Spice Up Your December With This Easy Desi-Style Chilli Pickle

Desi-style chilli pickles are a treat for the taste buds, with their bold flavours and tantalizing aroma that keep you craving more of that spicy kick. Why spend a fortune buying it when you can make this delicious condiment at home?

Here’s a simple recipe to stock up on homemade chilli pickles this winter.

Ingredients

• ½ pound green chillies
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ¾ cup mustard oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice

Instructions

• Rinse and dry the chillies in a paper towel.
• Wearing gloves, remove and discard the stems. Then, using a knife, make a slit on the large side of the chilli. Set aside for now.
• Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds to a small pot or pan over medium heat and dry roast the whole spices for 2 minutes, or until the spices are slightly toasty and fragrant. Grind the spices (you can grind them so that they are coarse, finely ground, or somewhere in-between, it’s fine to leave some larger pieces).
• Add mustard oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until you see the oil begin to smoke.
• Wait a couple of minutes for the oil to cool down a bit, then add the chillies, freshly ground spices, salt, and turmeric to the pot and mix well. Wait 10 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice.
• Once the mixture has cooled completely, pour it into a dry glass jar and let it sit for at least 3-4 days before eating. Shake it once a day so the oil coats all the chillis.
• Store the achar on the counter for up to a month (shaking it every other day) or in the fridge for up to six months.

(Recipe Credit: ashley/myheartbeets.com)