Four quick pickles, chutneys and sauces to perk up any sanga, steak or veg

Packed with spice and flavour, these Indian-style condiments do the heavy lifting for you. And they take from only two to 15 minutes to prepare.Sarina KaminiSeptember 18, 2026Few cultures know how to jazz up a meal better than India. From a quick green mango pickle to a blitz-and-go green chilli and mint chutney, consider this your hit list of the subcontinent’s quickest-to-make condiments. Raita, chilli and mint chutney, pickled carrots or tamarind will jazz up any dish. Patricia NivenThese are punchy tastes, ready in as little as two minutes and taking no longer than 15. More descriptions than set recipes, you will need to taste as you season. Use them to top steak, sandwich inside falafel, dollop on oven-cooked chicken thighs or massage into roasting vegetables. Green chilli and mint chutneyFrom Italy’s basil pesto to the myriad variations of tabbouleh found in the Levant, it’s a rare culture that can’t boast a chop-and-go herby green, chutney-style condiment. Green chilli and coriander is the duo prized across India, but this version takes on a Kashmiri accent with the use of fresh mint. The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.Sign upGreen chillies.Getty ImagesFor this chutney, jam a bunch of freshly washed mint in a blitzer, with only the thickest part of the stalks removed. For a medium spicy chutney, toss in 2 small green chillies, seeds included. If you like it hotter, raise the number of green chillies from that base. Add 6 cloves of quality, pungent garlic, season with sea salt, and give it a little density with 2 or 3 tablespoons of a thick plain yoghurt − Greek is great, or labne would be interesting. Add a little water if needed to loosen the mix.Blend to your desired texture and finish with a squeeze of lime. Serving suggestion: Delicious alongside hummus in a falafel. It will keep for a few days in the fridge.Adam Liaw’s tomato, onion and cucumber raita.William MeppemAn easy onion raita Raita is India’s catch-all word for any yoghurt-based condiment served up as a side. They key to an impressive raita is the balance of salt. And the balance of salt is determined by whether the yoghurt is blended with a little water, a little milk or a little vinegar. Raita blended with water can handle a little more salt. Blended with vinegar, it needs a little less. This easy onion raita takes the Goldilocks yoghurt and milk route. In a bowl, whisk 1 cup of yoghurt with enough milk to break the yoghurt’s density, but not have it become too liquid. Start with 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk, whisk and add from there as needed. Finely dice half a large white onion and stir through. Add a quarter teaspoon each of fine white pepper and fine black pepper. Stir, before seasoning with sea salt (a pink salt will taste too salty). As for salt quantity, start with a half teaspoon, taste and climb up if necessary. Serving suggestions: Use to top a chicken burger or drizzle over a slow-cooked lamb shoulder.Tamarind add bags of flavour and colour to chicken thighs. James MoffattA tamarind drizzle sauce for when it’s got to be tangy Samosa and pakora demand tang, which is the origin of this recipe from my kitchen. But I’ve since learned it is fantastic massaged into roasting vegetables and meats – whole chook rubbed with rosemary, salt and pepper and tamarind sauce is a mood – or sparingly tossed through warm cous cous alongside fresh chopped parsley and very finely diced tomato.I start with a few tablespoons of peanut oil in a small pot and then add some tomato paste, enough to thicken the oil. Whisk it as it warms until it combines and then season with salt, a little sweet rice vinegar and sumac. Ground cumin will help it thicken a little, just a bit. But the real zing comes from tamarind concentrate, chilli powder (to taste) and then whatever soft or rich brown sugar you have in the pantry. For me, it’s jaggery powder. For you, it might be coconut sugar, rapadura or even soft brown sugar. Keep tasting and seasoning to get the balance right, and that’s it. It might split a little as it cools, but a quick whisk will set that to rights.Serving suggestions: Massage into veg or rub on chicken before roasting, toss through cous cous. Photo: Getty ImagesFive-minute carrots with kick This is one pickle that takes almost longer to sterilise the jar than it does to pull it together. Start with 250 grams of carrot sticks − not too thin, like a crudite cut − and cook on a rolling boil for exactly two minutes. While they’re drying under kitchen towel, heat a half cup of mustard oil in a frying pan and add 1 or 2 chopped red chillies alongside chopped garlic to taste, maybe 2 to 4 cloves. Season with 2 or 3 teaspoons of sea salt, an equal amount of caster sugar, a few pinches of ground turmeric and red chilli powder to taste.Add the cooled carrots when the spices are aromatic, and you’re done. You’ll need to wait for the pickles to cool before spooning into a jar and refrigerating.Serving suggestions: These are amazing rolled up in a salad pita or chopped into any slow-cooked beef stew.More:Sauces & dressingsFor subscribersIndianKnow howFrom our partners