Lapsi (Nepali Hog Plum): Achar, Candy & Powder

Lapsi is the Nepali name for hog plum (Choerospondias axillaris), a small olive-shaped fruit that grows on tall trees across the mid-hills of Nepal. The flesh clings tightly to a spiky seed, and raw lapsi is fiercely sour, almost too sharp to eat plain.

That sourness is exactly why Nepali kitchens love it. Boiled, mashed and mixed with spices, lapsi turns into achar. Dried and rolled in sugar and chili, it becomes candy. Ground fine, it becomes a souring powder that stands in for tamarind or lemon in dozens of dishes.

If you grew up in Nepal, the smell of lapsi being pounded with salt and khursani on a stone mortar is basically the smell of home. That is the flavour we are trying to get onto your table in Canada, whether you are in Vancouver or three time zones away.

Lapsi achar is the classic form: boiled hog plum pulp cooked down with mustard oil, garlic, timur and chili, then jarred. It is the tangy side dish that turns a plain plate of dal bhat into something you actually crave.

We stock two versions from the same trusted maker. The Hot Lapsi Achar leans into chili heat and is the one most Nepali households keep in the fridge year-round. The Sweet Lapsi Achar balances the sourness with sugar and is gentler for kids or anyone easing into achar for the first time.

Both live in the pickles & achar aisle alongside our other favourites, and if you want the full picture of what else counts as achar in a Nepali or Indian pantry, our Indian & Nepali pickles guide breaks down mango, lemon and mixed versions too.

Before tamarind became common in Nepali kitchens, lapsi powder did the job of adding sourness to soups, lentil dishes and vegetable curries. It still does, and a lot of cooks prefer it because the tang is sharper and more fruity than tamarind's.

A spoonful of Lapsi Powder or Annapurna Lapsi Powder stirred into a simmering pot of gundruk soup, kwati or even a simple aloo curry gives it that unmistakable Nepali sourness without needing fresh limes on hand.

It keeps for months in a sealed jar, which makes it one of the most practical items to stock up on when you are already ordering from our spices & masala shelf.

Dried, salted and rolled in a coat of sugar, chili and sometimes fennel, lapsi becomes titaura, the chewy-tart candy sold from street carts across Nepal. Mad is a related style, usually a bit softer and sweeter, made from the same fruit.

Our Titaura / Paun Candy captures that exact street-side flavour: sour, sweet, spicy and slightly salty all in one bite. It lives in the candy section alongside other Nepali snack sweets.

If titaura is new to you, our dedicated titaura and paun guide goes deeper into the different styles and how to tell a good batch from a mediocre one.

Lapsi achar is traditionally served alongside dal bhat, but it earns its keep well beyond that. Try a spoonful next to sukuti sadeko for a sour-spicy contrast against the smoky dried meat, or serve it with aloo ko achar at a bhoj-style spread for a full range of sour flavours on the table.

For heat lovers, mixing a little lapsi achar with fresh akabare khursani takes the fire up another notch. That combination, hog plum sourness plus cherry-pepper heat, is a staple in eastern Nepali households.

Lapsi powder works quietly in the background: a pinch in dal, a pinch in a vegetable curry, even a pinch mixed into plain yogurt for a quick chutney-style dip.

Lapsi is not something you stumble on at a regular Canadian grocery store, which is exactly why we carry it at Danphe Stores. Our physical shop is at 3634 East Hastings St in Vancouver, but our online orders reach every province and territory in the country.

Standard shipping runs $5 to $10 and takes 5 to 10 business days, or it is free once your cart hits $35, which most lapsi orders clear once you add a jar of achar and a bag of powder or candy together. If you are in central Metro Vancouver, call us for same-day delivery instead of waiting on the mail.

For the full rundown of how our nationwide shipping works, brands we carry and how to order Nepali and Indian groceries from wherever you live, see our Nepali & Indian grocery delivery across Canada hub page.