Handmade in Darbhanga, Mithila
Not every home still makes it this way.
Five pickles, sun-cured the traditional Mithila way.
The offer
5 Traditional Pickles Sample Pack (With Garlic)
5 x 150g Jars · 750g total
Optional: add Makhana Kheer Mix (2 x 50g) for ₹799
Five different flavours in one pack, so you find your favourite before committing to a full-size jar.
- ✓ Free shipping, 3–7 days, across India
- ✓ Easy refunds or replacements
- ⚠ Pickles keep 18 months · Tomato Chutney keeps 12 months (cooked with vinegar, not sun-cured — see FAQ)
The process
How we actually make these
Most pickle sold today tastes similar regardless of what's in the jar, heavy on masala, thin on the actual ingredient. The traditional Mithila method resists that, mostly because it refuses the shortcuts.
Every pickle starts with prep that's specific to what's going into it, not a generic step. Lal Mirch Bharua's chillies are deseeded by hand, one at a time, so the skin stays intact for stuffing — force it and the chilli tears. Mithila Special Mango is cut skin-on, kernel in, then salted for 48 hours before any spice touches it. Oal Barobara's yam, ginger, and green chilli are each prepared on their own so the three stay distinct rather than turning into a single paste.
Most of the masala goes in raw, not roasted — the mustard oil and the sun do the rounding-out work that roasting would otherwise rush. The oil itself is heated to smoking point and then cooled completely before it touches anything.
Sun-curing runs anywhere from a few days to over a week depending on the pickle, on open bamboo trays, not machines. The one exception is the Tomato Garlic Chilli Chutney — tomatoes carry too much water to cure the same way, so it's cooked down in a single day instead. It's also the only jar here that uses a small amount of vinegar; everything else is preserved with mustard oil and salt alone.
No preservatives, no shortcuts, across all five.
Five jars, five flavours
What's actually in the pack
Garlic, Ginger & Green Chilli Mix Pickle
Medium spicy · Salty · Tangy · Chatpata
Garlic, ginger, and green chilli in close to equal parts, sun-dried and matured in mustard oil. Garlic carries the depth, ginger the warmth, green chilli the heat, balanced with lemon juice so no one note takes over.
Best with: dal-chawal, roti, paratha, khichdi
18 mo shelf
Lal Mirch Bharua (Stuffed Red Chilli Pickle)
Tangy · Spicy · Sour · Salty
Thick-skinned chillies, often called Banarasi Lal Mirch, carefully deseeded by hand so the skin holds together for stuffing. The seeds go back into the masala. Sun-matured 7–10 days on bamboo trays.
Best with: dal-chawal, dahi-choora, poori-bhujia
18 mo shelf
Mithila Special Mango Pickle (Bihari Aam ka Achar)
Tangy · Spicy · Robust
Made from raw mango sourced from Darbhanga district — Malda, Bijju, Kalkatiya, or Sukul varieties. Cut skin-on, salted for 48 hours, then matured in the sun for 8–10 days under a protective layer of oil.
Best with: dal-chawal, roti-sabzi, khichdi
18 mo shelf
Tomato Garlic Chilli Mix Chutney
Chunky · Spicy · Smoky · Tangy
Garlic is fried in mustard oil first, then ginger and curry leaves, then tomato, turmeric, yellow mustard, and fenugreek cook down until thick. A small amount of vinegar is part of the recipe. Cooked in a day rather than sun-dried.
Best with: paratha, khichdi, dal-chawal
12 mo shelf — shorter, vinegar-cooked
Grated Oal (Suran/Jimikand) Pickle — Oal Barobara
Tangy · Spicy · Gingery
Equal quantities of grated oal (elephant foot yam), ginger, and green chilli — "barobar" means equal. Lemon juice neutralises oal's natural itch-causing compounds, and it's matured slowly so the flavours settle without any raw bite.
Best with: roti, dal-chawal, poori, dahi-choora
18 mo shelf
Who makes it
Two women, one family's recipes
Made in Darbhanga by Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha, following recipes carried down through their family. Kalpana learned much of what she cooks from her mother and mausi in their Mithila home — the Tomato Chutney in this pack, in fact, is her sister's recipe. Uma focuses on the winter-batch pickles, where timing against the season matters most.
JhaJi Store runs out of Mithila Pickles and Chutneys Private Limited in Darbhanga — not a contract kitchen making someone else's recipe at scale.
This is JhaJi Store — Handmade in Mithila. Just like home.
What people are saying
Real reviews, this pack
4.7/5 based on 8,767 reviews · 1,122 reviews on this specific pack
"The flavor is absolutely amazing, and the quality is exceptional."
— Gerald Gutman
"Authentic and good, like home made pickles."
— Avishek Upadhyay
"I was a bit skeptical about ordering… the pickles have met my expectations."
— Sanjeev Kumar Borah
Frequently asked questions
Before you add to cart
Ingredients & Recipe
What's actually inside this pack?
Five jars, 150g each: Garlic Ginger Green Chilli Mix, Lal Mirch Bharua (stuffed red chilli), Mithila Special Mango, Tomato Garlic Chilli Chutney, and Oal Barobara (grated yam pickle). All five are made with mustard oil and hand-ground spices, with no preservatives.
Does this pack contain garlic?
Two of the five do: Garlic Ginger Green Chilli Mix and Tomato Garlic Chilli Chutney. The other three — Lal Mirch Bharua, Mithila Special Mango, and Oal Barobara — are garlic-free.
Is anything added for shelf life — preservatives, vinegar, artificial colour?
No preservatives or artificial colour in any of the five. Only the Tomato Garlic Chilli Chutney uses a small amount of vinegar, as part of the traditional recipe — tomato's high water content means it can't be preserved with oil and salt alone the way the other pickles are. The other four jars use no vinegar at all.
Is this vegetarian / vegan?
Yes, all five pickles are fully plant-based.
Spice Level & Taste
How spicy is this pack overall?
It's a mixed range, not uniformly hot. Tomato Garlic Chutney is the gentlest. Garlic Ginger Green Chilli Mix is medium. Lal Mirch Bharua and Oal Barobara run spicier. This is deliberate — the pack is built so you can figure out your own tolerance rather than guessing from one large jar.
Which one should a first-time or spice-sensitive person start with?
Tomato Garlic Chutney, followed by Mithila Special Mango. Both are more tangy-savoury than aggressively hot.
Sourcing & Process
Where are these actually made?
In Darbhanga, Bihar, by Kalpana Jha and Uma Jha, following their family's recipes.
How long does the sun-curing take?
It varies by pickle — Mango cures 8–10 days, Lal Mirch Bharua 7–10 days, others run a similar multi-day window. The Tomato Chutney is the exception — it's cooked, not sun-cured, and ready in a day.
Why is there a layer of oil on top when I open the jar? Is that normal?
Yes, completely normal with real mustard-oil pickling. Give it a gentle stir before serving — the oil layer is part of how the pickle stays preserved without refrigeration.
Does the pickle darken over time?
Yes, slight darkening is expected and natural — a result of the mustard oil, spices, and sun-maturation, not spoilage or additives.
Shipping & Storage
How long does delivery take?
3–7 days, and shipping is free across India.
Are the jars safe for shipping and travel?
Yes — these come in sturdy plastic jars rather than glass, specifically for the sample pack, to reduce breakage risk in transit.
What's the shelf life?
18 months from manufacturing for four of the five pickles (Garlic Ginger Green Chilli Mix, Lal Mirch Bharua, Mithila Special Mango, Oal Barobara). The Tomato Garlic Chilli Chutney is 12 months, because it's cooked with vinegar rather than sun-cured. The Makhana Kheer Mix, if added, keeps for 6 months.
Does this need refrigeration?
No, not under normal conditions. In very humid climates, refrigerating after opening can help, but it isn't required.
What if my jar arrives damaged, leaking, or with the wrong flavour?
Contact us and we'll sort out a replacement or refund — no back and forth required.
Buying Decision
Is this good for someone who's never tried JhaJi before?
Yes — this is specifically why the pack exists. Five flavours, smaller jars, lower commitment than buying a full-size jar of something you haven't tasted yet.
What's the difference between this and buying the individual jars?
Same recipes, same process, smaller 150g format instead of the standard 250g/500g sizes. Once you know your favourites, the full-size jars work out better value per gram.
Can I gift this?
Yes — it's one of our most-gifted items, especially to people who've moved away from Bihar or are curious about the region's food. You can add a note with your order.
