Athela Marcha- a tangy,Instant and Easy to make green chili pickle – specialty from Gujarat
Athela Marcha or Raita mircha is a very popular Gujarati pickle ,which is a must have in almost all Gujarati houses. Athela means pickled and mircha is green chilies 🙂 .Its an easy green chili pickle which is made through out the year as it is easy to make with just few basic ingredients which are available in each kitchen.
The main pickling spice is mustard so the pickle has a prominent taste of mustard. Traditionally rai kuria(split yellow mustard seeds)is used in this athela mircha but if rai kuria is not available then you can alternatively also crush black mustard seeds and use to make this pickle.
This athela mircha is so popular in the state of Gujarat that it is sold in most of the grocery stores and small restaurants .You can find big jars of this athela mircha kept near the cash counter.In U.k and U.S.A you can find this raita mircha in Patel or any Gujarati store.
I love making pickles and regularly makes different variety of fresh pickles .This is among the easiest pickles I have ever made and everyone just loves it . It goes very well with rice, khichdi, poori, paratha, mathri ,farsan or any thing you want to have it with.
I have added little oil in this pickle but if you want to avoid oil then go ahead and make it oil free . It stays well in the refrigerator for 6-8 months,but do follow all the steps and keep mixing or shaking the jar regularly.
If you love green chili pickles then do try these from my blog-
- Bharwa Mirch Ka Achar
- Neebu Mirch Ka Achar
- Puli Miligai
- Bharwa Mirch Ki Sabzi
- Green Chili Pickle- Maharastrian style
- Hari Mirch Ke Tipore
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Raita Marcha, Athela Marcha,Chili Pickle
Ingredients
- 325 gms Green Chillies / Hari Mirch
- 30 gms salt
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder / Haldi Powder
- 6 tbsp Split Mustard seeds/Rai kuria
- 1.5 tbsp Fennel Seeds / Saunf
- 5 tbsp Lemon Juice / Nimbu Ka Ras
- 4 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1/4 tsp Asafoetida / Hing powder
Instructions
- Wash the green chilies ,discard the stems and wipe them well with a napkin.
- Slit from the center and make it into 2 pieces.
- Add 5 tbsp salt and turmeric and mix well and then cover and keep aside for 4 hours.
- Now transfer the chilies on an sieve to drain out the moisture released from the chilies.
- Spread the chilies on a kitchen napkin for 2 hours to absorb the extra moisture.(step 3,4,5 are required if you are making a large batch of pickle, else just mix all the ingredients,stir and store. Step 3,4 ,5 ensures a long shelf life of the pickle)
- Heat the cooking oil and then let it cool down slightly,now add rai kuria and mix it and wait it till it come to room temperature.
- Add the chilies in a mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp salt, crushed fennel seeds, asafoetida,lemon juice and the oil(in which rai kuria is added)
- Mix every thing well and then fill the pickle in a glass jar.
- You can start using the pickle immediately but the taste best after 4-5 days.
- Enjoy with rice, khichdi ,roti ,paratha or any farsan of your choice.
Notes
- You can skip step 3.4.5 and directly add salt and all the ingredients in the chilies but following all the steps ensure a long shelf life .
- Keep it refrigerated after 3-4 days.
- It easily stays well for 6 -8 months in the refrigerator but do keep mixing or shaking the jar twice a week.
- Instead of slicing the chilies in long pieces you can chop it in bite size small pieces.
- You can use any cooking oil but I prefer to use mustard oil in it.
- you can also make it oil free.