Learn how to make an instant ginger pickle with this easy recipe. Perfect for beginners and ready in less than 30 minutes!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
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Punjabi Style Ginger Pickle
Instant Ginger Pickle, also known as adrak ka lachha, is one of the quickest and easiest Indian pickle recipes. ‘Adrak’ is the Hindi term for ginger, whereas ‘lachha’ refers to thin strips of ginger.
Taste of Ginger Pickle: I know this instant ginger pickle looks hot and spicy. But actually, it’s just the opposite. The sourness of lime juice tones down the heat and the bitterness of ginger. And as the days pass, the flavour of this pickle matures and turns more and more delicious.
Best Time For Making: During the summer (May-June) or during the autumn/fall season. These are the seasons when tender ginger roots are readily available.
Why You’ll Love This Ginger Pickle
- gluten and nut-free
- 5 ingredient recipe
- no cooking required
- vegan and vegetarian
- has zero oil and added sugar
- ready in less than 30 minutes
The Right Choice of Ginger
First thing first, you cannot make this pickle with any ginger. The tender and young ginger roots are the best for my mother-in-law’s ginger pickle recipe.
DO NOT use dry and old ginger roots with light/dark brown skin.
In India, you can find the young ginger roots during the peak of the summer or autumn season, i.e. October to November. These ginger roots are juicy, mildly spicy, moist, fibrous, and have a slightly pink skin tone. The young ginger has thin, translucent skin that is so easy to peel.
Hence, they are perfect for adding in salads, chutney, garnish, ginger garlic paste, or making pickles.
Other Ingredients
- Green Chilli: Make sure to remove the white seeds and pith of the green chilli. Use mild to medium spicy green chilli for this ginger pickle recipe.
- Lime: The lime juice preserves the pickle and its sourness, balances the spiciness of ginger. I add lime skin as well. You can add zest or the whole skin as per personal preference.
- Vinegar: The white distilled vinegar is added to preserve the pickle, giving it a sour taste and beautiful pink colour.
- Salt: Regular table salt or rock salt, either of them is fine.
How To Make
Step 1) Peel the skin of the ginger. It is thin and tender, hence can be easily removed using a knife or spoon. Rinse it thoroughly with water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 2) Cut ginger into thin strips (juliennes) and transfer to a bowl. Similarly, cut the green chilli. Discard the chilli seeds and white skin.
Step 3) Wash the lime thoroughly like ginger and pat dry. Squeeze and collect the lime juice in a bowl. Now cut the lime peel into small wedges or thin strips like ginger.
Step 4) Combine all the ingredients – ginger, chilli, lime, juice, vinegar, and salt. Mix nicely. Set this aside for 5 minutes or till ginger releases water.
Step 5) Transfer the pickle to a clean, dry, sterilized jar with a lid. The pickle is ready to use.
Storage Suggestion
Most instant pickles are seasonal and have a shelf life of not more than 15 days. And I think that is the peculiarity which makes them more wanted.
Store this ginger pickle in the refrigerator in a hot and humid climate. We keep the jar at room temperature during the winter season, remaining fresh for 10 – 15 days.
My mother-in-law suggests making a small batch every fortnight. This pickle is addictive. Hence it disappears fast. So I don’t worry much about its shelf life.
This ginger pickle is the best accompaniment for dal, chaat, Punjabi chana masala, and salads.
More Indian Pickle Recipes
- Garlic Pickle
- Red Chilli Pickle
- Instant Mango Pickle
- Gobhi Gajar Ka Achar
- Instant Green Chilli Pickle
- Mango Pickle (Aam Ka Achaar)
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Instant Ginger Pickle Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 gram ginger (tender and young root)
- 4 green chilli
- 2 lime
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Peel the ginger and wash it. Pat dry it completely with a kitchen towel. Cut ginger into thin strips (juliennes) and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Wash, pat dry green chili, and lime. Cut the green chilli into thin slices and add to the same bowl as ginger strips.
- Collect lime juice in a bowl. Now cut the lemon peel into small size wedges or strips. Combine with ginger.
- Add salt, lime juice, and vinegar to the ginger. Mix nicely to evenly combine the ginger, green chili, and lime strips. Set this aside for 5 minutes or till ginger releases water and turn light pink.
- Transfer the pickle to a clean and dry glass container. Seal the jar with a lid.
- Instant Ginger Pickle is ready to serve. Store it in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes:
- This ginger pickle has a shelf life of 15 days. I suggest making it in small quantity.
- Adjust the amount of salt and lime juice as per personal preference.
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SR says
I see that my previous comment did not make it here. I was curious as to the last step – when you transfer the pickle to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator, do you also include all the liquid it was soaking in or discard liquid?
Also, in my case the ginger did not turn pink. Any thoughts? It still tasted great.
Hina Gujral says
Please don’t discard any liquid, it has to go into the jar with pickle. The pink colour comes only if you use vinegar and the young ginger and not the old one as described in the recipe.