Skip to main content

My Mom's Lime Pickle



Don't go by how ugly this bowl looks. You are in the presence of the tastiest pickle in the world. Second tastiest actually, since my mom's mango pickle is the tops. But this lime pickle comes quite close.

You need a kilo of limes to start with. Wash them well and pat dry with a dish towel. Now spread them out on a tray to dry completely.

In the meantime, make your stuffing. First you mix the whole spices and grind them. You need a tbsp of black peppercorns, 2 tbsp cumin seeds, 4-5 pods of black cardamom and 8-10 cloves. Once these spices are ground to a fine powder, mix in 100 grams salt, 3 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 tbsp rock salt and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Finally, add in 4 tbsp of the most critical spice - ajwain (also called carom seeds or bishop's weed).

Slit each lime into four, keeping the base intact so the pieces still stay together. Fill with as much spice stuffing as you can fit in a lime (1-2 tsp usually does it). Arrange these limes in a glass or a ceramic jar. When you have only 3 limes left, pour any spices you have left in the jar. Juice the last 3 limes and add that juice to the jar.

Now cover your jar and put it out on the porch, or any place you get direct sunlight. Leave the jar in the sun for two days, then let it be for another 8-10 days.

At the end of two weeks, the spices and the lemons mingle into a delicious pickle. My mom then puts it in the fridge where it keeps for at least 6 months.

Comments

Suganya said…
Mouthwatering one...YUM!
Simplyfood said…
The spice mixture used is very unusual I am sure it tastes awesome.
The spices sounds wonderful dear...Never tried this version of lime pickle....might be I will give a try in small quantity first..recipe noted in mind..:)
Nithya said…
No matter how it looks. I'm sure this is mouthwatering pickle :)
jayasree said…
Different kind of pickle...Liked the stuffing method and the spices that go into it...And no oil too.
This is one of my faves. Am going to try it soon. Isn't there a sweet version with jaggery too?
Srivalli said…
No matter how it looks, mom's pickles are the best!..do you have that mango pickle?..will check for that..
Swati Sapna said…
oh my god... im salivating so hard i swear my laptop is flooded :D hehehe! but seriously, this is absolutely drool-worthy! and this spice mix is something I have never heard of... very unique!
Couldn't resist this and have made your pickle. It still needs to get "mushy" and I can't wait for that! :)
My post's at http://www.mydiversekitchen.com/2011/04/quite-bit-of-pickle-avakkai-urugai.html
Anonymous said…
I am making this wonderful lime pickle. The spice mix is amazing. Just one question: Do I need to cover the limes w juice? Its less than 1/3 full of juice.
Bombay Foodie said…
@Vegeyum - you don't need to cover the limes with juice. 1/3rd seems just about right.
Pelicano said…
Simran- nice pickle! I know this one well... ;-) You are only the third person in the world to share your family's recipe for it- a treasure!

I like your use of all raw spices instead of roasted as some do... beautiful top-notes, I am imagining. I'll mix up a jar yet today- thanks so much for sharing!

Popular posts from this blog

Announcing AWED : Britain

Before I ate my first Italian wood fired pizza, before I went to that swanky Japanese sushi bar for the first time, or the neighborhood Chinese joint, the first non-Indian cuisine I encountered was British. Not real food, mind you, but the tempting, oh so delicious descriptions in my favorite novels. From Enid Blyton to Jane Austen to P.G. Wodehouse, every favorite character in every favorite novel seems to have food on their mind. Yes, British food gets ridiculed a lot. But forget their main course dishes for now, and think of the full English breakfast and the elegant afternoon teas. Then try imagining the world without cucumber sandwiches or potato chips and you will realize you can't do without British food. Which is why when I saw that DK was looking for hosts for her monthly event AWED (A Worldly Epicurean's Delight) and there has never been a British AWED, I promptly signed up. The rules are simple really: Make any vegetarian or vegan British dish (eggs are

I've found my perfect cookie

It's a bite sized cookie, with flavors of a pie, shape of a croissant and a pretty, pretty name. It's Rugelach. I first heard of this cookie when it became the baking pick for Tuesdays with Dorrie a couple of months back. The looks, the concept - everything was fascinating. And I've dreamed of making this cookie ever since. I ditched hundreds of recipes floating around and went straight to the master. It's Dorie Greenspan's recipe that I used, and ain't I glad I got it so perfect the very first time. So what's rugelach? It's cream-cheese pastry dough, rolled then cut into wedges, spread with jam and sugar and fillings of choice, rolled into crescents and baked. First the dough. Dorie did it in her processor, but I just went and did it by hand. Put 100 gms cream cheese and 100 gms butter out of the fridge until they were soft but still cold. Added both to a cup of plain flour (I omitted the salt because I use salted butter). Rubbed the flour and but

Aloo Paranthas

In all these years of blogging, I've somehow never managed to talk about aloo paranthas, the potato stuffed flatbread that's a standard breakfast in North India. Possibly because they are such a staple in our home, I found there wouldn't be enough interest in the recipe. But I've also realised over time that my mom's recipe is unique, using a combination of flavours and spices that make these paranthas delicious. But that's not the only reason for this post. I also wanted to tell you about a super cool party and some ways we found to make aloo paranthas even better and believe it or not, healthier. The party in question was hosted by Rushina at her cooking studio a few months back. For a while now, Rushina has been talking about the merits of cling film, parchment and something called cooking foil made by Asahi Kasei. Because we won't believe that you can really cook without oil but using science, she invited a bunch of us over for a potluck lunch.