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Winters are here and it’s time for us to indulge in garma garam paratha along with chutney, chai and some pickles on the side. The onset of winters brings with it the joy of enjoying all things warm, comforting, flavourful and delicious. And pickles are one of them.
As a kid, I remember basking in the winter sun while my mother used to bring bowls of homemade fresh pickles to dry them up on the terrace. Taking the advantage of this situation, me and my sister used to sneak some pieces of pickles veggies during our terrace study sessions and relish them under the warm winter sun. One of these pickles was mirchi ka achaar or chilli pickle. The fresh, crunchy and spicy chillies are flavoured with a generous amount of oil and spices and were an absolute delight to relish. The chillies were worth every risk I and my sister took to sneak them from the dabbas and have them as they were. As winters are here, we know you must be prepping up your kitchen for some delicious pickles. So, if you are thinking of making mirchi ka achaar at home, here are some tips you need to keep in mind.
1. Make sure you pat the main ingredient- chillies dry. Any water content in the main ingredient can spoil the pickle altogether and may shorten the shelf life.
2. Let the pickle rest. Be it any pickle, it needs to rest for at least 8 hours before you consume it. This resting will help in the blending of the flavours in the main ingredient perfectly resulting in authentic flavours.
3. The main issue while making mirchi ka achaar is the chillies turning soggy. To prevent this, make sure you add the chillies after turning off the heat. The chillies will get cooked in the residue heat and will remain crunchy for a longer time.
4. Make sure you add enough oil to cover the chillies to soak them completely. This will prevent them from getting spoiled easily.
5. If you are planning to store the pickle for a long time, make sure you expose the pickle to sunlight once in a while to keep them fresh. Also, store the pickle in an airtight container after sun drying.
Keep these tips in mind to make a vibrant, spicy, flavourful and crunchy mirchi ka achaar at home. Do try the recipe and let us know how you enjoy it.
