Some History of Achar
I learned how to make Afghan pickled vegetables (achar recipe)(or as Persians know them, Torshi) from my grandmother. May Allah (swt) grant her Jannah.
This pickle is done “granny pickle” style (phrase from my producer). That is, it is a cooked vegetable pickle and not one of the more popular “quick pickles” done today. This pickle is really sour, really chunky, really herbal, and explosively delicious.
What Does This Pickle Recipe go Great With?
The pickle is excellent with our chicken sandwich. One of the things that stands out from this pickle is that not only is it cooked, but also that the vegetables are submersed in 100% vinegar. This gives them a wonderfully tart flavor. (even for pickles!)
Why are Pickles Important in Afghan Cuisine?
With rich dishes like Kabuli pulao and our kebab, you need dishes like this, our Afghan yogurt sauce, and our Afghan cilantro chutney to cut that richness and cleanse your mouth. Afghan food is not about seeing how spicy you can make a dish.
It is about finding that balance between rich and fatty and sour and crisp. You can see this in the way we make our salads. Our “salata” has no cheese, ranch dressing, or croutons. 🙂 We keep it simple with crisp veggies dressed with herbs and lemon juice. That is it.
Printable Recipe for this Achar
As always, we make this recipe easy to print and replicate. I suggest you watch the video if you have any questions. Also, leave a comment. I always respond.
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Achar Recipe – Afghan Pickles
Description
I learned how to make Afghan pickled vegetables (achar) from my grandmother. May Allah (swt) grant her Jannah.
This pickle is done “granny pickle” style (phrase from my producer). That is, it is a cooked vegetable pickle and not one of the more popular “quick pickles” done today.
The pickle is great with our chicken sandwich. One of the things that stands out from this pickle is that, not only is it cooked, but also that the vegetables are submersed in 100% vinegar. This gives them a wonderfully tart flavor. (even for pickles!)
Ingredients
2 red onions
1 large head of cauliflower
3 serrano chilies
peeled garlic cloves
white distilled vinegar
dried dill
dried mint
1 bag baby carrots
Instructions
1. Take head of cauliflower and remove stem and break into florets. (see video) Place into pot you will use to cook vegetables. Also throw baby carrots and garlic in pot.
2. Boil those veggies until just cooked but still crunchy. In separate container boil onions until soft.
3. Set up as many jars as you like and you are going to prep the bottom of the jars with your spices and sliced peppers and garlic. Put sliced garlic and peppers in bottom of each jar along with approximately 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp dill, 1 tsp mint.
4. Pile jars with veggies. Then, poor vinegar over veggies.
5. Shake jars to mix up spices and then store in a cool place where you store pickles.
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