Ingredients
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15 Limes (you can substitute lemons, unripe mangos, or even eggplant to make a different style of pickle)
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2 Tsp Ground Turmeric
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2 Tsp Ground Fenugreek Seed
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5 Garlic Cloves (Peeled and pureed)
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2 Inches of Fresh Ginger (Peeled and Pureed)
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1 Cup Red Chili Powder (You can reduce this if you want your dish to be less fiery)
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½ Cup Salt
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¼ Cup Sugar (this is optional, but I like the balance
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1 Tsp Asafoetida (you will see this in Indian shops labelled “hing”)
For The Oil Tempering
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3 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
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5 Dried Red Chilies (broken into pieces)
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10 Curry Leaves
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1 Tsp Nigella Seeds
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1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
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1 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds
Instructions
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Wash the limes thoroughly to remove wax etc.
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Take 10 of the limes, cut them into ⅛ pieces and place in a non-reactive bowl.
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Juice the remaining 5 limes.
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Add the turmeric, fenugreek, pureed ginger, pureed garlic, salt, sugar, asafetida, chili powder and lime juice to the limes in the bowl.
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Combine well and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
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Leave for two hours. This is optional, but I find that the limes take in the tempered oil flavors more easily if you do this.
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Heat the oil in a small frying pan
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Add the mustard seed, the nigella seed, the fenugreek seed, the curry leaves and the dried red chilies to the oil.
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When the seeds begin to pop, turn off the heat and allow the contents of the pan to cool.
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When they have cooled, add the contents of the pan to the contents of the bowl and combine well.
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Spoon the lime/spice mixture into sterilized jars with a tight fitting lid, leaving about ½ gap at the top.
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Place the jars where they will get plenty of sunlight and invert them every day so that the contents of the jars begin to spread evenly and all the limes get covered in the spice mixture and liquid that is created.
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This pickle will be ready to eat in about two weeks, but it is even better if you can bear to wait longer.