Calling all spicy food lovers! This Indian green chilli pickle, also known as mirch ka achar, is what’s missing from your dinner plate!
Green chilli achar is NOT for the faint-hearted. Just smelling this spicy pickle is enough to make you sweat.
When you eat an Indian meal, it’s common to serve pickle, also known as achar, alongside the meal. That way, those who prefer spicier food, can easily adjust the heat to their preference.
My recipes typically fall within the medium heat range because that’s how I like my food. While it’s easy to increase the amount of cayenne or chilis in a dish to make it spicier, sometimes it’s nice to have a side of achar as a condiment because it adds a unique flavor to the meal as well as heat.
After you make this green chilli pickle, let it sit for 3-4 days before eating it. Shake it once a day so that the oil coats all the chillis.
You can keep the achar on the counter for up to a month (shaking it every other day) or in the fridge for let’s say up to six months (though truthfully, I’ve kept some jars of achar in my fridge for years. I once saved a bit of my mom’s gobi, gajar, and shalgam achar for 2 years with hopes of one day recreating it through taste alone, only to have my dad finish it off during a visit, lol).
The photo below is what it looks like on the day you first make the pickle and the photo directly below that shows what it’ll look like after 3-4 weeks of sitting on the counter.
About the ingredients + a note about mustard oil
This mirch ka achar is made with green chilis, mustard oil, and spices like cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds.
I use small Indian green chillis to make this pickle; you can find them at your local Indian grocery store. I’m sure other green chilis, like serrano, will work well too.
Different pickles have different flavors depending on the ingredients you use. My lemon pickle for example is sour, a bit sweet, and very mild. This green chilli pickle is spicy and pungent thanks to the green chilis and mustard oil.
For those unfamiliar with mustard oil, it has a sharp, wasabi-like flavor and is commonly used in Indian cooking. However, one thing to know is that in the US, mustard oil is sold with a warning that says “for external use only.”
Despite this warning, many Indian folks cook with this type of oil. If you’re buying mustard oil from your local Indian store – just ask the owner/employee there if it’s a brand they suggest cooking with. To learn more about this oil, you can read this article from the NY Times and this one from Serious Eats.
If you’re not comfortable using mustard oil, you can use another type of oil, however the flavor will be different.
Everything I know about achar, I’ve learned from my mom. She makes many different kinds of achar and they are all so good, including this mirchi ka achar. I’ve been trying to get mom’s recipes for years (I have probably asked her for a pickle recipe once every few months since first starting my blog back in 2013, lol). Those of us with Indian parents know how challenging it is to get our family’s recipes.
Getting my mom’s achar recipes has been especially tricky because when I visit, my mom has the pickles ready for me and so there’s no need to make more while I’m there. And when she visits, she brings me jars of them already made. And really, when someone is handing you homemade jars of achar, you don’t care to make them yourself… until they run out, lol.
Anyway, since we’re all spending more time at home these days, I’ve been able to Facetime my mom while she cooks and I’m learning some of her special recipes, including how to make her pickles. All that to say, stay tuned, there’s more to come! 🙂
What’s your favorite kind of achar? Is there a recipe you’d like to see here on the blog? Let me know!
Ingredients
- ½ pound green chilies
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Âľ cup mustard oil
- ÂĽ cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the chilies. (the chilies must be dry, use a paper towel if needed).
- Wearing gloves, remove and discard the stems. Then, using a knife, make a slit in the large side of the chili. Set aside for now.
- Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds to a small pot or pan over medium heat and dry roast the whole spices for 2 minutes, or until the spices are slightly toasty and fragrant. Grind the spices (you can grind them so that they are coarse, finely ground, or somewhere in-between, it’s fine to leave some larger pieces).
- Add mustard oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until you see the oil begin to smoke (you’ll want to turn the stove off as soon as the oil starts to smoke, otherwise your smoke alarm will go off – ask me how I know).Â
- Wait a couple of minutes for the oil to cool down a bit, then add the chilies, freshly ground spices, salt, turmeric to the pot and mix well. Wait 10 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice.
- Once the mixture has cooled completely, pour it into a dry glass jar and let it sit for at least 3-4 days before eating. Shake it once a day so the oil coats all the chillis.
- Store the achar on the counter for up to a month (shaking it every other day) or in the fridge for up to six months.
Notes
- In the directions, I say that you can store achar in the fridge for up to six months but I’ve kept some jars of achar in my fridge for years.
- Make sure to always use a dry spoon when removing pickles from the jar.
Sumit Khatri says
Thank you so much for sharing this. Surely it will help and benefit to the people.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how much you like this recipe 🙂
Larry Dinkoff says
Hi Ashley!
First off, GREAT Recipe. I love hot and spicy foods, the hotter the better so this green chili pickle really hits the spot!
After living for three years in India, I came home afflicted with achar withdrawals, LOL. But one type of achar in particular I cannot find a recipe for, and that is Achar Pachranga. It’s inexpensive enough to buy here in Houston TX at $4.99 for a 1.75 lb. can but I always love to make my own and it’s a recipe I would love to see on the blog!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Larry! I’m so glad you like this pickle so much 🙂 I loved mixed pickle! I have yet to try making that myself, but I’ll see if my family can help me with that recipe.
Heidi says
Made it this week, and after religiously shaking the jar every day as instructed, I sampled the result – very happy indeed! Used gingelly oil as this is my go-to for all my Indian achar recipes and it worked well. Thank you for posting.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Heidi, that’s so great to hear! Glad you enjoyed this so much 🙂
Adrian says
Hello, instead of mixing different spices can I use ready made pickle masala and how much should I use
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’ve only tried the recipe as written, but you can try using whatever spices you’d like – the flavor will just be different.
Payal Maskara says
Hi Ashley, love your recipes esp instant pot. In times like this your recipes have been my time saver. Thank you so much for your time and effort. One question though- for this pickle recipe can I use thick green chilli? Thank you
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Payal! I appreciate the kind words 🙂 To answer your question, I’m sure this recipe will work with any green chili, so feel free to use what you’d like. Let me know how it goes!
Nimmy Rob says
Thanks for sharing your recipes. So I love so many recipes on your site. I’m looking forward to trying this pickle recipe with some Datil peppers I’m overflowing with in my garden. I have everything besides fennel seeds, I have fennel powder, would that work? Can I substitute the fennel powder for the seeds? I would add it after roasting the seeds so it wouldn’t burn…. or maybe just use all powders?
Ashley Lesniewski says
What would one use instead of mustard oil?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Ashley, you can use avocado oil or olive oil instead – it won’t have that extra pungent flavor, but it’ll still be very flavorful.
vasant says
thank you so much for this recipe. I was searching for this from a long time.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Vasant! Glad you liked it 🙂
vasant says
its my pleasure .
Anu says
Hi Ashley! I recently bought my first instant pot and have loved experimenting with you recipes on it 🙂
I wanted to clarify if the green chillies were “stuffed” with the spice masala at all or were were just “mixed” / stirred with the hot oil and spice mix. From the photos it looked like they were stuffed too?
The colours on this achaar look brilliant. I love both red and green chillies stuffed pickles. Recently bought some organic thai (Indian) chillies I’m hoping to use for this.
My Heart Beets says
Hi Anu, I’m so glad you’re trying my recipes in your IP! As for this achar, I didn’t stuff them – just mixed them 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Shilpa says
Thanks for the recipe .I love spice and will be making this achar.I’d love to see the recipe for the lemon and gajar,gobi ,shalgam achar on your blog,whenever you manage to get them from your mom.Moms and grandmoms recipes are always the best :)!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Shilpa! I hope to share that one soon – and yes, family recipes are definitely the best! 🙂
Colleen says
Hi Ashley, I love all your recipes especially the Instant Pot ones! Thank you for sharing these detailed recipes with us. Not sure if I would try out this particular recipe only because it will be too spicy for me, but would like to get mango pickle recipe and lemon pickle recipe (sweetish yet sour) that is simple to make and healthy without too much of masala 🙂 Your website is awesome.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Colleen! Totally understand – truthfully, I make this green chilli pickle more for my husband than myself. I hope to share a mango pickle soon 🙂 You can try my lemon pickle recipe – I’d suggest adding more sugar if you want it to be more sweet than sour.