Ker Sangri Achaar Recipe

Ker Sangri Achaar is a very unique and popular pickle from Rajasthani cuisine. It is a flavorful dry mix of Ker and Sangri pickled in Indian spices.

Ker is a small sour shrub berry having appearance of small balls. And Sangri are long green beans which resembles a thin stick and are pods of the Khejri tree. These unique varieties of berries and beans grow only in arid deserts of Rajasthan

Ker berries are quite sour and unfit for eating. They need to be soaked in buttermilk or salt water to reduce their sourness. They are then dried in sun after washing. Similarly Sangri beans are dried after boiling and can be used for a long period.

You can purchase pre-processed Ker and Sangri from the market which can be directly used to make the pickle. Otherwise you can process them yourself, by soaking them in buttermilk for around 3 days. The detailed instructions for this are given in the recipe.

Ker Sangri Achar is many times found in Rajasthani Marwadi wedding menu list. It is part of Rajasthani folklore that Ker Sangri originated during a famine as people were faced with food shortage and they invented this method to eat this shrub berries and beans which otherwise were very sour and unfit for consumption

Ker Sangri Pickle is quite spicy and tangy. It goes very well on the side of any Indian curry & bread or rice and is a hugely popular delicacy in Rajasthan.

To make Ker Sangri pickle at home follow the detailed step by step recipe posted below

200 gm Dry Ker

200 gm Dry Sangri

3 Cups Buttermilk (Chaas)

2 Tablespoons Rai (Black Mustard Seeds) powdered

1 Teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Dana)

2 Teaspoon Split Yellow Mustard (Rai Na Kuria)

3 Teaspoons Saunf (Fennel Seeds)

1 Teaspoon Kalonji (Nigella Seeds) 1

2 Teaspoons Amchur (Dry Mango Powder)

1/2 Teaspoon Heeng (Asafoetida)

Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)

2 Teaspoons Red Chilli Powder

3 Teaspoons Salt

1/2 Cup Mustard Oil (Sarson Ka Tel)

Wash ker and soak it in buttermilk for 3 days at room temperature. This helps to remove the bitterness of ker. You can also use beaten curd mixed with a cup of water and 2 teaspoons of salt instead of buttermilk 200 gm Dry Ker, 3 Cups Buttermilk (Chaas)

Soak sangri separately in water overnight starting on the and night. 200 gm Dry Sangri

To process the ker, drain the buttermilk or curd mixture and wash the ker 5-6 times with water

Then add ker to boiling water and boil for 2 minutes. Then cover with a lid and let it blanch for 5 minutes.

Drain the water from sangri as well, and boil it separately in new water for 2 minutes. Again leave it covered with a lid for 5 minutes.

Drain the water from both ker & sangri. Spread them out on a clean cloth or paper and let them dry completely.

Heat 3 tablespoons mustard oil in a pan and fry the ker & sangri in it.

Let the mixture cool down completely.

Now grind the whole spices ie. rai (black mustard seeds), dana methi (whole fenugreek seeds), split yellow mustard (sarson ke beej), saunf (fennel seeds) and kalonji (nigella seeds). Add these to the ker & sangri.

2 Tablespoons Rai (Black Mustard Seeds),

1 Teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds (Methi Dana),

2 Teaspoon Split Yellow Mustard (Rai Na Kuria), 3 Teaspoons Saunf (Fennel Seeds),

1 Teaspoon Kalonji (Nigella Seeds)

Also add amchur (dry mango powder), haldi (turmeric powder), red chilli powder, salt and heeng (asafoetida) to the mixture.

2 Teaspoons Amchur (Dry Mango Powder), 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi),

2 Teaspoons Red Chilli Powder, 3 Teaspoons Salt, 1/2 Teaspoon Heeng (Asafoetida)

Mix everything well and transfer the mixture to a jar

Add the remaining mustard oil to the jar. Make sure not to overfill, and leave some space at the top.

Store the pickle at room temperature. Stir with a spoon 2-3 times a day.

Ker Sangri achar will be ready in 8-10 days. Store it at room temperature and serve it along with any indian meal.

Steps to follow:

Ingredients: