Lime Pickle Recipe எலுமிச்சை ஊறுகாய் Lemon Pickle 2

Good Lime or lemon pickle reminds me of two people - my grandmother and my mother-in-law. I don't remember my grandmother's pickle making all that much but it had green chilies, garlic and sometimes even green (black) peppers. Whereas my MIL's without fail packed us lemon pickles every year. Without the slightest taste of sourness or bitterness but nice and smooth, these were some of the best no fuss lemon pickles I have ever tasted. We lost her this year but with covid and not travelling for the last 2 years, I learned to make the pickles because we had made it once under her tutelage when she was here. It might not have the finesse of her pickles and the aroma of pickles made in her kitchen, we make do with these :) They come tantalizingly close to the original.

We got the recipe from MIL but like most recipes we know from our relatives, hers gives everything in handfuls and I have done my best to translate them to cups and spoons.

Here in the US, the lemons have a fairly thick skin, while you can still make with these lemons I prefer using limes for the pickle. The limes that we get here are typically green harvested before they have become ripe, and used for the kind of recipes that requires a more sour tasting juice than what it would be if it were ripe.

For the purposes of this recipe the green or the yellow ones with thin skin work perfectly. For a better tasting pickle it is necessary to use thin skinned limes/lemon than the thicker skinned ones. I am not saying the thicker skinned citruses cannot be pickled. They absolutely can be.

Sun drying or sun marinating the cut limes are what gives this pickle the taste. So plan to do them that way if you can. Having said that, it does not mean the pickles have to be made only in the summer. I usually run out of the lime pickles I make in the summer and crave for some during winter. The lime pieces take a bit longer to marinate but they absolutely can be made in the winter. I place the marinating limes on a sunny window sill for about 3-4 weeks. During the summer I let it sit in the sun outside.

No sunny window? Not a problem. Let it sit in its own juices for 3-4 weeks and that should be sufficient. I used to think that making lemon/lime pickles is kind of hard. I am blown away by how easy this is compared to some of the other pickles I make.

Recipe in pictures.

Cut the lime into small pieces, about 8 pieces per lime and add them to a glass or ceramic jar and add about 1/3 cup of salt and let it marinate for 3-4 weeks. In a small pan roast mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Cool and powder.
Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan, season with mustard and fenugreek seeds. When mustard pops add asfoetida followed by the marinated lime pieces and let it come to a boil.
Add chili powder and salt and mix well.
Add the mustard and fenugreek powder, check for salt and turn off the heat.

Recipe in pictures,

Lime Pickle Recipe
Marination Time:3-4 weeks
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 8-10 lemons (makes about 3-4 cups of cut fresh lime pieces)
2. 1/3 cup red chili powder
3. 1/3 cup of rock salt (if using table salt use less
4. 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
5. 2 tsp fenugreek seeds
6. 1/2 tsp asfoetida powder
7. 1/2 - 1 cup sesame oil (I use slightly more to keep it fresh longer)
8. seasonings: 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 2 pinches of asfoetida powder

Method

1. Few weeks before making the pickle, wash the limes and let them dry. Cut each lime into 8 pieces, cut vertically and then cut each into 4 pieces.
2. Put the cut lime into a glass (or ceramic) jar with salt. Cover the opening with a cheese cloth and then it in the sun for 2-3 weeks or if indoor for 3-4 weeks.
3. In a wide mouthed pan (I used a mud pot) add the seasonings - mustard, fenugreek seeds and asfoetida, when the mustard seeds start to pop add the cut and marinated lime pieces.
4. While this heats up in a small pan add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and asfoetida and let it brown. Cool and powder.
5. Let the lime pieces come to a boil, add red chili powder and mix it in. **
6. Add the powdered mustard, asfoetida and fenugreek powder, mix it in and turn off the heat.
**if you the pickle a bit more pulpy, heat a 1/4 cup of water to a boil and add to the lime/lemon pieces.

Like what you are reading? Subscribe!