By Smriti Dey
December 29, 2025
People love garlic pickles, and green chilli pickles have their own group of fans. When you mix the two with a traditional Rajasthani spice base, you get a strong, spicy achar, awesome for every meal as an accompaniment. This dry pickle has a strong flavour in every bite, with mustard oil essence and unique flavours.
12–15 fresh green chillies, slit lengthwise ½ cup garlic cloves, lightly crushed 2 tbsp mustard oil 1½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf), coarsely crushed 1 tsp mustard seeds (rai), coarsely crushed ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi) ½ tsp turmeric powder 1½ tsp salt (adjust to taste) ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional, for extra heat) 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar
The chillies soak up the spices after being washed, dried, and cut. It is just broken up enough to smell good without becoming mushy.
Heat mustard oil until it starts to smoke. Then, let it cool down a bit to get rid of the sharpness. The strong smell stays the same.
Heat fenugreek seeds in a pan until they smell good. To keep the texture, mustard and fennel seeds are crushed into a rough powder.
Add turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, crushed spices, and warm mustard oil to the garlic and chillies. Mix them fully to cover them.
Lemon juice should be added. Put the pickle in a clean glass jar and let it sit for 24 to 48 hours. This gives the flavours time to grow.