January 07, 2007

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.





24 comments:

FH said...

Love those Vini!I made some too last month but the usual way.This has some unusual ingredients.Great looking.My cheeks are hurting looking at it!:)

USHA said...

Hi vini,

Lime pickles hmmmm....curd rice with pickles...nothing can stand beofre that...

I liked your tip for selecting lemon for pickles....becoz novice like us can get use of that tips...

Viji said...

Vini, mouthwatering pickle. Nice write up. Viji

swapna susarla said...

hai vini
pickle is looking great..
can i use the green ones?

TNL said...

Love this just by itself..it is so yummy.... Your looks so good, Vini.

Trupti

Anonymous said...

I love lime pickle! I've never tried making pickles at home though. This looks delicious!

Seema Bhat said...

Vini, I just love lime pickle. Feels so good specially when you are ill. I love this with plain cold yogurt or mosaranna
Thanx
seema

Anonymous said...

This is lip smackingly deliciously.... MY mouth is watering as I write this. :)

www.mykhazanaofrecipes.wordpress.com

Sia said...

happy new yr to u and ur family... have fun girl...
cheers
sups

Nidhi said...

Oh! I love the recipe of your Lemon pickle. We always get pickles from Indian store, but never thought of making that at home. I will definitely try it now.

You know what, my mom makes wonderful pickles in India and when ever we go to India we always get some for us.

Thanks a lot for sharing...

Love, Nidhi.

Bong Mom said...

Your pickle looks very very tasty...my mouth is watering looking at it
Do you make it in winter also ?

Vini K said...

Hi Asha,my mouth waters at the mere mention!

Usha,I Love lime pickle and esp with curd rice.

Viji,Thank you dear.

Swapna,you can use green lemons that are available in US .

Trupti,Vani,Thank you.It is probably the easiest of all pickles!

Seema,ya..I have sinus and often get a craving for this one.which is why lime pickle is one of my favs.


Rooma,Thanks.it tastes delicious too,try it.

Supriya,thanks dear.

Nidhi,when we were living in the US,we used to carry pickles made my my MIL.But not so fortunate here due to baggage weight limits:(
Mothers do make tasty pickles,don;t they?:)This is very easy,so try it.

Sandeepa,yes,I made it only last month..this did not need any sunlight or anything though I guess the sunlight helps the lemon skin to darken and gives it that nice flavour..This tastes good the way I made it too..Try it.

Mythreyee said...

wow, is it that simple? thanks for sharing.

Mrs. K said...

That looks great. I have used those big lemons for pickles. Though it is not as good as key limes, they taste good too, at least to us.

Anonymous said...

Hi Vini,

So many lovely recipes you've posted lately! Lime pickle is something I haven't dared try yet -- maybe one of these days. I especially loved the sunny coconut buns and the chandrakanthalu ... everything looks great! And a happy belated anniversary to you, as well :)

Vini K said...

Hi Mythreyee,yes, it is very simple to make!

Hi RP,I did use the big lemons for the pickle but I didnot like the taste as much..Thanks for the tip about adding dates to the pickle.I was thinking of adding jaggery/sugar to make some of it sweet.Will try your dates tip.

Hi Linda,thanks dear.try this one,it is easy to make.Thank you again for the Wishes as well!

Anonymous said...

Wow, look at the colour. Very tempting Vini.I love pickles. Belated happy new year wishes. How is ananya?
Take care
Bye

Anonymous said...

Vini, i am a big pickle fan...my mother used to make em all the time...and you know, gets a bit dull eating Patak's pickles all the time...~grin~...I am gonna try this...i assume these are limes, with thin skins as you mentioned and greeny/yellow in color...thanks for sharing...take care dear Vini...catch you later..

Shah cooks said...

Great recipe and reminded me of my mom who used to make and still amkes all kinds of pickle. I never had to learn because of her sending me bottles of it regularly.

Vini K said...

Hi Anuradha,Thank you.Ananya is fine,thank you for asking.:)

Dilip Bhai,yes,the lemons I mentioned are the thin skinned ones.You could use limes(green and thin skinned ones)..I totally understand about ready made pickles.We buy priya pickles all the time but I don;t like them as much as home made pickles.this is easy to make too!:)

Hey Shaheen,nice to see you here!You are one lucky girl,dear,to have your mom send you pickles every time.I wish my mother did the same(she does not make pickles).To this day I rue not learning my Granny(mom's mom)pickles(the proportions etc..)coz she is 79 yrs old now and does not remember the measurements even,let alone make them now!

jacob said...

totally rocks! sounds and looks like what my mom makes in india. we come back from trip home laden with jars of it. your pictures are so well shot.

Vini K said...

Hello Jacob,welcome to my blog!Thank you so much for your comment on my photos.You are lucky to have your mom prepare pickles.My Mother in law makes excellent pickles but because of the checkin weight limit,we cannot carry all those things..

jacob said...

hey vini,
thanks for stopping by my blog. that comment made me laugh! cheers and will stop by your blogs every now and then.
jacob

Anonymous said...

That's a great lime pickle recipe, Vini. I am a pickle freak and a must for every meal..:)