mango with the skin on. The South Indian version (avakaya) is very hot and full of mustard seed.
• Lime pickle and lemon pickle: limes or lemons in quarters. The peel softens in the oil and loses most of its bitterness. Sour and slightly bitter.
• Mixed pickle: a mix, for example mango, lime, carrot and chilli.
• Garlic pickle: whole garlic cloves, milder than you might expect.
• Chilli pickle: whole or sliced green chillies.
• Naga pickle: made from naga chillies from North-East India and Bangladesh. These are among the hottest chillies in the world, so start with a very small amount.

Pran pickles and naga pickle

Pran is a brand from Bangladesh. Its range includes mango, mixed, olive, garlic and naga pickle. Pran naga pickle is one of the products customers ask about most. Bangladeshi pickles are often made with mustard oil, which has a sharp smell a little like horseradish. More on that oil in mustard oil and mustard seeds.

What to serve achar with

• dal and rice: a teaspoon of achar at the edge of the plate;
• paratha and other flatbreads, also for breakfast;
• curd rice (rice with yoghurt) in South Indian cooking;
• biryani and pulao;
• a cheese sandwich or scrambled eggs, if you like strong flavours.

Many Indian homes keep several jars on the table at once: for example mango pickle for every day, lime pickle for curd rice and garlic pickle for paratha. Every region has its favourites: pickles in the south are hotter and more sour, in the north more often sweet and sour, and in Bengal and Bangladesh they are made with mustard oil.

Eat achar in small portions, together with other food. The oil at the bottom of the jar is useful too: a teaspoon adds flavour to a sauce or a marinade.

How to store Indian pickle

Take achar out with a clean, dry spoon. Water and food crumbs in the jar shorten its life. The pieces should stay covered by a layer of oil. Follow the date and storage instructions on the label: some producers say to keep an opened jar in the fridge.

Where to buy achar in Poland

Pran pickles, including naga and mixed pickle, are on the Pran brand page. Direct links: naga pickle 400 g and Pran mixed pickle 1 kg. For a milder start, try Shan mango pickle. Little India has shops in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk and ships orders online.