Digestive pickle · Quick
Ginger Pickle Recipe (Adrak ka Achar)
Young ginger. Thin slices. Lemon cure.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenGinger pickle is thin young ginger in lemon, salt and a mustard tempering. It turns fibrous with old ginger and spoils with moisture. The fix is using young, tender ginger, slicing thinly, and keeping everything dry.
The 3 laws of ginger pickle
Why this recipe works
Fibrous old roots
Pink-tipped young ginger is tender.
Thick chunks
Thin slices cure evenly.
Oil first
Lemon cures the ginger before tempering.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Pickle
Spice and oil
The NineFoods pickle gauge
Is the ginger cured?
Taste a slice after a day.
Method · 4 stages
Step by step
Slice
- Peel and julienne young ginger very thinly.
Lemon cure
- Toss with salt, lemon juice and green chillies.
Temper
- Crackle mustard seeds and hing in a little oil; cool.
Jar
- Mix tempering into the ginger, jar and chill a day.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Mature ginger.
Fix next time
Use young ginger with thin skin.
Why
Not cured long enough.
Fix next time
Rest one more day.
Why
Old lemon juice.
Fix next time
Use fresh lemons and a clean jar.
Why
Over-salted.
Fix next time
Add more ginger and lemon.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Young ginger | Base | Mango ginger (amba haldi) |
| Lemon juice | Cure | Lime juice |
| Mustard tempering | Aroma | Skip for a plain lemon pickle |
| Green chillies | Heat | Skip for a milder pickle |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Heavy meals like biryani, nihari or dal chawal.
Store
Fridge about a month.
Tip
A few slices after a rich meal is a traditional digestive.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 20 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the ginger cured) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Ginger Pickle FAQ
Which ginger is best?
Young, tender ginger with thin skin.
How long does ginger pickle last?
About 1 month in the fridge.
Is ginger pickle good for digestion?
It is a traditional digestive with meals.
Can I skip oil?
Yes, a lemon-only version also works in the fridge.