Its lemon season in California ! I am getting a handful of it on every week from my friend who has couple lemon plants in their back yard, and hence that I thought of making the pickle. Hot and sour pickles are must for Indian rice meal. Lemon(നാരങ്ങ) pickle (അച്ചാർ) is very popular storable side dish, that will become handy when you are out of time to prepare a regular side dish. As with most of the preservable dish, it will taste better with its aging.
- Lemon : 25
- Chilli powder : ¼ cup
- Turmeric powder : ½ T sp.
- Asfoetida : ½ T sp.
- Salt for taste
- Sesame Oil : 3 Tbl Sp.
Seasoning:-
- Mustard seeds : 1 Tsp
- Dried red chilly : 4
- Curry leaves : 3 Sprig
- Chopped green chilly : 4
- Oil : 3 Tbl Sp.
- Salt for taste.
Method
- Steam the lemon till it becomes soft (not until it break)
- Cut the lemon into 4 pieces and keep it in a big vessel.
- Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt, and mix it well.
- In a Kadai/ pan pour the oil and add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
- Then add the red chilly along with green chilli and curry leaves and fry it (about 30 sec).
- Then add the lemon and mix it well and switch off the flame after 2 minutes.Let it cool completely and store it in airtight glass jars.
- As a final step, boil the sesame oil in a pan in high heat, and then allow it to cool. Pour the oil on top of the pickle filled jars.
Tips:-
- Use (sesame) gingely oil for the better taste; feel free to use more oil.
- Adjust the chilli powder quantity to individual preference.
- May have to keep the pickle in room temperature for couple of weeks until the lemon becomes soft and masala blends well. Can move to fridge for further storage.
- While serving the pickle, make sure to leave the extra added oil on the top, as this is for acting as a preservative.
