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    Whisk Affair » Recipes » Cooking Basics » Achari Masala (Indian Pickle Spice Mix)

    Published: Jul 30, 2021 | Last Updated On: Jul 31, 2021 by Neha Mathur | This post may contain affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Achari Masala (Indian Pickle Spice Mix)

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    Jump to Recipe

    Achari Masala is an Indian spice mix that is used to make pickles. You can also use it to make achar flavored curries or snacks. Here is how to make it.

    If you like homemade spices mixes, then do try these as well – Masala Chai Spice Mix, Zaatar Mix, Chaat Masala, and Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix.

    Achari masala served in a bowl.
    Jump to:
    • About This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How To Make Achari Masala
    • Pro Tips By Neha
    • You Might Also Like
    • Recipe Card

    About This Recipe

    Achar or pickle has been an Indian tradition and most households have a family recipe to make different varieties of pickles. To make the Indian style pickles, a spice blend is added to vegetables or other ingredients, and this spice mix is called Achari Masala.

    Apart from using this spice mix to make pickles, you can add it to curries and snacks to give them a tangy, slightly bitter, and spicy pickle-like flavor.

    The best Achari Masala is made at home. Homemade masala is made using high-quality ingredients and is free of any chemical color or preservatives.

    Use it to make Achari Chicken, Achari Aloo, Achari Paneer, Achari Gobhi, Achari Paneer Tikka, Achari Turai, Achari Chole or Achari Bhindi.

    This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of masala. You can easily scale up or down the recipe.

    Ingredients

    Achari masala ingredients.

    All the ingredients to make this recipe are available in Indian grocery stores. Check the one that is nearest to you.

    Dry Red Chilies – Try to use Kashmiri red chilies as they give a lovely color to this masala without making it too spicy.

    Whole Spices – You will need coriander seeds, nigella seeds (kalonji), fennel seeds (saunf), mustard seeds (sarson), fenugreek seeds (methi), and cumin seeds (jeera).

    Others – You will also need salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida (hing), and dry mango powder (amchoor).

    How To Make Achari Masala

    Add 16-18 Kashmiri dry red chilies (stalks removed), 2 tablespoon coriander seeds (dhaniya), 2 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji), 6 tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf), 4 tablespoon mustard seeds (sarson), 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds(methi dana), 6 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera) to a pan, and dry roast on medium heat until browned and fragrant (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring while roasting.

    Dry red chilies, coriander seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds added to a pan.

    Remove the pan from the heat and cool the ingredients completely.

    Roasted spices.

    Add the roasted ingredients to a grinder or a food processor along with 4 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon asafetida (hing), and 4 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchoor).

    Roasted ingredients aded to a grinder along with salt, turmeric powder, asafetida and dry mango powder.

    Grind to make a slightly coarse powder. Store the achari masala in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months. Use as required.

    Ready achari masala in a grinder.

    Pro Tips By Neha

    The color of the masala depends on the variety of dry red chilies used to make it. I always use the best quality Kashmiri dry red chilies as they give it a lovely bright color.

    Roast the spices on medium-low heat to release the flavors. Roasting them on high heat will burn them and the taste of the spice mix will be not as good.

    Fenugreek seeds and nigella seeds add bitterness to this masala. So keep their quantity to a minimum.

    Grind the masala to a coarse powder and not very smooth for the best flavors.

    This recipe can be easily halved, doubled, or tripled.

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    Recipe Card

    Loved this recipe?Click here to leave a review and give us a five star rating ★★★★★
    Achari Masala is an Indian spice mix that is used to make pickles. You can also use it to make achar flavored curries or snacks. Here is how to make it.

    Achari Masala Recipe (Indian Pickle Spice Mix)

    Achari Masala is an Indian spice mix that is used to make pickles. You can also use it to make achar flavored curries or snacks. Here is how to make it.
    4.77 from 17 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Basics
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 20 servings
    Calories: 45kcal
    Author: Neha Mathur

    Ingredients 

    • 16-18 Kashmiri dry red chilies (stalks removed)
    • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (dhaniya)
    • 2 teaspoons nigella seeds (kalonji)
    • 6 tablespoons fennel seeds (saunf)
    • 4 tablespoons mustard seeds( sarson)
    • 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
    • 6 tablespoons cumin seeds (jeera)
    • 4 tablespoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon asafetida (hing)
    • 4 teaspoons dry mango powder (amchoor)
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    Instructions

    • Add Kashmiri dry red chilies, coriander seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds to a pan, and dry roast on medium heat until browned and fragrant (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring while roasting.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and cool the ingredients completely.
    • Add the roasted ingredients to a grinder or a food processor along with salt, turmeric powder, asafetida, and dry mango powder.
    • Grind to make a slightly coarse powder. Store the achari masala in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months. Use as required.

    Video

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikvuof6Lq-Q&t=58s

    Notes

    The color of the masala depends on the variety of dry red chilies used to make it. I always use the best quality Kashmiri dry red chilies as they give it a lovely bright color.
    Roast the spices on medium-low heat to release the flavors. Roasting them on high heat will burn them and the taste of the spice mix will be not as good.
    Fenugreek seeds and nigella seeds add bitterness to this masala. So keep their quantity to a minimum.
    Grind the masala to a coarse powder and not very smooth for the best flavors.
    This recipe can be easily halved, doubled, or tripled.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 45kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1404mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 365IU | Vitamin C: 52.7mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2.6mg
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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Vidya Chandrahas

      December 09, 2013 at 11:47 am

      Masala looks very flavorful .
      First time here.happily following you…follow me back Neha.

      Reply
    2. duru jassal

      December 09, 2013 at 1:54 pm

      love the flavour, sometimes i use the masala from the pickle to season my dal n veggies and also add to chicken, paneer…..almost anything, thanks, will make this too.

      Reply
    3. amita sharma

      December 09, 2013 at 11:31 pm

      I have tried the masala in stuffed parathas and they taste awesome.
      Your recipe for masala is nice.

      Reply
      • Julie Thomas

        November 22, 2021 at 11:43 am

        Can I use Kashmiri chilli powder instead of whole chillies. If yes, how much?

        Reply
        • Neha Mathur

          November 23, 2021 at 6:31 am

          Sure, replace the whole chilies with 1/4 cup chili powder.

          Reply
    4. Lallie Pillay

      November 10, 2016 at 7:24 am

      5 stars
      hI

      tHANK YOU FOR SHARING THESE BEAUTIFUL RECIPES- iTS LIKE MUSIC IN YOUR MOUTH THE DIFFERENT SPICE MAKING FOOD SO TASTY

      Reply
    5. Reddappa

      May 07, 2018 at 7:09 am

      5 stars
      Hi Neha,

      Thanks for the wonderful recipe, I am very much inspired by your recipes and I proudly say this is my 1st recipe of my cooking life.
      I have a doubt , Mine didnot turned red in colour, is it maybe because of less red chillies added? I added everything as mentioned in the ingredients list.

      Thanks in advance for your reply.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        May 07, 2018 at 10:02 am

        Hi, Thnx for your kind words. The colour of this masala comes from the variety of dried red chilli used. I have used very good quality Kashmiri Red Chilies for this one. If your colour is still not red, you can try adding some powdered Kashmiri mirch powder to your masala and skip the dried chillies.

        Reply
        • Reddappa Reddy

          May 07, 2018 at 1:19 pm

          Thanks Nehaji, for my next batch I will try to add Kashmiri mirch powder as you explained to get this texture. (The texture from your recipe is mouth watering , So i want to achieve the same colour) 🙂

          Reply
          • Neha Mathur

            May 08, 2018 at 4:52 am

            I am sure you will get it. I have also updated the recipe with ore details. Please do let me know if you want me to add anything else.

            Reply
    6. Bobo31

      May 20, 2018 at 2:51 pm

      5 stars
      Your blog is amazing I have made so many of your recipes and they are always crowd pleasers. Thank you so much for sharing. Please don’t stop.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        May 21, 2018 at 5:42 am

        Thnx a lot for trying out the recipes 🙂

        Reply
    7. Naseema

      September 04, 2018 at 12:25 pm

      5 stars
      What is the alternative for onion seeds

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        September 04, 2018 at 12:33 pm

        There is no alternative but you can skip adding them.

        Reply
    8. Pradipto

      December 25, 2018 at 5:14 pm

      I was totally unaware that such a thing as a pickle spice existed. While surfing the net I stumbled upon ‘achari alu’ which contained achar masala as one of its ingredients. My search for home made pickle spice recipe brought me to your blog. I will try this out for sure. Is onion seed a rare item?

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        December 26, 2018 at 4:25 am

        Sure. Do try. Onion seed is kalonji.

        Reply
    9. Divya

      March 25, 2019 at 1:06 am

      Hi Neha, somehow my masala turned out bitter. I am not sure why, maybe it got a little more roasted. Please suggest on how I can remove the bitterness.

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        March 26, 2019 at 7:38 am

        Hi Divya, it’s very unfortunate to hear this. I hope you followed the measurements correctly. If fenugreek seeds, onion seeds and mustard seeds are added in excess, the masala can become bitter. Do try to stick to the given measurements when you make it next and let me know if it works. Thnx

        Reply
    10. Blue Sparrow

      October 01, 2019 at 7:30 am

      Hi What is the Hindi term for fennel seeds?

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        October 02, 2019 at 10:26 am

        It’s Saunf.

        Reply
    11. Priyanka

      March 20, 2020 at 12:34 am

      Thank you for your recipie. Made the masala yesterday for chicken. It is very tasty. Putting some in a jar to gift to a friend, who is moving.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        March 20, 2020 at 2:43 am

        Nice 🙂

        Reply
    12. Pratham

      June 13, 2020 at 3:12 am

      5 stars
      It’s very nice i like it

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        June 13, 2020 at 7:36 am

        Thanks

        Reply
    13. Ramakrishna

      July 06, 2020 at 7:38 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for the recipe. It’s too good. This helped me prepare the “Achari Turai” recipe.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        July 07, 2020 at 5:49 am

        It’s a very versatile powder 🙂

        Reply
    14. Farida Rajabali

      September 14, 2020 at 5:08 am

      I cannot have chillies at all is it ok if I skip and for red colour maybe add Paprika

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        September 19, 2020 at 3:24 pm

        Yes, sure.

        Reply
    15. Ronak

      September 20, 2020 at 11:01 am

      Hey Neha,

      Thanks for this recipe. I made it and it tastes amazing. However, the colour isn’t as red as yours. I didn’t have whole Kashmiri red chillies, so used the Andhra variety. But I added almost 6 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder, and it’s still very green in colour. I’d have to add maybe 20 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder for the red colour.
      Are the measurements for cumin, fennel and coriander seeds in tbsp or tsp? I feel if it were tsp, then I’d get the red colour.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        September 24, 2020 at 8:47 am

        The colour of this masala depends totally on the quality of chillis used. Do try to make it with only Kashmiri Chilli Next time.

        Reply
        • Ronak

          October 02, 2020 at 6:05 am

          Thanks for your reply.
          This may sound weird, but my masala has gotten redder over the last 2 weeks, totally did not anticipate that 😅

          Reply
          • Neha Mathur

            October 03, 2020 at 5:01 am

            Nice 🙂

            Reply
    16. Century Foods

      February 14, 2022 at 8:14 am

      5 stars
      Hi there! just found your article when I was looking for making Achari masala recipe.
      Thanks for sharing very well written and worth reading this article.
      wish to see more in the coming days.

      Reply
      • Deepa Kulkarni

        May 06, 2022 at 1:19 pm

        5 stars
        Awesome recipe I wil definitely try thank you so much 💕

        Reply

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