🪔 The Diwali Edition and Meet My New Achari Masala with Diaspora Spices Co. 🪔
Welcome to the Joyful and Flavorful World of Indian Achars
🌟 Welcome to The Flavor Files! 🌟
Dive into the delicious world where science meets food! You'll get a new recipe each week, links to even more mouth-watering dishes, the latest food and science news, and more.
📚✨ Exciting News! My new cookbook, Veg-Table, is now available wherever books are sold! This book delves into the science of vegetables and features 100 recipes for all skill levels, along with tips and tricks to make your cooking journey fun and accessible. Get your copy here!
Do you own a copy of Veg-Table? I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a review on Amazon (even if you didn’t buy it there). Your reviews help make the book more visible to others.
You may find affiliate links sprinkled throughout this newsletter. Happy browsing!
Thank you for being part of this flavorful journey! 🙏🏾 Your support means the world to me.
Hello Friends,
Next week, two holidays come together: Diwali and Halloween (make my favorite Halloween Marble Cut-Out Cookies), and this year, I have something very special to share with you!
I am a condiment fan; my refrigerator contains more jars of condiments than food. Among all these condiments, one reigns supreme: achars or Indian pickles. Achars are made with a special blend of spices called Achari Masala. This unique fragrant blend of spices, as you will learn today, is very versatile, and not only is it used to make achars, but it’s also used to make a variety of curries and other foods called achari dishes. For the past year, I worked closely with Sana and her Diaspora Co. team to create my own Achari Masala made from high-quality sourced spices that you can now use in your kitchens. When adding it to a meat or seafood curry, you’ll notice a delightful smokiness that gives way to a tangy finish, dancing along the edges of your tongue.
What’s an Achar and What’s Achari Masala?
Achars are Indian pickles that can be made with vegetables, fruits, and even meats like fish and shrimp. Anything can be made into an achar. I’ve got an aunt in Auckland who makes feijoas (pineapple guavas) into delicious spicy achars that are an absolute treat to eat when I visit. Here in California, I’ve been making achars with mangoes, carrots, and even the Meyer lemons from my backyard and giving them as Holiday gifts to my friends.
While they’re both condiments, achars differ quite from Western pickles. Achars are prepared using raw, cooked, or sun-dried vegetables, fruits, and meats with a unique blend of spices, salt, and oil. The mixture is then stored in glass jars and left in the sun to cure for several days to weeks. The combination of spices, salt, and oil prevents the growth of microbes, and the ingredients soften and absorb the flavors. This unique blend of spices is called Achari Masala. I’ve been working with Diaspora Co. for more than a year to develop a blend that brings back all those beautiful memories of growing up in Bombay, India, surrounded by the different achars in my parents’ kitchen.
My Achari Masala is woven with fragrant spices like fennel, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, and nigella seeds, along with the brightest sunniest Pragati Turmeric, a hint of fruitiness and tang from amchur (dried green mango powder), spicy notes of asafoetida and a balanced smokiness from Byadgi Chillies. If you're using it to explore making Indian pickles, the magic lies in how the blend plays with the unique characteristics of each fruit or vegetable. Every pickle becomes an exciting new experiment in flavor and fermentation!
One of the most marvelous features of Achari Masala is that you can do a lot more with it than make pickles. Its smoky aroma lends itself to making all sorts of curries, roasts, and even pizza! I’ve used it to make a fish curry, achari lamb, and an achari squash pizza. You can get all these recipes on Diaspora's site, including my lemon achar. We tested our achari blend to ensure the individual spices were at the proper ratios to create a blend that worked beautifully to make achars, curries, and whatever dish you experiment with. I recommend starting with these dishes to get a feel for how they work and then using them to make your achari dishes and impress your guests. What will you make first?
P.S. To celebrate the launch, I’m hosting a cooking class on livestream with Milk Street! I’ll teach you how to make Achari Chicken, Aloo Gobi, and Shahi Tukda Bread Pudding. Sign up here to get cooking (and for an exclusive discount on Diaspora’s spices).
🪔Happy Diwali and Halloween to everyone celebrating! Next week, we go back to regular programming to our special short series on Sous Vide Cooking. 👻
xx
Nik
The Diwali Recipe Collection
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is a time for joy, family gatherings, and delicious feasts! As homes glow with vibrant diyas and the air fills with the sweet aroma of traditional treats, there’s no better way to celebrate than indulging in the rich and flavorful dishes that make Diwali so special. Whether you’re hosting a grand feast or looking for easy Diwali snacks to share with friends and family, my Diwali recipe collection with over 40 recipes has something for everyone! From crispy samosas and savory chaat to indulgent sweets like gulab jamun and kaju katli, these recipes are perfect for creating unforgettable festive moments. Let’s light up your kitchen and celebrate Diwali with delicious homemade creations!
