Rhubarb Pickle: Indian Style
A tart spiced rhubarb pickle with just a soupçon of sugar to take the edge off. It’s not a fiery relish, but it’s full of bold, complex flavour and works beautifully with cheese as well as Indian curries. This easy achar recipe keeps well for several weeks, making it a handy fridge condiment.
When our new season rhubarb is ripe for the picking, the very first thing I always used to make was rhubarb crumble. No more! I adore this rhubarb pickle and use it so much, that it’s now my top rhubarb recipe. And I have a few of them.
Dive Right In
- Why You’ll Want To Make This Rhubarb Pickle
- Indian Style Rhubarb Pickle
- Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
- How To Make Rhubarb Pickle
- Other Pickle Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
Why You’ll Want To Make This Rhubarb Pickle
- A deliciously different way to use up seasonal rhubarb.
- Bold, tart flavour with just enough sweetness to balance the sour.
- Pairs brilliantly with cheese, Indian curries and savoury snacks.
- Quick and easy to make — no special equipment or canning needed.
- Keeps well in the fridge for several weeks.
- A great small-batch preserving recipe for spring.
- Adds a punch of flavour to everyday meals.
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- Makes a thoughtful homemade gift or addition to a picnic spread.
Indian Style Rhubarb Pickle
This type of pickle or relish is called achar in India, (also spelled atchar and achaar). It’s a common condiment to many dishes and is usually made from tart fruit or vegetables pickled in oil with spices.
This recipe is very different in style to the usual type of pickle I make with vinegar. It’s more of a chutney or relish really, only my understanding of chutneys is that they are not made with oil, or any other kind of fat come to that.
Because it’s actually quite oily, I often use rhubarb pickle instead of mayonnaise in cheese sandwiches. It works a treat. The tart rhubarb acts as a most delicious foil to rich cheeses and the spices just perk everything up. I’m not sure how much I use on one slice of bread, but it’s less than a teaspoon.
It’s a great pickle to make on the hoof as you can eat it straight away. Most pickles taste much better if you leave them for a week or more to mature. Having said that, you get a rounder flavour with time.
Another benefit is that rhubarb pickle is really quick to make. It only takes about twenty minutes in total.
Ingredients, Additions And Substitutions
You will need a lot of Indian spices for this recipe. But apart from them, all you need is rhubarb, brown sugar, oil and salt.
Oil
There’s a lot of oil in this recipe. I use sunflower oil, but any neutral tasting oil will do. Having said that you could try mustard oil or sesame oil. Mustard oil is mostly used for achar (pickles) in the northern parts of India whereas sesame oil is generally used in the southern regions.
Spices
This pickle is all about the spices and there are quite a few of them. If you don’t have any of a particular spice, you can leave it out, but if you like Indian cuisine, all of them are well worth having in your store cupboard.
It’s mostly whole seeds that you need: coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds and black mustard seeds. But you’ll also need ground turmeric and the two mentioned further down.
Other seeds you could use instead include cumin seeds and black peppercorns. I use a lot of cumin in my cooking anyway, so it’s quite nice to have a condiment that doesn’t contain it.
Unusually, for this type of condiment, there is no onion or garlic in it. I’ve used asafoetida instead, which makes this the perfect pickle for anyone who is unable to eat anything from the allium family.
Asafoetida (Ferula asafoetida), also known as hing, has an oniony / garlicky flavour and is often used in Indian curries. It’s quite pungent, so you don’t need very much of it to notice the flavour. It has the added benefit of aiding digestion.
Kashmiri chilli powder is a mild pepper that’s more about the flavour than the heat. So don’t worry about this being a hot Indian pickle. If you’d like a hot one, you can replace it with a teaspoon of ground cayenne or hot chilli flakes.
Sugar
Light brown sugar gives a nice depth of flavour to this rhubarb pickle. However, you can use caster or granulated instead, if you prefer. I actually used coconut sugar, which is meant to be a healthier version of brown sugar. I live in hope.
How To Make Indian-Style Rhubarb Pickle
You don’t need any special techniques or equipment to make this rhubarb pickle. Apart from a saucepan, wooden spoon, chopping board and sharp knife, a pestle and mortar is all that’s needed.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Crush Seeds
Place all the seeds, except the mustard seeds, into a pestle and mortar. Bash them about a bit, but don’t grind them into a powder.
Step 2. Fry Seeds
In a medium-sized lidded saucepan, heat the oil to a medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait thirty seconds or so until they start popping.
Immediately add the crushed seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
Step 3. Cook Pickle
Whilst the seeds are frying, quickly wash the rhubarb sticks. Top and tail them, then chop into two to three centimetre (one inch) chunks with a sharp knife.
Add the chopped rhubarb to the seeds, clamp on the lid and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for seven minutes or so until the rhubarb starts to break up.
Add the sugar, salt and remaining spices. Give a good stir and put the lid back on. Allow to simmer for a further five minutes, by which time the rhubarb should have broken down.
Taste test at this point. If you find the pickle is too tart for you, stir in another tablespoon of sugar. However, it will mellow as it matures, so it’s best not to make it too sweet.
Take off the heat and remove the saucepan lid, allowing some of the steam to escape.
Step 4. Store
Pour or spoon into sterilised glass jars and leave to cool before screwing the lids on tightly.
Unopened, this rhubarb pickle will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Once opened however, use it within a week.
As with any homemade preserves, things can go wrong. For example, the jar may not be well enough sealed. If you see any signs of mould, discard the contents and do not use.
Top Tip
Use small jars, so that you won’t have any problem using the pickle up once opened.
What To Serve Rhubarb Pickle With
This tangy rhubarb pickle adds a punchy, spiced contrast to all kinds of vegetarian and vegan dishes. Try it alongside dal, rice and vegetable curries. Or spoon a little over spiced lentil fritters, pakoras or vegan keema paratha.
It’s also brilliant in a sandwich or wrap. I love it with a good hard cheese, but it’s also great with grilled vegetables or leftover roast cauliflower.
For something simple, serve a spoonful with flatbread and hummus or a dollop of yoghurt (or plant-based alternative) for an easy snack or starter.
Let me know, in the comments, what you like to eat yours with.
Other Pickle Recipes You Might Like
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this rhubarb pickle, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making Indian style pickles?
Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.
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If you’d like more rhubarb recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Rhubarb Pickle. PIN IT.
Rhubarb Pickle: Indian Style
Ingredients
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 75 ml sunflower oil or other neutral cooking oil
- 1½ tsp black mustard seeds
- 400 g rhubarb trimmed and cut into 2-3 cm (1 inch) chunks
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar (I used coconut sugar)
- ¾ tsp sea or rock salt
- 1½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp asafoetida
Instructions
- Lightly crush the top four seeds in a pestle and mortar, but don't grind them to a powder.1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil to a medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds and wait thirty seconds or so until they start popping.75 ml sunflower oil, 1½ tsp black mustard seeds
- Immediately add the crushed seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds.
- Add the chopped rhubarb, clamp on the lid and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for seven minutes or so until the rhubarb starts to break up.400 g rhubarb
- Add all remaining ingredients, give a good stir and put the lid back on. Allow to simmer for a further five minutes, by which time the rhubarb will have broken down. Taste test at this point. If the pickle is too tart, stir in a further tablespoon of sugar.2 tbsp light brown sugar, ¾ tsp sea or rock salt, 1½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric, ¼ tsp asafoetida
- Take off the heat and remove the saucepan lid, allowing some of the steam to escape.
- Pour or spoon into sterilised glass jars and leave to cool before screwing the lids on tightly.