If you grew up in Mithila, winter was never just a change of temperature.

It was a change of mood… pace… fragrance… appetite.

Winter meant stronger flavours.

It meant mustard oil heating until it turned golden.

It meant the courtyard filled with chopping, sun-drying, roasting, peeling, grating.

And the house smelling like a mixture of garlic, haldi, and cold sunshine.

These are the flavours that stay with you even when you move far away.

At JhaJi Store in Darbhanga, we still make winter pickles exactly that way —

• slow, 
• sun-led, 
• spice-balanced, and 
• with the quiet confidence of generations of home cooks.

Below are the six winter staples — now written with the depth they deserve. 

The chutney that turns simple meals into something memorable.

Every Mithila family had their own version of this chutney, but the soul was always the same:

slow-cooked tomatoes, fried garlic, warm mustard oil, and green chilli heat.

Winter tomatoes behave differently — they’re firm, sweet-tangy by nature, and melt beautifully without turning watery. 

They’re cooked with a generous handful of Garlic that has been sun-dried lightly so it softens, not burns. 

Ginger adds body; 

Whole Green Chillies add personality. 

Mustard Oil, heated just enough to bloom, ties it all together.

The result is a chutney that tastes alive — smoky, tangy, spicy, with a depth that bottled sauces simply can’t match.

And the memory?

Spreading it on hot parathas before school…
mixing it with dal–chawal on tired evenings…
packing it for long train journeys “just in case”…

👉 Pairs with: parathas, dal–chawal, momos, khichdi, cutlets.

A winter pickle with balance, patience, and unmistakable authenticity.

Oal ka achar is not just a recipe — it’s a winter activity.

Fresh Oal is dug out of the ground, scrubbed clean, peeled, and grated, not cut.

Ginger is selected carefully — thin-skinned, bursting with juice — because thick ginger never softens well.

Green Chillies — usually longia or bullet — are chosen for fewer seeds and better heat.

All three are mixed in equal amounts — hence “Oal Barobar.”

This equality is what gives the pickle its signature balance: no ingredient dominates.

Jamiri Lemon juice is added early to cut the natural itchiness of oal.

And the mixture rests under winter sun until it releases its own moisture — a crucial step that mellows the rawness and gives it a unique tang.

Roasted mustard, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, fennel, and kalonji deepen the flavour without overpowering it.

The taste, you ask?

Warm ginger first, then a tang that brightens everything, and finally a slow, earthy heat from the chilli.

It’s smooth, spreadable, and deeply satisfying — the kind of achar that completes a simple meal.

👉 Pairs with: roti, dal–chawal, poori–aloo, dahi–choora, khichdi.

The pickle that gave breakfast its identity.

There are flavours that belong to snacks.
Flavours that belong to lunch.
And then there’s this pickle — the one that belongs to mornings.

The combination of melty Garlic, grated Ginger, and chopped Chillies — sun-dried just enough — creates a pickle that wakes you up with its aroma alone.

Lemon juice brightens it, roasted spices deepen it, and mustard oil grounds it.

The taste is layered but quick:

Garlic’s sweetness, Ginger’s warmth, Chilli’s bite, Lemon’s tang, and the comforting hum of Mustard Oil and Spices.

Even plain roti tastes like something special when this pickle is in the middle.

👉 Pairs with: stuffed parathas, dal–roti, poha, snacks, upma.

The pickle reserved for the chilli lover in every family.

This pickle is not for decoration.
It is for people who enjoy their food with feeling.

Fresh green chillies are washed, sun-softened, mixed with lemon juice and haldi, then combined with a lighter masala — because 

It has clean heat, not harsh heat.

A tang that appears suddenly.

And a warmth that sits low and steady, just like good Bihari chilli pickles always did.

It reminds you of the small jar your father kept specially for himself — the jar no child was allowed to touch.

👉 Pairs with: rajma–chawal, parathas, poha, rotis, snacks.

The traveller’s pickle — bright, dependable, and full of life.

Kaagji Lemons, rubbed and cut.
Bullet Mirchi, chopped.
Ginger, grated finely.

All dried in winter sun until the bitterness fades and the aroma intensifies.

Lemon juice and kala namak give it a tang that reminds you of picnic meals and station lunches.

Ginger keeps it warm.

Green chillies keep it interesting.

Light oil keeps it fresh.

This is the pickle that fits everywhere and lasts long — the one mothers trusted most during travel.

👉 Pairs with: mathri, namakpare, dahi–bhaat, everyday thalis, parathas.

The pickle that announces — “winter has arrived.”

Amlas are steamed lightly, seeds removed, sun-dried twice, and then folded into a mustard-heavy masala with amchoor, kala namak, and fenugreek.

The amla pieces are completely immersed in mustard oil — a traditional technique used in Mithila homes so the fruit stays bright and sharp through the season.

The flavour is full and clean.
A sourness with depth.
A warmth that settles gently.

And a nostalgic edge that instantly reminds you of winter meals under soft sunlight.

👉 Pairs with: dal–chawal, bajra roti, curd rice, khichdi.

✔ Recipes carried forward from mothers, grandmothers, and mothers-in-law

✔ Local, safe, familiar ingredients from Mithila — nothing imported, nothing industrial

✔ Sun-drying for 10–20 days, just like traditional winter kitchens

✔ No preservatives, no vinegar shortcuts — mustard oil, salt, time, and sun

✔ Flavours that remind you of Bihar in a way nothing else does

For those who left home years ago — for work, for family, for life — a jar of achar isn’t “just achar”.

It’s the Taste of Where You Come From.