Aloo (Potato) Ka Raita: A chunky raita that incorporates boiled potatoes, chopped onions, and tomatoes—it’s definitely heftier than the previous two, but can still be eaten either by itself or mixed in with the rest of your spread.
Palak (Spinach) Raita: The edgy, brooding, tattooed sibling in the raita family. Cooked spinach gives this version its minty green color, and a combination of fried cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and asafetida make it super pungent. It’s probably not the raita to eat when you’re looking to cool down, but its incredible combination of flavors makes it a must-try.
Pachranga achaar
Achaar
Achaar is the Indian version of pickles—but instead of a vinegar/salt/sugar brine, various kinds of oils (mustard is the most common) and spices (think: fenugreek, mustard seeds, and fennel seeds) act as the preservative ingredients.
Homemade achaar is typically put together at the start of the summer, and then left out in the sun for anywhere from a few days to a few months to pickle. At my aunt’s house during the hottest months, it’s common to see jars of various shapes filled with achaar lining the window sills, waiting to be popped open and eaten when the time is right. More in the kimchi than the bread-and-butter pickle camp, achaar is best used to make spicy food—like dal (lentil stews) or sabzi (sautéed vegetables)—spicier, while adding a briny, funky, slightly acidic factor.
Aam (Mango) Ka Achaar: They key element to this achaar is the unripe green-colored mangoes that give it that craveably sour flavor—the kind you might get from an Airhead or a Sour Patch Kid. I am partial to eating Aam Ka Achaar with puri, or fried bread, which soaks up all the oils and juices in a particularly satisfying way.
Pachranga Achaar: Pachranga is not the name of a fruit but rather a company, one of the most famous manufacturers of achaar in India. “Pachranga,” which roughly translates to “five colors,” refers to the company’s signature achaar blend of mango, lotus root, turnip, carrot, red chiles, cumin, and ginger. With all the different kinds of flavors happening here (Spicy! Sweet! Tangy! Earthy!), it’s the achaar that you can truly put on anything, and one that you’ll find pretty ubiquitously at South Asian grocery stores (and by request at many Indian restaurants).
