🇳🇵 Nepali Cuisine

Achar

Nepali Tomato Pickle

Prep Time 10 min

Servings 6

Difficulty Easy

Calories 64 kcal

A spicy, tangy condiment made from roasted tomatoes, sesame seeds, timur, and chili. This versatile pickle accompanies every Nepali meal and ranges from mild to extremely fiery.

Ingredients

4 large ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon timur (Sichuan pepper)
3 dried red chilies
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon mustard oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1 Roast tomatoes over an open flame or in the oven until the skin blisters and chars. Peel off the skin.
2 Toast sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden. Dry roast dried red chilies and timur briefly.
3 Grind the toasted sesame, chilies, timur, and garlic in a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste.
4 Mash the roasted tomatoes and mix with the ground spice paste. Add mustard oil, lemon juice, and salt.
5 Stir in fresh cilantro and serve as a side condiment with any Nepali meal.

Did You Know?

There are over fifty varieties of achar in Nepal, and every household has its own signature recipe. Some achars are fermented for months, developing complex umami flavors.