Lemon pickle recipe | pickle recipes

       This is the first time i tried lemon pickle at home, though my mom is an expert in making different types of lemon pickles ,since my dad is a huge fan of lemon pickle. As  i am not a big fan of this lemon pickle i never tried on my own. I always make pickles with mangoes but after coming to Singapore i never made anything . When a reader asked me to post this lemon pickle i asked my mom for the recipe and the entire process of making lemon pickle took a month and now on to the recipe of lemon pickle .

INGREDIENTS:

LEMON( I used Indian lemon)	6 NO
RED CHILI	8-9 NO
TURMERIC POWDER	1/2 TSP
VENDAYAM(FENUGREEK SEEDS)	1/2 TBLSP
SESAME OIL	1/4 CUP + 3 TBLSP
MUSTARD SEEDS	1/2 TSP
SALT	1/2 TBLSP+ 2 TSP
ASAFOETIDA	1/2 TSP

METHOD:

• Wash the lemons and pat dry them nicely in a kitchen towel.
• Ensure that there should not be any moisture.

• Wash and clean a glass bottle and nicely dry this without even a drop of water.

• Cut the lemon into two and slightly squeeze out the juice. Do this very gently, else the pickle will become bitter.
• This step is lessen the sourness of the pickle.
• Gently remove the seeds with the help of a knife.

• Cut the lemon into small  size pieces.

• Immediately add salt and asafoetida and mix well.
• In a pan dry roast the fenugreek seed till they become slightly brown.
• Do not roast too much as this will make the pickle bitter.

• Dry roast the red chilies  in a pan.

• Grind the redchillis and fenugreek seeds together into a fine powder.

• Throw this onto the cut lemon and mix nicely using a dry spoon.

• In a pan heat the oil and throw in the mustard seeds.
• Add this to the pickle and add turmeric powder and mix well.

• Transfer this to the glass bottle and cover this with a thin muslin cloth and tie this with the help of a rubber band.

• Keep this in sunlight for 3 –4 weeks ( inside the home where you get bright sunlight)
• Every day with the help of a dry spoon mix the pickle nicely and close it.
• No need to keep in the refrigerator.
• After 4 weeks the skin of the lemon  will be soft and the lemon must have absorbed the spices.

• Now keep it in the fridge and enjoy with curd rice and love to have pickles with sambar rice too.

Note:

• In any step , ensure that there shouldn’t be any moisture and keep you hands always dry.
• The containers you use should be dry and spoons too.
• Always take care not to burn the vendayam and red chilis. This will make the pickle bitter.
• sometimes my mom pressure cook the cut lemon pieces for a whistle but this will not have longer shelf life.
• In this method, no need to keep it under the sunlight, just can be consumed immediately.
• The oil will  be dried up , so after 4 weeks heat 2 tblsp of sesame oil and add to the pickle and mix well.