Homemade Pickle Masala/Achar Ka Masala

Indian cuisine is in complete without pickles. You will find hundreds of varieties in Pickles from different parts of India. In summer, generally pickles are made which can be stored for years and pickle masala is heart of any pickle. To make this pickle all ingredients are there in your pantry, there is nothing special that you will have to hunt for.

You can also add this masala to your vegetables and curries. If you are making sprouts salad add a pinch of this masala and your bland salad will be chatpata. It also tastes awesome with paratha, khakhra, roti or can be used in dal, veggies etc. Read my notes before you start making the pickle masala. 

Ingredients 
45 Grams Red Chilly powder 
25 Grams Turmeric Powder 
100 Grams Yellow Mustard Seeds 
½ Teaspoon Asafoetida 
45 Grams Fennel Seeds 
30 Grams Fenugreek Seeds
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1 Cup Mustard Oil

Method

Dry roast the salt a minute or two on a slow flame in a pan/tawa, so that all the moisture evaporates. Let it to cool completely before adding to the remaining ingredients.

In a small pan/pot, heat the oil on slow flame. Oil should be smoking hot. Let this cool completely.

Coarsely powder the yellow mustard and fenugreek seeds separately then mix all the rest ingredients well, in a bowl and keep aside.

Pour the cooled oil on to the spices and mix well. Make sure each spices blends perfectly..
Store in a air tight glass jar/ container tightly packed.

Easy, tasty, preservative free Homemade Pickle Masala/Achar Ka Masala is ready! Keep this mix handy and you can make pickles with minimum work load/effort. 

This is very handy for making any type of pickle(instant or long storage/yearly). If you have this ready Pickle Masala/Achar Ka Masala handy then you can make pickle instantly. Just make a big batch of this ready masala once and use it when ever needed. This masala stays good for 3-4 months on the pantry shelf or for a year if refrigerate (in the refrigerator the color does not change and is the same).
This  Pickle Masala mixed in oil is packed my sister in law. 
My Notes
When I make this masala for me, I do not add oil, but store it dry in the refrigerator in a airtight container.

The reason I, do not add hot oil to the masala is because if you add hot oil then the masala will turn blackish and you will not get this bright color to your pickle.  

In most pickle masala the salt content is more, I, do not add more salt, since when pickle is made with any ingredient salt is added to it. I try to keep the salt content less.

If you like the taste of asafoetida or any other spices more in your pickle masala then increase it according to your taste. For me the Pickle Masala is perfect.  
Labels: Pickle, Homemade, Pickle Masala, Preservative free