Spicy, tangy and earthy all at the same time, this red chili mustard instant pickle is the one condiment that’ll pair beautifully with almost any of your meals.
Pickles are a staple in almost all parts of India, and while they may not seem like much, they can deliver powerful flavors that can amp up even the most basic dals and curries.
This red chili mustard instant pickle recipe is just that. The pickle is crafted using a few simple ingredients and barely takes any time to make, but the end result will knock your socks off with its deliciousness.
Think you’re ready to give the recipe a shot? Here’s all you need to know about it before you do.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to put this red chili mustard instant pickle together.
- Red chilies: ½ cup
- Mustard (yellow & black mix): ¼ cup
- Mustard oil: 2 tbsp
- Nigella seeds: 1 tsp
- Carom seeds: 1 tsp
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Vinegar: 1 tbsp
How to Make the Chili Mustard Instant Pickle
Once you have all your ingredients, here’s what you need to do.
Soak the mustard seeds in water for at least 10 minutes.
Then transfer the mustard seeds into a blender and blend into a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the nigella seeds. Saute.
Next, add in the red chilies and saute.
Add the mustard paste next and mix well. Saute and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the salt and vinegar and mix well.
Let the pickle cool down.
Once it’s cool enough, transfer it to a glass tumbler and store air-tight.
Enjoy with Indian delicacies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apart from chilies, you can also add some garlic cloves, carrot sticks or even julienned raw mangoes into the pickle to balance out the spiciness or just to bring about a little variation to the pickle.
Just follow the exact recipe, and remember to clean the other ingredients well, removing all the excess moisture. 
This one’s totally your personal preference. Depending on how hot you like your pickle to be, you can use super hot or medium hot chilies for the recipe.
Larger chilies usually have less heat, so if you’re not too crazy about the spiciness, you can totally opt for those too. 
The addition of vinegar to the pickle doesn’t just help balance out the spiciness of the chilies, but also acts as a natural preservative, and helps the pickle stay fresh for a longer time.
If you’re making the pickle in a smaller batch and don’t want it to last that long, you can skip using the vinegar and use some lemon juice to let the sourness cut through the heat of the chilies. 
Depending on how well they are stored, pickles can last for up to a year. This red chili mustard instant pickle, however, has a shorter shelf life.
Transfer the pickle to a clean glass jar and refrigerate it for up to 2 months. Remember to use a clean spoon every single time you serve it. 
While this recipe does not call for the pickle to be exposed to sunlight, you can take that extra step if you want the pickle to last longer. Just cover the bowl in which you’ve put the pickle together with a cotton cloth and let the bowl sit out, preferably in the sunlight for as long as you can in a span of 24 hours.
This will help all the excess liquid evaporate, and will also keep any bacteria or fungi from spoiling the pickle. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Chili Mustard Instant Pickle
While putting this pickle together may be super easy, you might want to have these little tips and tricks handy to make sure you nail the recipe.
- This North Indian style pickle traditionally calls for the use of mustard oil to lend it that authentic smokiness. If you don’t have mustard oil, you could make do with any other oil that has a high smoke point.
- Turmeric powder can be a nice additional ingredient you can throw into the mix. It’ll lend the pickle a nice pop of color and also add a subtle flavor to the pickle.
- Remember to wash the red chilies well before you use them to make the pickle. Also keep in mind that they need to be completely dry before you start to use them to put the pickle together. You can let them air dry or wipe them with a clean towel until they are completely dry.
- If you don’t have red chilies, you can follow the exact recipe with green chillies too.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This tangy and flavor loaded pickle can be served with practically any Indian meal. You can team it up with some basic dal and rice, or even serve it alongside any Indian curry to make it the perfect accompaniment.
The pickle can also be the perfect teammate with any stuffed or plain parathas, served for breakfast or as an evening snack.
Enjoyed trying your hands at this delicious condiment? Looking for some more such make-ahead chutneys and condiment recipes? Here are a few handpicked ones you might want to take a look at.
📖 Recipe
Red Chili Mustard Instant Pickle
Ingredients
- ½ cup Red Chilies
- ¼ cup Mustard , (Yellow & Black mix)
- 2 tablespoon Mustard Oil
- 1 teaspoon Nigella Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Carom Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
Instructions
- Soak the mustard seeds in water for at least 10 minutes.
- Then transfer the mustard seeds into a blender and blend into a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the nigella seeds. Saute.
- Next, add in the red chilies and saute.
- Add the mustard paste next and mix well. Saute and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the salt and vinegar and mix well.
- Let the pickle cool down.
- Once it’s cool enough, transfer it to a glass tumbler and store air-tight.
- Enjoy with Indian delicacies.
Notes
- You can store in upto a week in a cold environment.
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