Pickles & Condiments
Timur ko Chhop
टिमुरको छोप
Timur ko chhop is the fiery dry condiment built around timur, the Nepali Sichuan pepper that leaves a distinct citrusy tingle and numbness on the tongue. Dried chillies, garlic and timur are toasted and pounded into a coarse red powder, sometimes slackened with mustard oil into a paste. It is dusted over grilled meat, boiled potatoes, chatpate and sukuti, stirred into other achars, or simply eaten with a pinch of salt alongside dal-bhat.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Serves
- 20
- Difficulty
- Easy
At the stove
Method
Pick over the timur and discard any stalks, leaves and the small black inner seeds, which are gritty and bitter — only the reddish husks are wanted.
Dry-toast the chillies in a pan over low heat for a minute or two until they darken slightly and smell sharp. Take them out before they scorch or the whole batch turns acrid.
In the same pan, toast the timur, cumin and coriander seeds for under a minute, just until fragrant.
Toast the garlic cloves whole in the dry pan until spotted brown and softened.
Let everything cool completely — grinding warm spices makes a damp, clumping powder.
Pound in a mortar or pulse in a grinder with the salt to a coarse, flaky red powder rather than a fine dust.
For the dry version, store as is in an airtight jar; it keeps its punch for a couple of months.
For the paste version, heat the mustard oil until it smokes, cool it slightly, then stir it through the powder with the lemon juice and bottle it.
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