Add a spoonful of carrot pickles (gajar ka achar in Hindi) to a simple Indian meal of dal and rice and taste the transformation! I ferment the pickle to make it even more nourishing and probiotic.
Spicy carrot pickles
If you enjoy a good Indian pickle you will fall in love with this vegan carrot pickle.
Indian pickles are alluring because they pack in so much flavor with the spices, mustard oil and salt. Pickles have long been valued in Indian homes for their probiotic benefits but unfortunately most store bought pickles do not offer those benefits because they are pasteurized.
A few years back, as I learned more about the power of fermented foods like sauerkraut and sourdough, I also turned to making my own Indian pickles at home (like this amazing lime pickle), much as my mother and grandmother did. I discovered that not only is the process easy, but the result is far tastier and more nutritious than anything you can buy in a jar off a shelf.
I've since pickled all sorts of veggies, but one of my favorites is by far this delicious carrot pickle. Not only is it super easy to make, but it amplifies the natural healthfulness of carrots. And it tastes so good, you might be tempted to eat it by the spoonful!
You can ferment these carrot pickles in the sun, like other Indian pickles, but it's not necessary. One week on your kitchen countertop will do the trick just as well! After fermentation, be sure to refrigerate them.
-Vaishali
Recipe card
Carrot Pickle (Gajar ka Achar)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots (Use organic carrots. No need to peel, but wash the carrot to remove any dirt and debris and dry them thoroughly)
- ¼ pound ginger (use organic ginger. If using organic ginger you don't need to peel but wash and dry thoroughly)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds or methi seeds (methi dana)
- 1 tablespoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- 2 heaping tbsp cayenne (use less if sensitive to heat, more for spicier pickles. I find two is just right for me and isn't too spicy)
- 1 tablespoon turmeric (haldi)
- 1½ cups avocado oil or any neutral oil (use one with a high smoking point)
- 2 tablespoon mustard seeds (rai)
- 1 teaspoon asafetida or hing (hing)
- ¼ to ½ cup salt (preferably Himalayan pink salt, sea salt or kosher salt. Add ¼ cup first and add more if you want a saltier pickle)
Instructions
- Grate the carrots and ginger using the large holes on the grater. Place in a large bowl.
- Place the fennel seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds in a skillet and toast them for 3-5 minutes, over medium heat, until very fragrant.
- Remove the seeds to a plate and when they have cooled place them in a blender or coffee grinder with the turmeric and cayenne. Blend into a powder. Add to the bowl with the carrots and ginger.
- Heat the oil until it's smoking hot. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil along with the asafetida. As soon as the mustard seeds sputter take it off the stove and carefully pour the hot oil mixture into the bowl with the carrots and ginger. Stir in the salt and mix well.
- Once the pickle has cooled down, pack it into sterilized mason jars making sure the carrots are submerged under a thin layer of oil on top. If the oil doesn't rise to the top, pour some more into the jar until the carrots are submerged. This will keep the carrots from getting moldy. I filled one mason jar within an inch to the top, and a second about ¾ths full.
- Let the mason jars stand on the countertop for a week. Stir them every other day with a clean, sterilized spoon, always making sure you pack them under the layer of oil.
- After a week the pickles should have softened and will look darker. Serve them and store the remaining pickles in the fridge.
Notes
- Nutrition information for sodium is for ¼ cup salt. If you use more, the sodium content will increase.
- With any fermented food, there is a chance of mold developing. Make sure you dry the carrots thoroughly after washing them and sterilize all the equipment used to make the pickle (except the skillet). Also make sure you don't cut down on the amount of oil--it might seem a lot, but remember, each jar of pickles has at least 40-50 servings. If the pickle develops mold or smells moldy, discard it immediately.
- Pickles made and fermented properly can be stored in the fridge for up to a year.
Nutrition Information
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How to make carrot pickle
- Grate the carrots and ginger and place in a large bowl.
- Place the fennel seeds, nigella seeds and fenugreek seeds in a skillet and toast them for 3-5 minutes, over medium heat, until very fragrant.
- Remove the seeds to a plate and when they have cooled place them in a blender or coffee grinder with the turmeric and cayenne. Blend into a powder. Add to the bowl with the carrots and ginger.
- Heat the mustard oil until it's smoking hot. Add the mustard seeds to the hot oil along with the asafetida. As soon as the mustard seeds sputter take it off the stove and carefully pour the hot oil mixture into the bowl with the carrots and ginger. Stir in the salt and mix well.
- Once the pickle has cooled down, pack it into sterilized mason jars making sure the carrots are submerged under a thin layer of oil on top. This will keep the carrots from getting moldy.
- Let the mason jars stand on the countertop for a week. Stir them every other day with a clean, sterilized spoon, always making sure you pack them under the layer of oil.
- After a week the pickles should have softened considerably. Serve them and store the remaining pickles in the fridge.
Key food safety tip!
With any fermented food, there is a chance of mold developing. Make sure you dry the carrots thoroughly after washing them and sterilize all the equipment used to make the pickle (except the skillet). Also make sure you don't cut down on the amount of oil--it might seem a lot, but remember, each jar of pickles has at least 40-50 servings. If the pickle develops mold or smells moldy, discard it immediately.
Carrot pickles FAQs
You can, but you won't get the probiotic benefit that you'd get after fermenting them. They'll still be very delicious and nutritious because carrots and the spices pack a lot of benefits.
Indian pickles are made with mustard oil, which has a sharp, pungent flavor. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires mustard oil sold in the United States to be labeled as being "for external use only" because it has a high erucic acid content. There is some concern that erucic acid can elevate the risk of heart disease, although other sources say that is not a conclusive finding. There is now a food grade mustard seed oil available, which is sourced from seeds that are bred to reduce the erucic acid content.
Ultimately it is up to you whether or not you want to use mustard oil in this pickle or any other recipe. Mustard oil is used widely in India, and I use it in just a handful of dishes where it makes a big difference to the flavor. I buy mustard oil at the Indian grocery store and I have occasionally bought this brand online, on Amazon.
You should sterilize the grater, bowl and ladle you will use to mix the pickle, but you don't need to sterilize the skillet as you will be heating that. And it is absolutely important that you sterilize the mason jars you will store the pickles in.
Pickles made and fermented properly can be stored in the fridge for up to a year.
With dal and rice or with roti and a sabzi, like this bhindi ki sabzi or baingan masala. If you are a sourdough aficionado, check out this amazingly soft roti recipe made with sourdough discard.
This is unconventional, but I love stirring a spoonful of this carrot pickle in a salad. It adds so much delicious flavor and no dressing required!
Johnson says
I am going to try your recipes soon.