Subj : Laal Lal Mirch Ka Achaar (Pickled Red Chilli Peppers)
To   : All
From : Ben Collver
Date : Sun Aug 10 2025 11:10:45

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Laal Lal Mirch Ka Achaar (Pickled Red Chili Peppers)
 Categories: Indian, Pickles
      Yield: 1 Batch

     18    Whole red chili peppers;
           - up to 20
      1 pn Salt
      4 tb Rai (brown mustard seeds)
      2 tb Fenugreek seeds
  1 1/4 ts Nigella seeds
  1 1/2 tb Fennel seeds
      2 ts Turmeric powder
  1 1/2 tb Amchoor (dry mango powder)
      2 ts Salt; adjust to taste
    300 ml Virgin mustard or olive oil;
           - up to 350 ml, divided

  You could use the same recipe to make whole stuffed red chili peppers.
  Instead of halving them, simply, remove the seeds and stuff with the
  spices.

  Never under salt the pickle, it will go bad within few weeks. If you
  do not like the strong taste of mustard oil, you can heat it up to do
  away the raw smell, cool down and then add. Or you can use olive oil
  in this recipe if you do not get mustard oil. The flavor of the
  pickle is slightly different from traditional but it works.

  This is not an instant pickle recipe, the pickle is sun fermented and
  takes 7 to 10 days, or more depending on strength of sun where you
  live to mature and get ready to consume.

  Wash and pat dry the chilies. Cut and discard the top stem and the
  entire green portion, then cut them into half. I discarded the seeds
  & veins of half the chillies, thats where the heat in the pickle
  comes from. You can remove seeds for all of them if you want. Layer
  the chilies on a wide, non reactive shallow dish, sprinkle a scant
  pinch of salt.

  Using your coffee grinder, coarsely pulse the mustard, fennel,
  nigella & fenugreek seeds separately. This is important. You do not
  need to make a fine powder, if few specks of whole spices remain,
  it's okay.

  In a small bowl mix the powdered spices together with turmeric, 1 ts
  salt, and amchoor. Taste the spice mix for salt, it should be
  slightly more salty than you think. Add 2 to 3 tb mustard oil just so
  that the spice powder is moistened. This will be make it easy to
  stuff the chilies.

  With dry hands, stuff whole or each half of the chilies with this
  spice mixture.

  Place the stuffed chili pepper in a wide glass dish. I use my Pyrex.
  Add 200 ml of mustard oil, any spice mixture remaining and gently mix
  so that the chilies are coated in oil. At this point, the achaar will
  have a very strong smell and a bitter taste but that's okay. Allow it
  to stand in full sun for two days. Try to stir the achaar once or
  twice a day with a clean, dry spoon.

  On the 3rd day transfer the achaar into a glass or porcelain jar. Do
  not use a metal container. Check and adjust the salt and top with
  remaining oil and mix well. Cover the mouth of the jar with a muslin
  cloth, tie with a string and let mature for 7 to 10 days in sun. This
  time will depend on the strength of sun in the area you live. Stir
  the contents once or twice a day.

  At the end of sun fermentation, the skin of chilies would have
  shrivelled and the strong, bitter taste will go away. Store at room
  temperature for up to 2 to 3 months. Always use a clean spoon to
  serve the pickle.

  Recipe by sanjuro

  Recipe FROM: <gopher://sdf.org/0/users/sanjuro/indian-food/laal-lal-
  mirch-ka-achaar---pickled-red-chili-peppers.txt>

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