Naranga Achar/Lemon Pickle

Naranga Achar/Lemon Pickle

This recipe is for those who love pickles like me and who have nostalgic feelings about home made,spicy,tangy and intensely lemony pickle.I am sure that most Indians will agree that pickles are inevitable part of our lunch.

This pickle is made by stuffing the spices into whole lemons, the way it is made by my grandmother and aunts. But you can also quarter the lemons if you plan to use it immediately.This lemon pickle can be preserved for months in air tight jars and the more it matures the better. Lemon pickle are best when served with rice and curd, spiced buttermilk or parippu curry/dal. It is also an integral part of Kerala Sadhya and is served as thoducurry along with mango and ginger pickle.

Ingredients
Lemon -10( medium sized)
Salt- 5 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Chilly powder- 5 tsp
( add according to your taste)
Fenugreek powder- 1 tsp
Asafoetida- 1/2 tsp
Green chilly chopped -3
Garlic pods 8-10
Ginger- 1 inch thick
Curry leaves- 1 spring
Sesame oil- 1/3 cup
Vinegar-1/3 cup

Wash lemons and wipe them completely dry. Heat 1/3 cup of oil in a deep pan and when it is hot carefully slide in the whole lemons and gently fry them till skin becomes soft and tender. It will also changes and shades will appear on the lemon. Drain the lemons from the oil and keep aside.

Note : If you are quartering the lemons do not fry in oil. It will start oozing out water. So if you doing this process add only about two tsp of oil.
If you wish to avoid this frying process cut lemons and sprinkle salt and keep in air tight container for one or two days before making pickle and follow the next step
.
Step 2: Heat the same oil in which you fried lemon. Add chopped garlic, green chilly, ginger and curry leaves and saute till the raw flavor disappears. Switch off the flame and add the dry ingredients- chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt, fenugreek powder and asafoetida and mix well. Put this back in low flame and stir for just a few seconds. Allow this to cool a bit.

Step 3:Take half of the masala and mix with vinegar and keep aside.
With the rest stuff the lemons.Take each lemon and slit open. Do not cut it all the way through.With a spoon take little of the masala and stuff into the lemon. Repeat the same process with all the lemons. Now pour over the top of the lemons the vinegar spice mixture. Allow this to cool down completely before transferring into dry air tight containers.

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy