Achar (Lime or Mango Pickle)
There are several versions of this pickle below. Our family favorite is a mango pickle, which I will try to obtain from Nanee soon. Use this dish as an accompaniment to a meal and eat with curry or roti. We used to make fun of one of our uncles saying that he put achar on everything- even ice cream!
Version 1:
Ingredients:
- ½ onion- chopped
- 2 cloves garlic- chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp curry
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers- thinly sliced
- 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
- salt
- lime juice
Version 2:
Ingredients:
- 16 ripe, juicy limes
- 2 hot peppers
- ¼ cup vinegar
- salt to taste
Version 1 Directions:
Sauté onion and garlic in oil until the onion is soft. Add curry, tomatoes and jalapenos. Simmer over low heat until tomatoes are cooked through and mixture has a sauce-like consistency.
Season with salt and lime juice to taste. Bottle in a mason jar, and let sit for a day then refrigerate and serve.
Yields about one cup.
Variant: add shredded mango with tomatoes during cooking.
Version 2 Directions:
Wash and cut limes into squares, then squeeze the juice into a cup and set aside. Cut the hot peppers into quarters and remove seeds.
Mix limes, peppers, lime juice, vinegar, and salt, making sure to shake/stir well. Then bottle tightly. Keep bottle exposed to sun for 2-3 days.
Variant: add shredded mango
Hi
I am guyanese and I love the food and the spices and i am looking for a recipe to make Tamarind Achaar. Do you have a recipe for that?? Also does the Lime for teh Lime achar have to be ripe limes??? or can they be slightly yellow but more on the green side living in boston i have a hard time finding yellow limes.
Thank You
Hi there,
I don’t have one as yet for tamarind achar…will have to check with my mother. But i know that you can use green limes or even lemons. Enjoy
hi
me and mam are looking for a recipe for mango achar or the spices used for mango achar ? it is my favourite thing , many thanks
Hi Helene,
I don’t have a recipe for mango atchar since I haven’t tried to make it yet.But my mother who has made it many times tells me that you shred or grate green mangoes very fine and you pound it to get all of the juice out. Basically, you squeeze all the juice out of the finely shredded green mangoes. Add salt, pepper, gara masala and mustard oil to preserve it. if you don’t get all of the juice out, the atchar will become moldy unless refrigerated.
I have only been able to find mustard oil at West indian stores and even these don’t appear to be as strong of mustard oils as used to be made in Guyana. Hope this helps.