Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1kg firm red chile (lal mirch, moti achaar wali)
• 100g cumin (zeera)
• 100g fennel seeds (moti saunf)
• 250g dry mango powder (khatai)
• 30g onion seeds (kalonji)
• 30g fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• 3-4 tbsp salt, or to taste
• Mustard oil, enough to cover the chiles after they are filled and lined up in the container (achaari).
• Muslin cloth to cover the achaari for a couple of weeks.

Directions

Wash and dry the chiles well. Cut the tops off and reserve. Scoop out the seeds and keep aside.

Roast the zeera lightly till the aroma wafts in the air. Do the same and separately with saunf, kalonji, and methi. Cool, then grind together till coarse.

Add khatai and salt, and the amount of seeds you can tolerate. Taste again. Add just enough oil to bind the spices.

Fill the chiles with the masala using the back of a clean knitting needle, and pack well. Put the lids back on, and place chiles in the vessel so the lids are on top. Once all are done, gently pour oil over the chiles till all are just covered.

Tie the muslin over the top of the jar, and put in the sun. I have used a heater during the sunless winter days, and it has worked. After a couple of weeks, remove the muslin and put the lid on.

Tips

This achar is best consumed within a couple of months of making. It doesn’t keep like mango pickle.