LIME PICKLE

Pickles are an integral part of the average telugu diet.Lime/lemon is a perfect fruit that lends itself very well to pickles and preserves.Ever since I saw Indira's Lime pickle post,my taste buds have been tingling for a taste of lime pickle.Normally we buy ready made pickles from stores,as carrying pickles to the UK is not an option we have because of weight limitations.I have experimented with simple pickles in the past, and hence the lime pickle was just a matter of time.The credit goes to Indira, though,who provides exact measurements for this.I have heard of a variety of lime pickle that is made in North India,which has black salt and ajwain(caraway seeds).I did not have any recipe to start with though,so I borrowed Indira's and gave it my twist.Here is my version(I had to modify on the amount of salt and lemon juice too):

Ingredients: 8 small thin skinned lemons

8 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons turmeric

Juice of 6 lemons

4 tablespoons chilli powder

1 teaspoon Dhaniya/coriander seeds

1 teaspoon Methi/Fenugreek seeds

1 teaspoon ajwain powder(Roast the ajwain and powder it)

1 teaspoon Saunf(Fennel)seeds

2 teaspoons black salt

1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing

75 ml oil(preferably gingelly/sesame oil,peanut/sunflower will do)

Method: Cut the lemons into quarters,mix with the salt,turmeric and the lemon juice and keep aside for 5 days.Keep mixing it about once in 2 days so that the salt is dissolved well.

On 5th day,Roast the Fenugreek/Methi,Dhaniya/Coriander,Ajwain(also known as Bishop's weed/Thymol) and Fennel/Saunf and grind to a fine powder.Roast the Fenugreek separately until the seeds start popping and become brown.Don't let them get too dark.Powder and add to the lemon pieces along with the coriander ,fennel and thymol powders.

Let these marinate for 3 days.

On the 4th day of marination,heat 75 ml of oil in a pan, and add the asafoetida/Hing to the hot oil.Let the oil cool until warm,then add the chilli powder to it.Pour over the lemon pieces and mix well.

Put the pickle into the jar again and let it sit for atleast 10 days.The longer it sits,the better.In India,generally pickles are given a time of atleast 2-3 months before they are opened for consumption.My grandmother says pickles(these are generally made in India in the summers,in April and May when the sun is at its hottest) should sit until the rains start(which is about 3 months later in August/September),to soften up.And how true that is!Pickles taste really heavenly after the 3 month resting period.


My Notes:Pickle cannot be made out of the thick skinned big lemons that are commonly available in US and UK(Been there,done that).You could use limes instead.I was lucky enough to get the Indian type small yellow thin skinned lemons to make my pickle with.