🥔 SIDE
Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish)
Tomatoes and dried red chillies charred over a flame, then pounded in a mortar with raw garlic, salt and a pinch of timur into a smoky, fiery relish for dal bhat and momo.
Nepali · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 12 min
~24 cal · 1g protein · 5g carbs · 0g fat · 1g fiber · 3g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Golbheda means tomato, and achar in Nepal covers far more than pickles: it is any relish or chutney that sits on the side of the plate to wake up a meal. Pineko golbheda ko achar, roasted tomato achar, is one of the simplest and most loved, spooned beside dal bhat and served as the dipping sauce for momo.
The method is plain and old. Whole tomatoes are roasted straight over the fire until the skins blacken and split, dried red chillies are toasted quickly over the same flame, and everything is pounded on a stone or in a mortar with raw garlic and salt. The charred skins come off, but the smoke stays in the flesh.
Many cooks add timur, the citrusy Himalayan relative of Sichuan pepper, for its tingle, and some grind in toasted sesame for a thicker, nuttier achar of the kind served with momo. This is the everyday version: tomato, chilli, garlic, salt and a little timur.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 5 small (about 400 g) ripe tomatoes
- 3 to 4 dried red chillies, use fewer for a milder achar
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
- 1/4 tsp timur (Nepali Sichuan pepper), optionalHard to find? 1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Instructions
- 1Roast the tomatoes directly over a gas flame or on a hot dry griddle for 8 to 10 minutes, turning them with tongs, until the skins are blackened and split and the flesh is soft.✎ Chef’s noteA few tomatoes at a time on a wire rack over the flame is easiest. The charring is the flavour, so let the skins go properly black.
- 2Toast the dried chillies over the flame or in the dry pan for 30 seconds to 1 minute, turning constantly, until they darken and smell toasty. Do not let them burn.
- 3Toast the timur, if using, in the dry pan for a few seconds until fragrant. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the blackened skins and pull out the stem ends.
- 4In a mortar, pound the chillies, garlic, timur and salt to a rough paste.
- 5Add the roasted tomatoes and pound them into the paste until the achar is as smooth or as chunky as you like. Stir in the coriander, taste for salt and serve at room temperature with dal bhat or momo.✎ Chef’s noteA blender works too; pulse briefly so the achar keeps some texture.
Nepali home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kathmandu Valley. The Newar festive plate is samay baji, a set rather than a single dish: beaten rice at the centre, ringed by fried black soybeans, lentil-flour bara, spiced buffalo chhoila, a boiled egg, chopped ginger and a pour of the rice spirit aila. It opens pujas, festivals and death anniversaries alike.
🗺️
Nepal. Nepali food revolves around dal bhat, lentils and rice eaten twice daily, alongside momo dumplings and Himalayan Tibetan influences. Simple, wholesome, and mountain-shaped, it leans on lentils, pickles (achar), and fermented greens.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Nepal
Yomari (Newari Sweet Rice Dumpling)Fig-shaped steamed rice-flour dumpling filled with chaku (jaggery molasses), toasted sesame, and coconut, made for Yomari Punhi.
Dal Bhat TarkariThe Himalayan daily plate: tempered black lentils, rice, and a turmeric-spiced vegetable curry.
Sel RotiA ring-shaped, lightly sweet fermented rice bread, crisp outside and soft within.
Browse all Nepal recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Griddle or flat pan, Oven, Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Nepal meal
TongbaDrink
Juju DhauDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish)?
Tomatoes and dried red chillies charred over a flame, then pounded in a mortar with raw garlic, salt and a pinch of timur into a smoky, fiery relish for dal bhat and momo.
Where does Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish) come from?
Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish) is a Nepali dish from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.
Can Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Golbheda ko Achar (Nepali Roasted Tomato Relish) take to make?
About 22 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 12 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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