Apple Thokku | Grated Apple Pickle

Indian-style grated apple pickle popularly known as apple thokku! Spicy relish with apples, a perfect side dish for rice, and a fantastic spread too!

In our household, the meal never ends with curd/yogurt/buttermilk rice. When I make sambar or kuzhambu, we usually have that as a side for the yogurt rice. On days when I make dal or kootu or rasam, we opt for pickles for yogurt rice. 

But folks, thokku or the grated pickle is more than a pickle. You can use it as a spread for your sandwich, dosa, and pair it with idli, paratha, and upma. 

I love pickles with yogurt rice, but I can relish mixed rice and sambhar and rasam rice with pickles, especially thokku varieties. So at any point in time, there will make some pickle in my fridge. Check out my other favorite thokku varieties – raw mango thokku, cherry thokku, and tomato thokku as well. 

I have already explained what is thokku on my cherry thokku post, so let me directly get into the apple thokku recipe. 

Apple Thokku

Apple thokku is more like mango thokku; I grate the apples ( I used the honey-crisp apple variety) and cook them with some spices. I got about 3 cups of grated apple, and for this measure, I added 1.5 tsp of fenugreek powder, red chili powder, and salt. 

We love the flavor of fenugreek and asafoetida in the pickles, so I always add a little extra. But you can always adjust according to your preference. Also, make sure to taste the apple and adjust the spices depending upon its sweetness/tartness.  

Typically I add mustard seed powder as well for pickles. But for this pickle, I skipped. You can add ½ tsp of mustard seed powder as well. 

How to make fenugreek powder

You don’t need to buy a big pack of fenugreek powder from the store for this recipe. You can make the fenugreek powder at home. 

Roast about 2 tbsps of fenugreek seeds until they turn red/deep golden brown. In Tamil, we say sivakka varukanum. That’s the critical thing. If you don’t roast until they turn red, you can feel the fenugreek’s stickiness in the pickle, and the texture won’t be pleasant. So roast it well. Let it cool and grind it. We need 1.5 tsp of fenugreek powder for this recipe. 

You can use the fenugreek powder for the Instant tamarind rice and other kuzhambu recipes. 

Dietary Specifications

As you can see from the ingredient list, we are not using any dairy products or nuts. By nature, this pickle is vegan. You can skip asafoetida for a gluten-free version or use gluten-free asafoetida for this. I suggest not to skip the asafoetida for this pickle. 

Don’t forget to check the VVK tips to make the best apple thokku/relish.

Serving suggestions

• We love this pickle with yogurt rice, rasam rice. But you can also serve it with idli,upma paratha, or you can use it as a spread for dosa and bread.
• I love to spread a generous layer of this pickle on my bread, top it with paneer, and grill it. It makes s a delicious sandwich.
• You can mix paneer and this pickle and marinate and air fry or bake them.
• Mix it with roti dough and make pickle paratha.  

The sky is the limit. This pickle is indeed a must-have condiment. 

How to make the grated apple pickle

• Heat a pan or kadai and add 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. As they start to splutter, add the asafoetida and fenugreek seed powder. Saute for 15 to 20 seconds. 

• Now add grated apple, salt, turmeric, and chili powder.

• Mix it well.

•  Let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat. (Do not cover).

• Add another 1 tbsp of oil, mix well and cook for two to three minutes until all the moisture is gone. The apple thokku will come together at this stage and turn off the heat. Let it cool and store it in an airtight container. Make sure to use a clean spoon every time. 

VVK Tips for the best apple thokku

• Make sure you grate the apple just before making the pickle. After grating, start the tempering process. If the peel and grate it before, due to oxidization, it might turn black.
• Taste the apple, and make sure to adjust the spices according to your preference.
• As I mentioned before, we like fenugreek and asafoetida flavor in pickles, so I always add a little extra. But adjust as per your taste.
• If the pickle is on the spicier side, you can always add jaggery or palm sugar and cook again for a couple of minutes.
• I highly recommend gingelly oil for this recipe; if not, use peanut oil or neutral oil. Coconut oil slightly overpowers the flavor, but you can try if that’s your preferred oil. 
• You can add ½ tsp of mustard seed powder along with fenugreek powder. But I did not use it. 
• I have tested this recipe with the gala, green and honey-crisp apples.

More Apple Recipes

PS:  If you try this apple thokku/pickle, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more gardening and recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

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5 from 4 votes

Apple Thokku | Grated Apple Pickle

Indian-style grated apple pickle popularly known as apple thokku! Spicy relish with apples, a perfect side dish for rice, and a fantastic spread too!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Accompaniment, condiments

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6

Calories: 101kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

• Saucepan or kadai

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;

• ▢ 3 tbsp oil divided (2 tbsp + 1 tbsp) preferably gingelly oil
• ▢ 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ▢ ½ tsp asafoetida
• ▢ 1.5 tsp fenugreek powder
• ▢ 2 apples peeled and grated approx 500 grams roughly 3 cups when grated. I used honey-crisp variety.
• ▢ ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ▢ 1.5 tsp red chili powder or to taste
• ▢ 1.5 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

• Heat a pan or kadai and add 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. As they start to splutter, add the asafoetida and fenugreek seed powder. Saute for 15 to 20 seconds.
  
• Now add grated apple, salt, turmeric, and chili powder.
  
• Mix it well.
  
• Let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes over medium-low heat. (Do not cover).
  
• Add another 1 tbsp of oil, mix well and cook for two to three minutes until all the moisture is gone. The apple thokku will come together at this stage and turn off the heat. Let it cool and store it in an airtight container. Make sure to use a clean spoon every time.
  

Notes

• Make sure you grate the apple just before making the pickle. After grating, start the tempering process. If the peel and grate it before, due to oxidization, it might turn black.
• Taste the apple, and make sure to adjust the spices according to your preference.
• As I mentioned before, we like fenugreek and asafoetida flavor in pickles, so I always add a little extra. But adjust as per your taste.
• If the pickle is on the spicier side, you can always add jaggery or palm sugar and cook again for a couple of minutes.
• I highly recommend gingelly oil for this recipe; if not, use peanut oil or neutral oil. Coconut oil slightly overpowers the flavor, but you can try if that’s your preferred oil. 
• You can add ½ tsp of mustard seed powder along with fenugreek powder. But I did not use it.
• I have tested this recipe with the gala, green and honey-crisp apples.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 182IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

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Update Notes: Earlier posted in 2015, now updated the blog post with new pics, recipe card and more tips and details.