Every South Asian household will have a jar of achaar sitting at the table – it’s an essential condiment that can transform even the plainest meals into something vibrant and tasty.

Achaar can come in all different varieties – lemon, mango, tomato, fish, and even as showcased here – ghosht (mutton).

Achaar is basically a pickle – every culture has its own way of preserving and the Indian version is filled with yep you guessed it – lots and lots of spices.

To make this particular achaar, I start off by combining boneless lamb (you can use beef if you’d like) with lots of chopped garlic, salt, and turmeric. I tenderize it in a pressure cooker and then fry it in some oil afterwards until nice and caramelized.

Afterwards, I do the baghaar, tempering of aromatics in oil. I take mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, dried chilies, nigella seeds, and sliced garlic and toast them in oil until they are nice and toasty. This step creates a wonderful aroma and brings about tremendous flavor to the achaar that you can’t get solely from mixing in spices.

I then let the mixture cool (a pro-tip from my mom who says that if you add in spices in hot oil, they will darken and your achaar will not have a lovely red color) and then add in my remaining spices – powdered ajwan, fennel, coriander, and chili powder.

To balance out the heat, I add in lots of freshly squeezed lime juice.

And that’s literally it. You can store this in an air-tight jar and keep it at room temperature for about a week or in the fridge for a month. The salt, acidity, and spices prevent the achaar from spoiling.

Achaar is traditionally served with the main meal on the side with roti or rice. If you want to do something more fun, you can use it as a spice paste and toss some in noodles or make a killer fried rice!

Ghosht Achaar

A spicy Indian condiment made out of lamb pieces pickled in several spices and aromatics

Servings 1 medium jar

Ingredients

1 lb lamb or beef (boneless, cut into small pieces)
1/4 cup garlic (chopped)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp salt (yes, you do need a lot salt for achaar!)
5 tsp oil
4-5 limes (or to taste)

Baghaar (Tempering)

1/3 cup oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 dried red chilies
4 cloves garlic (sliced)
1 pinch asoefitida (optional)
1/4 tsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
1/2 tsp nigella (kalonji seeds)

More Spices

1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp ajwan powder
1 tbsp coriander powder

Instructions

Combine your lamb, garlic, turmeric, and salt. Add to a pressure cooker with a few tablespoons of water.
Fit the lid on the pressure cooker and allow the lamb to cook until tenderized (should take about 6-8 whistles).
Remove the pressure cooker off the heat and allow it to cool. Once at room temperature, remove the lid. (Do not attempt to open it while still piping hot!)
Add the meat to a hot frying pan (along with your 5 tsp of oil) and allow meat to cook until brown.
Add in the juice of about 4-5 limes to your lamb, depending on how acidic you want your achaar to be.
Now work on the baghaar (tempering). Add the 1/3 cup of oil to a small hot pan. First add in your cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
Once they start to pop, add in your methi (fenugreek seeds), garlic, curry leaves, nigella seeds, and dried chilies. Keep an eye on everything and make sure nothing burns! The whole process should take only a few minutes. Once everything is browned (but not black!), remove from heat immediately and transfer to the lamb. Combine.
Now allow the mixture to cool. Then add in the remaining spices - ajwan, fennel, coriander. (The reason why you must let it cool is because if you add the spices to hot oil, they will turn black and your achaar will not have a lovely red color). Taste and adjust for seasoning. Remember achaar is supposed to be eaten in small increments so it's supposed to be super salty, spicy, and sour!
Transfer to a clean, dry jar with a tight-fitting lid. You may store your achaar at room temperature for a week or in the fridge for 1 month.