Garlic pickle Lehsun ka Achar recipe in 5 minute

Well, you know how kids love a surprise holiday. My boy said, “School’s off today,” and when I asked why, he just muttered something about snow and ice, you know how he talks—pauses and all. Then he added, “People here in Shimla just don’t know how to deal with winter.

Honestly, he’s not the only parent grumbling. Every winter, when snowflakes fall, the debate begins—should schools close or not? Folks even write letters to the newspaper about it. And this time, the president made a comment too, which didn’t sit well with the people around here.

Anyway, the kids ended up having three full days off—Monday was a planned holiday, Tuesday and Wednesday were snow days, and Thursday they had a late start. Now, Wednesday I understand; the roads were icy and sidewalks slippery. But Tuesday? That snow was soft, roads were clear till late! Oh well, the kids weren’t complaining one bit—they were busy sledding and snowboarding, laughing like anything. It’s become a little winter tradition for them. And truth be told, I was happy when school reopened and I had some peace and quiet again.

Now, with all those kids around, I thought—why not put them to use? So I pulled out my old garlic pickle recipe. They helped peel garlic for a good half hour before they ran off, tired and bored. Still, we got about 2 cups peeled—just what I needed.

Let me tell you, for good garlic pickle, you want those small cloves. The big pre-peeled ones in jars don’t taste the same. Thankfully, I had just the right kind. You see, I’m a bit of a pickle lover—go through a jar every two weeks! So I like making it at home. That way, I can control the salt, oil, and chili—keeps me feeling less guilty.

I dug up an old scribbled recipe from my grandma, but I still called my mom to double-check everything. Can’t risk messing it up again like last time!

This pickle takes only about 30 minutes to make. So if you love garlic like I do, give it a try.

Grandma’s Garlic Pickle

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups small garlic cloves, peeled
2. 1/2 cup lemon juice
3. 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
4. 1 tsp mustard seeds
5. 1/4 tsp asafoetida
6. 10 dried red chilies
7. 1/4 cup sesame oil
8. 1½ tsp sugar
9. 1/2 tbsp salt (or to taste)

How to Make It:

• First, dry roast the fenugreek, mustard, asafoetida, and red chilies one by one, then grind them into a fine powder. (I just warm them in the microwave.)
• Steam the garlic for exactly 4 minutes—no more, no less! Grandma insisted on this! I used my idli steamer.
• Pat the garlic dry if it’s got water on it.
• Heat sesame oil in a pan, toss in a few mustard seeds, then add the garlic and fry it for 3–4 minutes.
• Pour in the lemon juice and let it boil.
• Add sugar and salt, and let the juice cook down to about one-third.
• Now stir in the chili powder, cook it for 3–4 more minutes.
• If the oil looks less, add a little more and let it all sizzle together for another couple of minutes.

Let it cool, bottle it up in a clean jar, and pop it in the fridge. It’ll keep well for a couple of weeks—if it lasts that long!