Drumstick pickle recipe – an andhra style mulakkada pachadi recipe with step by step photos. Drumstick pickle can be served with rice , curd rice or dal- rice.

Making pickles at home is not difficult; it is easier than making a curry and it can be prepared within 30 mins and you can enjoy it for more than a month. I had prepared this drumstick pickle for a guest sometime back, and got to post it here.
For more pickle recipes, you can check
mango pickle
tomato pickle
cauliflower pickle
ginger pickle
Recipe of andhra style drumstick pickle below

Drumstick pickle recipe | Andhra style mulakkada pachadi recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 1 drumstick , fresh tender . chopped to 1 or 2 “length
- 2 ½ cups tomatoes , chopped
- 4 ½ tbsp Red chili powder (Kashmiri red chili powder or byadgi, reduce if using Guntur chili powder)
- 2 tsp methi seeds / menthulu
- tamarind , Large , lemon sized ball
- Salt to taste
- Oil as needed Tempering
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 red chili (remove the seeds and break)
- ¼ tsp mustard
- ½ tsp channa dal , (optional)
- ½ tsp urad dal , split , (optional)
- oil as needed
Instructions
- Dry roast 2 tsps. Of methi seeds. Cool and then make a fine powder.
- Deep fry drumsticks till almost cooked. Takes around 8 to 12 mins on medium flame. I do not deep fry as iam little worried with kids clinging on to me. You can shallow fry too but takes long. Set the drumstick pieces aside.
- In the same pan and oil, add tomatoes, turmeric and salt.
- Fry the tomatoes till completely mushy. Mine looks juicy, don’t worry if yours do not look like mine. It all depends on the kind of tomatoes you use.
- Add the fried drumsticks and cook for 3 to 4 mins or until drumsticks are fully cooked. This step is very important. Otherwise the pickle smells like raw drumstick.
- Soak tamarind in hot water for some time and squeeze well.
- Filter this in the tomato mixture to remove dirt or sand.
- Add chili powder, salt, methi powder to this and mix well.
- Taste it and check the sour and salt. If needed adjust now, after you temper, it doesn’t taste good.
- Temper with tempering ingredients pour the hot tempering over the pickle.
- Add in more oil (you can use up the oil you used for frying drumsticks), if you wish. Mix well and store it in a clean, moist free, airtight glass bottles.
Notes
In India my Mom and MIL keep this for a couple of months without refrigeration and stays good. But I have personally never tried it without refrigeration as iam doubtful since Singapore is very humid and the weather is not stable. So I suggest you refrigerate and use up within 3 months.
Always handle the pickle with moist free spoons and hands.
Pickles spoil faster if there is not enough salt and oil in it. So add enough oil and salt.
I prefer using mustard oil, if you do not have, peanut or sunflower oil is best. or you can use mustard and half peanut. I suggest you to use at least 90 ml oil, otherwise it doesn’t taste good.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
step by step photos on drumstick pickle or mulakkada pachadi







Zanna says
Pickle is always a fix for when other side dishes run out, but THIS pickle recipe is a fix for me in two extra ways – firstly, a whole drumstick is usually more than I want to use since I’m usually cooking for only one or two people. So I can use the rest of the drumstick to make pickle and we won’t have to eat drumstick for three meals running. Secondly, when making sambar and wanting to add drumstick and not having any to hand, I cheat and add a couple of pieces of the pickle. It doesn’t give as much drumstick flavour of course but it spices up the sambar very nicely 😀 So I’m so grateful to you for the super useful recipe <3
swasthi says
Hi Zanna!
Yes you are right pickles are a quick fix anytime! I absolutely loved your thought of adding pickled drumstick in sambar. Never even thought of that! Thanks for sharing this. Will try out.
Zanna says
🙂 I hope you enjoy it. When I make sambar that way, I don’t add any tomatoes, chillies or salt, or methi for tempering, because it is all in the pickle!
swasthi says
Thank you so much for the details. I will try it for sure!
🙂
Rehma says
Tried this today. Colorful and aromatic. So tempting. Have to wait till evening to taste because of fasting. Thank u ?????
Rehma says
Tastes awesome. This is the first time I prepared a pickle and it’s sooo good. Im very happy. Lots of thanks with lots of love ❤️. I remembered u in my Dua. May Allah bless you with health and happiness
swasthi says
Dear Rehma
Ramadan mubarak!! Hope you are having a great time.
🙂
I am very very happy to know it turned out good. Thanks a lot for the prayers and blessings. They mean a lot to me dear.
Thanks again. Have a great time!
Jannatzubair says
I love ur recipe
swasthi says
Thank you
Sowbhagya Appaiah says
Super. No words to say. Blessing for working women.
swasthi says
Thanks Sowbhagya
Manju Vijayan says
Hi, I made the pickle and it came out excellent. Many thanks for sharing this recipe swasthi.
swasthi says
welcome Manju
Glad to know you liked it
Priya says
How to reduce bitter taste in this chutney, reply fast
swasthi says
Hi priya tell me how much pickle did you make? Is the bitterness from drumsticks?