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
About The Author
Lily Bengfort
Guyana, South American born Lily Bengfort's family emigrated to the U.S. when she was a child. During her diverse life and career, Bengfort served as a chief of staff to a Maryland Senator, worked in marketing for a Fortune 500 company, served as a Capital Campaign Chair for a non-profit, and worked as a Journalist for a Public Radio Station. However, her entrepreneurial bent from her Guyanese mother propelled her into successfuly launching and selling several start-ups. After selling a successful start up in 2000, Bengfort co-founded CenGen--short for Consulting and Engineering Next Generation Networks--where she served as President and CEO. The wireless communications and networking company was built into a mutimillion-dollar concern before being acquired by DRS Technologies, a multi-billlion dollar defense contractor in December 2010. Bengfort and CenGen won several awards including the U.S. Small Business Administration MD Small Business Person of the Year 2010; Influential Marylander 2011, The Daily Record; American Success Award, FIRN 2009; Maryland Technology Company of The Year 2006; Howard County EDA Achievement Award 2006; DARPA Director’s award to CenGen for helping the agency fulfill its mission to “conceive, explore, and demonstrate advanced and breakthrough concepts and technologies; Bravo Business Achievement Award from Smart Woman/Smart CEO 2005 and Maryland Incubator Company of The Year, 2005. Holding an MBA from Loyola College of Maryland and a B.A in English from University of Maryland Baltimore County, Bengfort (President of Muse 12, LLC and Green Mango Enterprises serves on the Dean's Advisory Council of the Merrick School of Business at the university of Baltimore and teaches an Applied Entrepreneurship program for women called ACTIVATE. "One thing that I try to do is help other women entrepreneurs from all over the world as well as locally," noting her involvement with ACTIVATE, the Howard County Economic Development Authority Tech Council and University of Baltimore.
Other posts byLily Bengfort
Author's web sitehttp://www.bengfort.com/author/lily
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.
I’d really love the mango achar recipe if you’ve gotten it!
Hi there,
My mother says the following;
Making Achar
0. Peel and crush 12 green mangoes
0. Then add 1 tablespoon salt
Leave overnight, and then squeeze juice and get rid of juice.
0. Add 2 ounces of massala, 1 table spoon of garlic salt (one ground garlic), one grounded fresh pepper, and 1/4 pint of mustard oil.
0. Bottle finish mixture and put in sun for a few days.
Then enjoy your Achar!