Lemon pickle (Summer recipe)

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Lemon pickle is a traditional condiment used with Indian food. Many pickle recipes from India have oil to help preserve the pickle, but this recipe uses no oil.

Ingredients

• 10 unwaxed lemons, (thin skins preferred)
• juice of 1 lemons
• ½ cup of salt
• ¼ cup of red chili powder
• ½ cup of sugar
• 3 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seed
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seed
• ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder

Method

Preparation

1. Wash the lemons in very hot water and dry them well, leaving no water on the lemons. Trim off the stalk and any odd bits.
2. Halve them and remove any pips
3. Cut the lemons in to small pieces about 2 cm / ¾ inch on each side, and place in a bowl.
4. Dry-roast the fenugreek, black mustard and asafoetida together in a pan on a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Don't burn them!
5. Grind the roasted spices in a grinder, or a mortar and pestle.
6. Add the ground spices, turmeric powder, salt, sugar and chili powder to the bowl and mix together well.
7. Pack the mixture into a 2 litre (2 quart) jar, or use a couple of smaller jars. Don't fill quite to the top - allow at least 1 cm space.

Fermentation

1. Sit the jar where it will get the heat of the sun. Bring the jar inside in the evening, and put it back out in the morning. Do this for at least a month in summer, two months in winter. The warmth of the sun will help the pickle to ferment.

Chef's notes

Use 1/2 teaspoon of powdered dried garlic granules or dried garlic if you cannot get asafoetida powder.

Asafoetida powder generally has wheat flour added to it, to help it flow well. You can omit this ingredient if you want to make it gluten-free.

See also

• Lime pickle (Winter recipe)