Lime Pickle Recipe
Pickles made of fruit are generally made to alleviate the hot taste of the curries or vegetables. They strike a great balance between taste and pacifying the hot taste. Lime pickles since long have been made in Indian homes. This dish is savored by all. Hence in India, almost every home will serve lime pickle. The lime pickle recipe varies in each region of the Asian continent.
Lime pickles have a hot and a tangy taste at the same time and hence are liked by all. Lime pickles can be eaten with any of the main course Indian recipes. The ingredients and their quantities required for making lime pickle are as follows;
1. 1 kg limes/ lemons
2. 100 g cooking salt
3. 500 g sugar
4. 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
5. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
6. Half a teaspoon cloves
7. Chili powder as per taste required
8. 75 g of grated ginger root
9. Fenugreek (methi seeds)
10. Mustard seeds
The lime pickle recipe is as follows;
Keep the limes in a bowl filled with cold water. Soak the limes for a night. Drain the water in the morning. This will make the limes clean as well as softer and tangier. After removing them from water, cut the top and the bottom parts. Then either slice or cut quarters of the limes for final preparation of the pickle. Generally thick skinned and juicy lemons are used for making pickle. The thick skin softens as the time passes and after about a month the skins become soft and the pickle is ready to eat. To avoid bitterness of the pickle, the seeds must be removed. Sprinkle some salt on these cut pieces. This will ensure longer life of the pickle.
The next step in the recipe is to grind and mix the spices. Drain all the extra liquid from the limes but retain the juice that has been produced because of the sprinkling of salt. The liquid should then be placed in a large cooking pot for proper mixing of all the ingredients. Add adequate quantity of sugar and the ground spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Keep stirring the mixture so that the sugar is dissolved. Boil this mixture for another minute.
Remove the pot from heat. Add the chili powder to the mixture and stir well to evenly distribute the chili powder. Leave the mixture to cool. Finally add the limes and the grated ginger. Mix these very well.
The last step in the recipe is to put the final preparation into sterilized glass jars so that there is no contamination and the pickle lasts longer. Care has to be taken that there are no air gaps. Seal the jars properly. Leave the jars in warm places such as window sills or balconies and terraces where there is ample sunlight. The jars must be placed for about 4 to 5 days. The pickle is then ready to be stored. The lime pickle is then ready after 4 to 5 weeks.