Lemon Pickle |Chatpata Nimbu ka achar | Limba cha loncha - lonche

Vow  pickle My mouth starts watering at the mere mention of this word. Ya I am an ardent fan of pickle since childhood.Today I AM POSTING RECIPE FOR LEMON PICKLE with home made achar masala .You can prepare lime pickle with readymade suhana achar masala .Pls click here  for recipe of lemon pickle with suhana achar masala only replace mangoes with lemon follow same process.

I remember my cousins teasing me that I eat ambyachi bhaji ( mango sabji) since the quantity of pickle I ate in my dish was equivalent to that of a vegetable . Pickles are normally prepared in the summer season & preserved for the rest of the year .My mom makes the best pickles in world & variety of them like mango,lime , mirchi,mango god tikhat lonche, lemon sweet pickle, mixed vegetable pickle,amla pickle,dryfruit pickle...etc.Pickle can be eaten with varan bhat , dal khicdi ,paratha or a sidedish with sambar rice,thalipeeth

pickles are made from certain individual varieties of vegetables and fruits that are chopped into small pieces and cooked in edible oils like sesame oil or brine with many different Indian spices like asafeotida, red chili powder, turmeric, fenugreek and plenty of salt. Some regions also specialize in pickling meats and fish. Vegetables can also be combined in pickles to make mixed vegetable pickle. Some varieties of fruits and vegetables are small enough to be used whole.

I prepared pickle last year when I came to hyderabad as I longed for homemade pickle & was not satisfied with the ready made pickle. Now its an year & my stock of pickle has also exhausted & the summer is approaching so thought of posting this recipe. The one I am posting is the one wherein you don't have the ready made pickle masala .(I couldn't find the pickle masala in hyderabad) .In mumbai you get pickle masalas of many companies like ( bedekar ,pravin,ambari,suhana)

Ingredients

1 cup lime /lemon (limbu/nimbu) cut into pieces with skin (i had used 4 big lemons)

1/2 cup yellow mustard dal (split mohrichi piwali dal)

1/2 tsp  methi (fenugreek) seeds

2 tspn turmeric

3/4 cup  red chilli powder


2 tsp hing (asafoetida)

1 cup oil

Salt 1/4 cup.



Method:

1.Cut each  lemon into 8 pieces with skin.Add 2 tsp salt & turmeric ,mix well & keep it covered overnight in a container.Next morning open container lemon would have emitted water.dont discard water .

2.Dry roast the  mustard dal  briskly in a pan on medium heat  .Take care not to burn it (do not use oil).powder the mustard dal coarsely.



3.Dry roast methi seeds & powder it once cool

4.Heat 3/4 cup oil till it reaches smoking point then switch off the gas.(To check if oil has reached smoking point add a piece of methi if it browns means oil is ready)

5. Remove pan from gas  wait for 5-10 minutes .add 2 big spoon of hing,mustard dal powder & methi seeds powder to oil  & allow it to cool.

6.Add 1 tsp of red chilli powder to oil & mix well this gives a nice tavang (bright red colour) to pickle.

 

7.Meanwhile add  red chilli powder & 1/4 cup salt  to lime pieces .mix well & keep aside.

8.  Once oil is cooled pour & mix the oil (along with hing methi & mustard dal mixture)  to lemon pieces mixed with red chilli powder &   salt.


9. Take a glass or plastic bottle & dry it completely.(there should be no water or else pickle will get spoilt)

10.Fill the  nimbu achar( pickle) prepared above in the bottle with help of a spoon.press the pickle with help of spoon so that no air remains in the bottle.

11.For 1 day keep the bottle outside .

12Next day store in refrigerator & enjoy chatpata limbacha loncha / nimbu ka achar.