Alainchi (cardamom)
Alainchi is the large or black cardamom of the eastern Himalaya, the dark, smoke-dried pods of Amomum subulatum. Its camphor-cool, smoky seeds season Himalayan and North Indian cooking and a sweet Nepali lapsi achar.
Modern method
Lapsi ko achar, Suryabinayak pulp method
लप्सीको अचार · Lapsīko acār · Lapsi pickle
A Suryabinayak municipal recipe cooks ripe lapsi pulp in sugar syrup with cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, sukumel and ginger juice to make a sweet Nepali achar.
History
Lapsi ko achar is a Nepali fruit preserve made from the tart pulp of lapsi. A Suryabinayak agriculture account places achar among the fruit's familiar uses and records a sweet syrup method. It also describes other lapsi preparations, including fruit leather and candy; this version begins with prepared ripe pulp and ends as a spiced, cooked relish.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
1 kg
Prepared ripe pulp; extraction method is not given.1 kg
0.5 L
Half a litre for the syrup.Amount not stated
The four-spice list ends with २/२ ग्राम; 2 g each is plausible but the allocation is ambiguous.Amount not stated
The four-spice list ends with २/२ ग्राम; 2 g each is plausible but the allocation is ambiguous.Amount not stated
The four-spice list ends with २/२ ग्राम; 2 g each is plausible but the allocation is ambiguous.Sukumel (सुकुमेल)
Amount not stated
The four-spice list ends with २/२ ग्राम; 2 g each is plausible but the allocation is ambiguous.0.5 g
Half a gram.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Unmeasured bottling process
The municipal recipe says to fill and close a clean bottle but gives no measured preservation endpoint, bottle preparation or storage condition.
Hazard sourceUse a clean bottle as the municipal method directs; this alone does not establish shelf stability.
Control sourceThe method gives no measured syrup concentration, acidity or bottle processing. Its long-keeping statement cannot establish a storage duration.
- Have 1 kg ripe lapsi pulp ready. The recipe begins with prepared pulp.
- Cook the sugar in 500 mL water to make syrup, then strain it through a thin, clean cloth.
- Add the pulp, cloves, alainchi, cinnamon, sukumel and ginger juice. Stir and cook for 10–15 minutes.
- Fill a clean bottle with the cooked achar and close it.
Conditions
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Suryabinayak Municipality
Documented preparation · Locality evidenceThe measured recipe appears on Suryabinayak Municipality's agriculture portal. This is publication context, not an origin or exclusive-practice claim.
Related
Made from
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum trees, rolled into quills or ground; Ceylon cinnamon comes from C. verum of Sri Lanka and cassia from related species.
Cloves
Cloves are the dried unopened flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum. Whole buds infuse liquids and can be removed; ground clove disperses its intense aroma through food.
Ginger juice
Fresh liquid pressed from ginger rhizome, used in a small amount to season a documented Nepali lapsi achar; distinct from grated ginger, powder and sweetened ginger beverages.
Lapsi (Nepali hog plum)
Lapsi is Nepal's tart stone fruit from Choerospondias axillaris. Its cooked pulp becomes achar, titaura, mada and other sour or sweet preserves.
Variants
Lapsi ko achar with mustard oil
Ripe Nepali lapsi is boiled, peeled and cooked with mustard oil, salt, sugar and roasted spices to make a sweet-sour achar served alongside a meal.
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Sources
Suryabinayak Municipality, Krishi-PCS portalProcess
लप्सी (Lapsi)Botanical-name heading and local name (lines 2–7); measured pickle ingredients and method (lines 200–212). The separate long-storage assertion is not treated as validated.
Forest Research and Training Centre, Government of NepalGeography · Botany
Forests and Forestry Research in Nepal: ChoerospondiasBotanical name Choerospondias axillaris; Nepali name lapsi; fruit form and ripe yellow colour; reported Nepal occurrence range 950–1900 m, qualified because widespread planting obscures natural range; regional occurrence outside Nepal.
National Centre for Fruit Development, Government of NepalGeography · Cultivation
Lapsi and Chiuri: GI survey and origin studyNational survey reports lapsi cultivation across 29 districts and a significant western and central concentration; the study frames lapsi as an indigenous local fruit crop and potential agroforestry income source.
TastyNepalVariation · Serving
Lapsi ko Achar (Hog Plum Pickle)A contemporary Kathmandu Valley recipe uses boiled fruit, mustard oil, fenugreek, garlic, turmeric, chilli and sugar; it illustrates a distinct oil-and-whole-fruit approach and describes lapsi candy as another use.