Kharoli (Assamese fermented mustard paste)

Name: Kharoli (Assamese fermented mustard paste)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 144 h 20 min
Ingredients: 100 g mustard seeds, black or brown, picked over and washed; 60 ml water; 30 ml kola khar (banana-ash alkali); 5 g salt; 1 sheet banana leaves, wilted over a flame to make it pliable, wiped clean (optional); 5 ml mustard oil (optional); 3 g green chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Vegetarian

খাৰলি · khārali

Ground mustard seeds mixed with khar (an alkali filtered from the ash of burnt banana peel) and salt, packed tight and left to ferment for several days into a pungent, savoury paste. A little is eaten with rice, mixed with mustard oil and green chilli, or used to season fish.

Kharoli (Assamese fermented mustard paste) is an Indian condiment, ready in about 144 hours 20 minutes and made with mustard seeds and kola khar (banana-ash alkali). It serves 20 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep: 20 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 144 h
Total: 144 h 20 min
Serves: 20
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 25

20 minutes of work, 1 hour soaking, then about 4–7 days' fermentation in a warm place.

Ingredients

20 servings (about 10 g)

100 g Mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), black or brown, picked over and washedContains mustard
60 ml Water (opens in a new tab)For grinding.
30 ml Kola khar (banana-ash alkali) (opens in a new tab)About 2 tbsp. A pinch (about ¼ tsp) of baking soda dissolved in 2 tbsp water is the common modern substitute.Swap: Baking soda (Not traditional; dissolve in water first.)
5 g Salt (opens in a new tab)About ¾ tsp.
1 sheet (30 g) Banana leaves (opens in a new tab), wilted over a flame to make it pliable, wiped clean (optional)For wrapping, in place of a bamboo tube.

To serve

5 ml Mustard oil (opens in a new tab) (optional)Per serving.Contains mustard
3 g Green chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Pick over and wash the mustard seeds (opens in a new tab), then soak them in fresh water for 1 hour to soften. Drain well.
- 3 min
2
Step 2
Grind the soaked seeds with the 60 ml water to a fine, thick paste, in a blender (opens in a new tab) (in bursts, scraping down) or on a grinding stone. It will be very pungent; keep your face away from the jar when you open it.
3
Step 3
In a clean bowl, mix the paste with the khar (opens in a new tab) and salt until even.
- 2 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Pack the paste tightly into a clean, dry bamboo tube or small glass jar lined with wilted banana leaf (or wrap it in the leaf and tie), pressing out air pockets. Seal and keep in a warm place (25–30 °C, near the kitchen hearth in Assamese homes) for 4–7 days, until it smells strongly pungent and savoury and has darkened slightly.
- 5 min
- Fermentation jar / crock (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Use only spotless, dry containers and tools; discard the batch if fuzzy mould appears or it smells putrid.
How it looks · Photo: Maria Verkhoturtseva on Pexels
5
Step 5
Refrigerate once fermented. To serve, mix about 2 tsp kharoli with a little raw mustard oil (opens in a new tab) and chopped green chilli (opens in a new tab) and eat with rice.
- 2 min

About this dish

Origin: Assam, India · Commonly attributedA traditional Assamese ferment, particularly in upper Assam. Written sources are few and household methods differ in soaking, fermentation time and container (bamboo tube, banana leaf or jar). This recipe follows the most commonly described home method; the fermentation time depends on the weather.More food from India
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Pickles & ferments
Cooking method: Fermented, Blended
Taste: spicy (chilli heat), umami, salty, bitter
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead
Cook more with: Mustard seeds
Techniques: Wet grinding · Emulsification · Fermentation

Allergens

Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds, mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

25 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 10 g · recipe makes 20

Where the energy comes from

Protein 19%
Carbohydrate 21%
Fat 60%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	25 kcal	267 kcal
Protein	1.3 g	13.7 g
Carbohydrate	1.4 g	14.8 g
Net carbohydrate	0.8 g	8.4 g
Sugars	0.3 g	3.6 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	0.6 g	6.4 g
Fat	1.8 g	19.1 g
Saturated fat	0.1 g	1 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	98 mg	1028 mg
Salt equivalent	0.2 g	2.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 37 mg
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 0.5 mg
Magnesium: 19 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 8 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: banana leaves, mustard oil, green chilli.
Kola khar (banana-ash alkali): Water (FDC 174158) used as a stand-in: khar is a filtrate of water through burnt banana-peel ash, used by the spoonful; it adds potassium and other mineral salts but no meaningful energy.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Kharoli is a seasoning, not a dip: a teaspoon flavours a whole plate of rice.
It is also stirred into fish or vegetable curries at the end, like a mustard paste.

Common mistakes

Fermenting in a cold room, where it barely changes and tastes only bitter and raw.
Packing it loosely, so air pockets let mould grow.

Serve with

Mix with mustard oil and green chilli and eat with rice and dal.
Stir a spoonful into masor tenga or a vegetable khar at the end of cooking.

Food safety

Fermentation: work with clean, dry hands, tools and containers; discard if you see fuzzy mould or smell rot rather than sharp pungency.
Khar is alkaline; store it out of reach of children and do not use more than the recipe states.

Storage

Once fermented, keeps about 1 month in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Variations

Bamboo-tube kharoli: The traditional method: packed into a section of green bamboo, sealed with leaves and kept above the hearth.
Quick kharoli: Made with baking soda instead of khar and fermented only 2–3 days; milder and less complex.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

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What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Banana leaves, wilted over a flame to make it pliable, wiped clean (optional)1 sheet · 30 g

Used in step 4

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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