The most common South Asian-style pickles are made from mango and lime. Others include cauliflower, carrot, radish, tomato, onion, pumpkin, palm heart, lotus stem, rose petals, ginger, Indian gooseberry,garlic, green or red chili peppers, kohlrabi, gunda (cordia), kerda, zimikand (purple yam), karonda, karela (bitter melon), jackfruit, mushroom, eggplant, cucumber, and turnip.
Homemade pickles are prepared in the summer and kept in the sun during daytime while stored in porcelain or glass jars with airtight lids. The high concentrations of salt, oil, and spices act as preservatives. Many commercially produced pickles use preservatives like citric acid and sodium benzoate.
Even using the same main ingredients, South Asian pickles come in a wide variety of flavors due to differences in spices and process. A mango pickle from South India may taste very different from one made in North India. In the southern states, sesame oil is preferred, while mustard oil is preferred in northern states for making pickles
This is a list of common Indian pickles, which have a wide range of flavors and textures. Indian pickles are generally pickled with oil, vinegar, lemon juice or water.The ingredients in Indian pickles make them exotic in taste with various varieties of sweet, sour, salty, cooling, hot, etc. Indian pickles are often made into fresh relish and chutney, which provides additional flavors to food. Many types of foods in Indian cuisine are pickled. Mangoes, gooseberries and lemons are examples of foods that are commonly pickled in Indian cuisine. Sometimes Indian families have their own unique pickle and chutney recipes that are handed-down through the generations.
List of Indian pickles
Amla pickle(Indian goosberry) pickle
Amla pickle or Indian gooseberry pickle is a popular pickle in South Asia and India. This spicy pickles are also available commercially. Gooseberries are a source of vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and phosphorus. It is prepared by pressure cooking them and seasoned with mustard by heating oil. Later adding the gooseberries and all the other ingredients.They can be stored in a refrigerator and used for about 15 days.
Assorted pickles also referred as Mixed pickles is also a popular mixed pickle in Indian cuisine. This pickles are also available commercially. It is prepared by boiling all the vegetables and cooking with the marinated ingredients together.'Pachranga Achar', also a generic name for the category, is popular brand of assorted or mixed pickles in North India, based in Panipat, it has a turnover of over Rs 25-30 crore.
Carrot pickle
Carrot pickle is prepared by dicing carrot and adding green chili peppers along with ginger.
Garlic pickle
Garlic pickle is a popular pickle in Andhra Pradesh.[citation needed] This spicy pickles are also available commercially. Garlic is an excellent source of dietary manganese. The sweetness is provided by jaggery. It is prepared by mixing the peeled garlic pods with mustard seeds and jaggery along with the pinch of salt.
Green chili pickle
Green chili is prepared by slitting chiles length-wise and frying along with ginger and garlic and combining with sugar syrup.
Indian pickle
A dish termed "Indian pickle" may include cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, french beans (green beans), onion, radishes, gherkins, celery, garlic and other foods.
Meats
Some meats that are pickled in Indian cuisine include mutton, quail, partridge, shrimp and lobster.
Onion pickle
Spicy onion pickle is prepared by cutting the onions into pieces and rubbing salt over it and draining the excess water after one day and marinating with other spices for four or five days.
Raw mango and chickpea pickle
Raw mango and chickpea pickle is a very popular pickle in India. This pickles are also available commercially. It is prepared by marinating grated raw mango with salt and turmeric powder for one day and mixing it with soaked chickpea and with other ingredients and using after four days.
Red chili pickle
Red chili pickle is a very popular pickle in India. This spicy pickles are also available commercially. It is prepared by slitting the red chillies length-wise and stuffing fenugreek powder along with other ingredients and placing it in a closed porcelain jar for one month.
Sweet mango pickle
Sweet mango pickle is a very popular pickle in India. This pickles are also available commercially. It is prepared by cutting the mangoes into pieces and adding sugar syrup over it, along with other ingredients and keeping it closed in jar under the sun till mangoes become soft.
Sweet sour lemon pickle
Sweet sour lemon pickle is a very popular pickle in India. This sweet and sour pickles are also available commercially. It is prepared by cutting the lemons into halves and sprinkling salt and pouring sugar syrup over it and marinating it for one week.
Tomato pickle
Tomato pickle is a very popular pickle in India. This spicy pickles are also available commercially. It is prepared by cooking ripe tomatoes and adding all the spices along with mustard powder.
