Pickles from Northeast India are made with ingredients that most kitchens elsewhere in the country do not stock. These include the round Dalle chilli of Sikkim, King Chilli from Nagaland, fermented soybean and fermented leafy greens. If you have not eaten them before, a product list does not tell you much. This guide groups the NE Origins pickles by heat and flavour so you can choose a first jar.
The heat ratings are on our own scale of 1 to 10. They come from tasting, not from laboratory tests, and they are meant for comparing one jar with another.
Milder jars for a first try
Dried Gundruk with Soybean Pickle (heat 4/10) is the mildest in the range. Gundruk is leafy greens that have been fermented and dried. In this achar it is mixed with roasted soybean and peanut, so it is sour, savoury and crunchy. It contains peanut and soy.
Dalle Chilli with Bamboo Shoot Pickle (heat 6/10) is a common household pickle across the Northeast. The bamboo shoot is sour and firm, and it takes some of the edge off the chilli. It comes in 100g and 200g jars.
For people who already eat spicy food
Dalle Chilli Pickle (heat 7/10) is whole Dalle chillies, pickled. In Sikkim one chilli is often eaten at a time, a small bite with each mouthful of rice. A 100g jar is a reasonable size for a first order.
Dalle Chilli Masala Pickle (heat 7/10) cooks the same chilli in a spice blend. It suits people who want more spice flavour along with the heat.
Dalle Chilli in Salt Brine (heat 7/10) is preserved in salt and water only, with no oil or vinegar. The taste is closer to the fresh chilli.
The hottest jars
Dalle Chilli in Vinegar (heat 8/10) keeps whole chillies in vinegar. The vinegar itself picks up heat and can be used as a hot sauce.
Dalle Chilli Pure Paste (heat 8/10) is the chilli ground smooth. It is the easiest form to cook with, since a quarter teaspoon can go straight into a curry, marinade or dip.
King Chilli Pickle (heat 9/10) is made with Bhut Jolokia, also called Raja Mircha. Laboratory tests have measured this chilli at more than one million Scoville heat units. Start with an amount the size of a pea.
For a comparison of the two chillies, see King Chilli and Dalle Khursani.
If you like fermented flavours
Kinema (Axone) with Dalle Chilli Pickle (heat 6/10) combines fermented soybean with Dalle chilli. Kinema has a strong smell and a deep savoury taste, and people who grew up in the hills often look for it first. The Gundruk pickle above is the other fermented option. You can read more about Kinema and Axone and Gundruk on the blog.
If you would rather try several
The Taste of Sikkim Starter Box has Dalle Chilli Pickle, Bamboo Shoot Pickle and Kiwi Jam. The Pickle Sampler Box has King Chilli, Dalle Chilli and Bamboo Shoot pickles. For heat only, the Chilli Sampler Box pairs King Chilli Pickle with Dalle Chilli in Vinegar. All gift boxes are listed in the Gift Boxes collection.
After you open the jar
Use a dry spoon and keep the lid closed between uses. Our note on how to store pickles covers the rest.
