Sweet And Sour Lime Pickles
Sweet lime pickles are among the most commonly known pickle types from India. These are easy to prepare and preserve in warm conditions since the boiling and added sugar reduce the free water content. lime pickles go well with all kinds of chapati - vegetable curry meals. lime pickles make even the most bland food taste amazingly delicious. Try them with your favourite meals or even plain rice. Lastly, lime pickles are also a common kitchen remedy for sour throat.
Samples from a freshly made batch of sweet and sour lime pickles. They change appearance and flavour as they age.
Ingredients
- Semi-ripe limes 250g
- Garlic 1 bulb
- Salt and Sugar
- Cloves 10
- Asafoetida 5g
- Fenugreek Seeds 10g
- Mustard Seeds 5g
- Red Chilli Powder 5g
- Turmeric Powder 10g
- Oil 50ml
Preparation
Wash the limes and soak them in cold water for about 30 minutes.
Wipe them dry and chop them in small squares.
Bringing it Together
The pickling process goes in parts.
Boiling the Limes
Transfer the chopped limes to a clean cookware and add enough water to submerge the pieces.
Start heating on low flame. Slowly increase the heat to bring them to boiling temperature.
Once the limes start boiling, maintain slow boiling at low to medium flame.
Add turmeric and chill powder and mix by stirring.
Add salt and sugar and mix by stirring. Start with about 10g of salt and add more as you test. Add about 40g of sugar, bit by bit, while mixing.
Keep boiling until the water evaporates and the mixture attains a thick consistency.
Turn off the heat.
Spice Mixture
As the boiling goes on, prepare the spice mixture.
Warm up fenugreek seeds, cloves and mustard seeds. They should lose the water and become brittle without burning.
Mill the spices or use a blender to powder.
Add this mixture to the lime preparation when it’s still hot but after turning off the heat.
Garlic Oil Mixture
Warm up the oil, add sliced garlic, and let them in warm oil for about two minutes.
Add asafoetida to the oil.
Mix this preparation with the lime and spice mixture.
Let the mixture cool down to room temperature. Transfer to clean and air-tight glass or ceramic containers—label and date for reference.
Let the pickles ferment naturally for at least a month.
Pro Tip If you are unsure whether the pickles won’t go bad, store them in the refrigerator. The fermentation takes longer but ensures that the pickles won’t mould. When done right, this method doesn’t let pickles develop mould, but that takes much practice and pickly wisdom.
Cite As: Umadi, Ravi (2023). Sweet And Sour Lime Pickles, Retrieved from https://biosonix.io/Sweet-And-Sour-Lime-Pickles/