Achaars are all-time favourites of Indians as they can help instantly elevate the taste of any bland dish. A spoonful of achaar is enough to instantly enhance the taste of your meal. Since our childhoods, we have grown up eating so many different varieties of achaars that we all have our personal favourites. Achaars are generally made out of vegetables and their preparation depends on what ingredients are available in the market. There are a lot of delicious vegetables that are seasonally available during the winter season. This is when different types of achaars are made out of seasonal vegetables. Let's have a look at some winter-specific achaars that you can try this Winter season.
* Onion Garlic Achaar
Both onion and garlic have very strong flavours of their own. Garlic is used to enhance the flavour of many strong Indian curries and vegetables. Although both onion and garlic are available throughout the year, the winter variety of both onion and garlic has a very special flavour of its own. Taste of these winter onions is mildly sweet and perfect for achaar. Also, garlic has very warm tendencies and consuming garlic achaar during the winter season will give you the needed warmth. To make this pickle, all you have to do is sauté some onion and garlic with the help of some spices and vegetable oil. Now boil these in vinegar until all the pieces of onion and garlic are properly saturated with the flavours of vinegar. Then make sure that you cool these vegetables before storing them in airtight containers.
* Gajar Ka Achaar
Winter is the right time to get the most crunchy carrots on the market. The carrots available during the winter season are very sweet and high-quality. These carrots are accurate for making the very special gajar ka achaar in winter. To make this pickle, all you have to do is cut carrots into small circular pieces and make them with mustard seeds, chilli powder and mustard oil together in a medium-sized bowl. Now cook this on low flame and add some vinegar to this pickle. Then you have to keep it in an airtight container and leave it for 10 to 12 days. This pickle will be prepared in no time.
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* Mirchi Ka Achaar
Mirchi ka Achar is made out of spicy and flavourful green chillies that are abundantly available in the market to spice up the winter season. This pickle has very strong flavours and is only for people who can handle so many spices. This is prepared by slitting a chilli from the middle and stuffing it with a lot of spices. The spice mixture is prepared by mixing chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, chaat, masala, and some chickpea flour. You can also roast this masala mix before stuffing it in the green chillies for a better flavour. Now after stuffing your green chillies with this masala, brush some mustard oil on the top and store these chillies in airtight containers. This pickle will be ready in 2 to 3 days.
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* Muli Juli Sabji Achaar
This pickle is prepared by using juicy radish available in the market during the winter season. Radish is one of the most popular winter-specific vegetables that you can find in the market. This is a very quick pickled recipe and you can store it for a very long time in your kitchen and enjoy it. This is prepared by fermenting small pieces of radish in a mixture of vinegar, vegetable oil and some spices. You have to keep your fermented radishes stored in an airtight container for 9 to 10 days before eating them. This is a very juicy and tangy pickle that you can try. This can be paired with your parathas and rotis and is a quick fix when you cannot think of making something instantly.
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* Adrak Achaar
You can make this pickle easily at home by using a large batch of ginger. This is a very flavourful pickle and it can also be stored for a very long period. The best part about making this achaar is that it can be prepared in under 15 minutes, and you do not have to wait for such a long period to eat this achaar. This can be made with the help of four main ingredients consisting of ginger, lemon, salt and green chillies. Mix all these ingredients with the help of some mustard oil and give everything a good mix. Keep this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes before eating it for better flavours.
These are some of the most delicious varieties of winter achaars that you can make easily at home. By looking at the recipe, you would have understood that none of these achaars require you to use any fancy ingredients and can be prepared easily at home by using some common spices available at home.