December 29, 2005

Nimbu ka achaar aka Lime pickle

It is almost an year now since we made any pickle at home, so we decided today to make our lime pickle when we got home with some freshly produced limes from our nearby grocery. The lime pickle will have a shelf life for more than a year if carefully prepared and stored. Lime pickle not only increases the appetite but aids in digestion.

Bringing the ingredients together...



Lime pickle recipe

Ingredients:
Fresh limes - 12, wipe dry and cut each lime into 8 quarters, collect and retain the juice which drips while cutting
Salt - 1 cup
Dried red chillies - 10, medium size, medium hot
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a small pea-sized lump
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Vinegar - 2 tablespoon

Method: Roast the red chillies over low heat till they feel hot to touch, allow it to cool, and gring it to powder. Roast the fenugreek seeds over low heat to a light reddish brown color taking care not to over-roast it. Over-roasting fenugreek seeds would give the pickle a bitter taste. Roast the asafoetida lightly. Roast the mustard seeds till they feel hot to touch. Grind the fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, and asafoetida to a fine powder. Mix together all the powders. Clean and dry the pickle jar/bottle well. Crumple a small piece of asafoetida and sprinkle it over a hot fry pan. Turn the pickle jar upside down and collect all the fumes of the asafoetida which will help to sterilize the jar so effectively so that the pickles will not spoil. Sprinkle the bottom of the jar with a thin layer of the masala powder. Scatter a handful of cut limes in a layer over the masala powder. Do this alternatively till all the limes and powder are used up, letting the top most layer be of the masala powder. Sprinkle the preserved lemon juice and vinegar over the top. Cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid and keep aside in a dry place for 3 days without touching it. On the fourth day, stir its contents thoroughly with the handle end of a wooden ladle and again cover with its lid. Stir every alternate day for at least 20 to 30 days. To season the pickle faster, keep the bottle underneath the hot sun once in a while just covered with only a thin muslin cloth. Have patience now... it is getting seasoned. We will show you the final result in 3 weeks' time.


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12 Comments:

Blogger Verdant said...

I've heard about this famed dish! I eagerly await the results.

12/29/2005  
Blogger Priya Bhaskaran said...

hey VKN, I love lime achar. My fav pickle.

12/30/2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello VKN, You have a very beautiful blog.
Thanks for adding my blog link in your list. I am a new entry to this blogging world. Yet to learn a lot of things from bloggers like you.
Please keep visiting my blog & leave your valuable comments.
- Shilpa

12/30/2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

just love this achaar!! looks great!

12/30/2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I look forward to seeing the end results.

Paz

12/30/2005  
Blogger Swamy VKN said...

Verdant - welcome to be our guest of the day. Just a few weeks' time to season it well. Will post the results as soon as it is ready.

Priya - have you tried making this at home?

Shilpa - welcome to be our guest of the day. I have already added you to my list of the fantastic neighborhood Indian food bloggers. Let us stay in touch.

Lera - thanks. Which achaar do you make at home?

Paz - sure, just a matter of few weeks.

12/30/2005  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi
when u say mustard is it black mustard used for popu?can i prepare mango pickle using the same method instead of lime?

12/30/2005  
Blogger Kay said...

There is no oil in this pickle recipe! Wow! :) I want to try it now.

1/17/2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Are those limes or lemons? Here in the US limes are green and lemons yellow. Sadly it is hard to find the good old Indian nimbu.

9/30/2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you VKN for the fantastic recipe.I had most of the spices and went and bought the rest.I am lucky i have a 3 year old lime tree but my lovely neighbor has a 20 year old one that gives about 80kg of limes{the size of a 20 year old lemon tree} ,so i always have a huge amount of them!
I will let you know how i go on your result page.

"Anonymous said...
Are those limes or lemons? Here in the US limes are green and lemons yellow. Sadly it is hard to find the good old Indian nimbu."

Limes are all green{99% of them} when not properly ripe.Limes go yellow when they are fully ripe.
If you leave your limes till they turn yellow they will have a much better flavor!They are just like the colour change of a banana, green to yellow!

Mick

5/23/2008  
Anonymous Caroline said...

Making my third batch this year! Successful every time and really delicious. Makes me keen to try some of the other recipes, because its so good. Its very popular with our friends too! Which is why I'm on 3rd batch!

11/14/2012  
Blogger Unknown said...

Thank you so much..I really love this blog... lime pickle

11/07/2013  

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