India / Preserves
Lemon Pickle I
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
- lemon, thin skins preferred12 small or 6 large
- lemon, juiced1 large or 2 small
- salt1/2 cup
- red chilli powder1/4 cup
- sugar1/2 cup
- turmeric powder3 tsp
- fenugreek1 tsp
- black mustard seed1 tsp
- asafoetida, powder; omit for gluten-free version1/4 tsp
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 7 steps
Wash the lemons and dry them well, leaving no water on the lemons. Trim off the stalk and any odd bits.
Cut the lemons in to small pieces about 2 cm (¾ inch) on each side, and place in a bowl.
Dry-roast the fenugreek, black mustard, and asafoetida together in a pan on a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Don't burn them!
Grind the roasted spices in a grinder or a mortar and pestle.
Add the ground spices, turmeric powder, salt, sugar and chili powder to the bowl and mix together well.
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.
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.
