Every culture has a condiment that becomes the default condiment of choice. A few years back sriracha seemed to be placed on everything. Even Frank's Hot Sauce's slogan mentions putting it on everything.
Well, if you want another culture's take on the go-to everything sauce then let Trader Joe's introduce you to Garlic Achaar.
The taste
For me, this is a new item. I've never had achaar before. But if you are a fan of Indian flavors this doesn't disappoint. And yes, this will be the sauce that stands out among all of your spicy condiments.
The base here is like many hot sauces: it's made of red chili peppers. So it's medium in heat.
There is a subtle flavor of jalapeno peppers in here as well which will give you a sense of the heat. For some, that's already too spicy for you, to some that is not going far enough. I think sriracha overall is hotter than this sauce.
Once you get past the taste of peppers that is when the flavor of the garlic hits. There is both raw and roasted garlic in this as well. There is no hiding the garlic here just like it was the star in Trader Joe's Garlic Spread.
But what makes this a somewhat familiar taste is the spice mixture. If you've ever had any of the frozen Indian entrees then you are familiar with the flavors of fenugreek, coriander, and cumin which often makes up many of the masala sauces. What you are tasting here is going to be complex and quite different from any other hot sauces or condiments you might be keeping in your refrigerator.
This sauce is way too thick to be a simmer sauce although I see no reason why you couldn't thin this out. Heck, this would be great as an aioli as well.
What should I serve this with?
This is a pretty easy condiment to pair with a lot of different items. Bread, naan, paratha, grilled cheese, soup, eggs, french fries, or a protein that seems a bit plain on its own. Even some sour cream or yogurt could make this into a delicious dip. Just dip your spoon in and imagine the possibilities.
This is a condiment that is an absolute blank canvas and to be honest I haven't seen many retailers carry anything like this.
Overall
For $2.69 is a really solid and tasty item as long as you enjoy the spices of Indian food. This condiment is a truly blank canvas that will allow you to get creative with something that seems a bit plain.
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Garlic Achaar Sauce again. I haven't seen anything else quite like it. It added a really nice pop of flavor.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
A visual rundown of this product
The jar of Trader Joe's Garlic Achaar:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Garlic Achaar Sauce
Product Name: Trader Joe's Garlic Achaar Sauce
Product Description: Trader Joe's Garlic Achaar Sauce is super flavorful and nearly all-purpose. condiment with the warm spices of India
Price: $2.69
Summary
Trader Joe's Garlic Achaar Sauce is new and a really solid condiment to add to your collection.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Flavorful and different from most of the hot sauces I've tried
- Not overpoweringly hot
Cons
- If you don't like coriander, cumin, or fenugreek then I'd pass on this.
Sounds amazing. But why haven't TJ's bottled the delicious indian frozen entree sauces?! Their sauces are so good in the frozen meals.
I couldn't agree more!
I will have to try this. We like Indian food and any condiment is nice to serve with dinner. I finally bought TJ's Zhoug and already wish i hadn't waited so long. I have been using it on many things, but now it is time to try something new.
Can't wait to hear what you think of this Elaine!
Diced eggplant, salted, put in pan with olive oil. Added diced tomatoes, capers, sherry vinegar. After that stewed, I added some TJ Garlic Achaar. It was basically 'an Indian caponata'
Sounds delish deemery!
Oh my gosh, this is so good! Just tried it on our spaghetti squash!
Thanks for sharing Anne!
Nice review. Just to add some 'color' to how this would be used in India - 'achaar' is loosely translated to pickle, and we use pickles in India truly as condiments. So if you have naan, or rice with a curry, you would 'add' a bit of pickle to your spoon.
Thanks MVP!
Used a jar of this with the frozen raw shrimp (after thawing and removing the tails) and a can of the organic black beans. Of course, we added more chopped garlic. AMAZING!
Thanks for the suggestion Lonnie!
I do love products like this, but it's unfortunate that this recipe was stolen from an authentic Indian brand. Trader Joe's worked with Brooklyn Delhi, the original maker of the product, but after several tastings and learning about the way the product was made, they stole it and made their own version while naming it the same thing and using very similar packaging to the original. This kind of cultural appropriation, and in this case, blatant theft, happens all too often at trader joe's and it's so unfortunate. I encourage you all to go to Whole Foods to get the original and authentic Brooklyn Delhi Garlic Achaar if you want to support ethical collaboration between companies and ethical commercialization of cultural recipes.
Thanks for sharing Leia!
I love it, but it's been discontinued. Why?