No Indian meal is complete without that little amount of tasty pickle present next to the pinch of salt on a typical South Indian banana leaf. With wonderful memories of grandmother’s freshly made mango pickle in a big jar and the entire house spreading its salty, tasty aroma, here come more types of mouth-watering pickles.
1. Lemon Pickle
The sourness of the lemon spreading throughout the mouth is something you want to have with the sweet curds and white rice. It gives an immense tummy filling satisfaction by the end of the plate! And if you are a ‘sour food liking’ person, lime pickles are totally your type of dishes. For this, all you need is lemons cut into pieces, turmeric, crystal salts and the right procedure to make it. You sure will enjoy this!
2. Raw Mango Pickle
Unlike the ready-made mango pickles from plastic jars, freshly made raw mango pickles are totally worth the wait for mango season. You would want to eat just the mango pickles while licking your fingers. No wonder these pickles are the first ones to be empty in the jar. They taste the best when pieces of hard, raw mangoes are marinated with salt and turmeric powder, let to settle for a day or two. Moms better make them more in advance, for they are gonna be done-and-dusted soon!
3. Carrot Pickle
Pickle usually gives the idea of spicy side dish along with the main courses. Since carrot is usually sweet or not-so-sweet vegetable, the specialty of carrot pickle lies in the making of it. A typical Andhra style carrot pickle is spicy, hot and slightly tangy that comes with lemon juice. So, you better keep away the idea of gajar ka halwa’s sweetness while munching on gajar ka achar!
4. Onion Pickle
This one is mostly made on a daily basis in the Indian kitchens. Usually, good going along with the main dish normally serves as a salad. The bitter taste of onions along with sourness of lemon, spice of chili powder is a treat to your taste buds.
5. Tomato Pickle
The ripe tomatoes are mainly cooked along with mustard powder and the Indian masalas give the exact taste that an Indian wants to experience. Tomato pickles are always a great commercial market to the pickle companies.
6. Indian Pickle
Practically like the Indian moms who want their kids to be healthy by eating all vegetables on the plate, Indian pickle is nothing but different types of vegetables together made into a spicy dish. Like cabbage, capsicum, cucumber, mushroom, eggplant along with chili powder and turmeric. Looks yum!
7. Cucumber Pickle
Mostly famous in the western countries, cucumber pickle is nothing but pickling of a cucumber in vinegar for a certain time. It is mostly a dish you eat when you are normally bored! And tastes very good!
8. Garlic Pickle
Scientifically talking, garlic have good medicinal properties because of a compound called allicin present in them. And garlic pickles have been one of the oldest in times. No wonder our ancestors were very healthy and strong.
9. Green Chili Pickle
Definitely hot and spicy, green chili pickles are a feast to the ones who love spicy food items. They are mostly had along with plain rice or usually with plain blend parathas.
10. Radish Pickle
‘Mooli ka achar’ usually is marinated with vinegar, salt, and honey for about 3 to 4 days before serving and gives the best taste when had with meals. Thus increasing the hunger taste to a next level, making you want to eat more of it.
11. Bitter Gourd Pickle
As much as all of us don’t prefer eating this vegetable, it has the most applications in both medical field and as food variety. The pickle definitely tastes bitter but tastes better when had along with white rice and curds. Not most of us would like it, but have to admit, that it is one of the favorites to our grandmas!
12. Red Chili Sweet Pickle
Surprise! Never can one think of anything sweet with red chili but Indian kitchen can make wonders. Yes, you heard it right! Red chilies with lots of jaggery, little spices, and very little oil can make you feel amazing! Have a bite and get ready for the surprise!
13. Beetroot Pickle
Not very famous, this ground vegetable which cleans your blood, can be a wonderful side dish in your food plate. And definitely, has a wonderful color, you cannot ignore eating this one.
14. Capsicum Pickle
A colorful delight to your eyes with red, yellow and green colored capsicums or bell peppers, one cannot stop you from tasting one of those pickled pieces. Along with mustard oil, you can feel the pickle melt down in your mouth.
15. Amla Pickle
Mentioning this one a little late, but nevertheless is the taste! Be it raw amla, or the pickled one, the taste definitely stays on the tongue for a certain time. The mixed sweetness and salty taste are definitely going to make you want to eat more of it.
16. Cabbage Pickle
Not most of us like cabbage in the salad, but a pickled cabbage is worth thinking twice about. Although one cannot really taste cabbage in a cabbage pickle, this one really goes well with plain dosa, idli, Rava dosa and much more.
17. Lady’s Finger / Okra Pickle
Okra Pickle is as easy as the Okra fry and tastes better. I, personally love the smell and taste of it. And most people love it as a curry. This pickle is worth giving a shot and I’m sure you won’t be let down.
18. Cauliflower Pickle
This one’s usually made along with either raw mangoes or the carrots thus giving the crunchiness for the dish. This may not really look appealing to the vegans, but is sure tasty!
19. Meat Pickle
To all the non-vegans reading this post, do not let your heart down. The meat pickle is specially made for you guys to fall in love with a pickle. Pieces of boiled mutton cubes are marinated with varieties of Indian masalas and left to settle down for a certain amount of time. You can now imagine the meat cube with all the tasty juices absorbed, you sure are going to enjoy this one!
20 Fish Pickle
And the last but not the least, the mouth watering delight of the coastal people- Fish Pickle. ‘MeenAchar’ as the name suggests is made using different varieties of fishes. This is a must eat cuisine for travelers who visit coastal areas of India such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where these pickles are made in each household. This pickle is usually made by frying the small pieces of fishes and then mixed with Ginger garlic paste and other spices.
