Cookbook:Lemon Pickle I

| Cuisine of India

Lemon pickle is a traditional condiment used with Indian food. Many pickle recipes from India have oil to help preserve the pickle, but this recipe uses no oil.

Ingredients

 * 12 small or 6 large lemons (thin skins preferred)
 * 1 large or 2 small lemons, juiced
 * ½ cup salt
 * ¼ cup red chile powder
 * ½ cup sugar
 * 3 tsp turmeric powder
 * 1 tsp fenugreek seed
 * 1 tsp black mustard seed
 * ¼ tsp asafoetida powder (omit for gluten-free version)

Preparation

 * 1) Wash the lemons and dry them well, leaving no water on the lemons. Trim off the stalk and any odd bits.
 * 2) Cut the lemons in to small pieces about 2 cm (¾ inch) on each side, and place in a bowl.
 * 3) Dry-roast the fenugreek, black mustard, and asafoetida together in a pan on a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Don't burn them!
 * 4) Grind the roasted spices in a grinder or a mortar and pestle.
 * 5) Add the ground spices, turmeric powder, salt, sugar and chili powder to the bowl and mix together well.
 * 6) Pack the mixture into a 2 litre (2 quart) jar, or use a couple of smaller jars. Don't fill quite to the top—allow at least 1 cm space.

Fermentation

 * 1) Sit the jar where it will get the heat of the sun. Bring the jar inside in the evening, and put it back out in the morning. Do this for at least a month in summer, two months in winter. The warmth of the sun will help the pickle to ferment.

Notes, tips and variations

 * Don't worry about the amount of sugar in the recipe, because it will be fermented away over time.
 * Asafoetida powder generally has wheat flour added to it to help it flow well. You can omit this ingredient if you want to make it gluten-free.