5 Quick Punjabi Pickle Recipes You Can Try At Home

Punjabis are hardcore gourmands, and their love for achars or pickles goes unquestioned. Pickles are a must accompaniment in every Punjabi meal, whether with parathas or rice or simple chapatis. Undoubtedly, people from the state take a lot of care to make these pickles tasty and healthy. If you think the process of making pickles is long and tedious, well, Punjabis have mastered the art of doing the job in a jiffy. Take a glimpse at some of the instant Punjabi achars that you can try at home without much hassle.

1. Punjabi Carrot Pickle: A quick, tasty and healthy pickle, the Punjabi gajar mirchi achar needs just a few steps and ingredients to turn it into a lip-smacking, tangy condiment. You need to mix carrots, mustard seed, fenugreek seeds split, asafetida, kalonji chilli powder, salt and turmeric and mix them all in heated mustard oil. Then, your gajar achar is ready to be served and savoured.
2. Green Chilli And Ginger Pickle: A spicy pickle, this recipe combines the goodness of ginger and chillies and can be made in a few minutes with some simple ingredients. First, cut the ginger and the chillies into thin slices and store them in a jar. Next, add some lemon juice and salt and shake the pot properly. Finally, keep it aside for at least 12 hours to enjoy its unique taste.
3. Mango Pickle: Raw mangoes with mustard oil are an irresistible combination. You can make this instant Punjabi mango pickle with raw mangoes, cut into strips, mixed with salt and put aside for one hour. Then, strain the water from the mangoes and mix them well with mustard oil, asafoetida, fennel and cumin seeds, turmeric and mix them all thoroughly. The pickle can be stored for about 4 to 5 days if kept in the refrigerator.
4. Carrot, Cauliflower And Turnip Pickle: Health can come in the form of pickles in jars, and this authentic pickle from Punjab does just that. A winter favourite, this pickle has all the vegetables boiled, then dried in the sun before mixing them with the spices along with vinegar as well as jaggery for a sweet, tangy flavour. Remember to heat the vinegar and add jaggery to it to let the latter get dissolved in the vinegar completely. A few days of drying in the sun will make the pickle superbly tasty and healthy too.
5. Lemon Pickle: This is a tangy, tasty pickle for you to relish with your meal of dal and rice or parathas. This Punjabi lime pickle can be made and is exceptionally healthy without any oil. It can be prepared with either limes or lemons as is your choice and has only carom seeds and red chilli powder as its ingredients. Be careful not to cut the lemon entirely; making just four slits for the spices to be appropriately stuffed is enough.

Making pickles is often kept pending, thinking it to be a time-consuming process. But with these easy recipes, you can enhance the taste of any meal. All they need are a few ingredients in your pantry and a few minutes of your time.

Satarupa B. Kaur has been writing professionally for a decade now. But, she is always on the go; she loves to travel, books, and playtime with her toddler as she explores new places and food!