Gujarati Athela Marcha (Instant Indian Green Chili Pickle)

5 from 3 votes

Gujarati Athela Marcha (Instant Indian Green Chili Pickle)

Athela marcha or Indian green chili pickle is a delicious,tangy, mildy spicy accompaniment or side dish for all types of Indian food. It’seasy to make and adds a zing and depth of flavor to your meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Gujarati, Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Green chili pickle, Indian chili pickle, Instant chili pickle, raita marcha

Servings: pickles

Calories: 24kcal

Author: Shilpa Joshi

Equipment

1 Bowl

Ingredients

100 grams green chilies 12-14 green chilies, mild/medium heat
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp turmeric
2½ tbsp split mustard seeds (rai na kuria)
¼ tsp asafetida (hing)
2 tbsp oil can use any oil, many prefer to use mustard oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp jaggery powder optional

Instructions

Prep the chilies by cutting off the stems. Then, cut the chilies in half and chop into approximately 1 inch pieces.
Optional: Put half the salt on the chilies and mix. Let it 15 minutes. If excess water comes out from the green chilies, pour out.
Add in remaining ingredients.
Mix and serve! The longer you let the chilies sit in the mixture the more flavorful they will get but they can be eaten right away with great taste.

Notes

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Green chilies: traditionally, athela marcha are made with mild-medium green chillies. If you don’t have any on hand you can even substitute jalapenos.

Split Mustard Seeds (Rai Na Kuria): This is an Indian spice that is key to this recipe to make it the traditional way.

Lemon juice: Helps to preserve the pickle. Optionally, you can use vinegar but it totally changes the flavor and comes across pretty sharp.

Turmeric and salt: No substitutions for these

Asafetida (Hing): This gives a great umami taste. If you want to make it gluten-free you can skip.

Jaggery: This is optional, but if you enjoy athela marcha, you make like to try a version including jaggery. It gives you a tangy, lightly spiced with a hint of sweet, delicious flavor. We make it with and without, just depends on the mood! You could try making it with and without for comparison.

Nutrition