Ingredients:
Lemons - 5 (5 lemons in US , you can use 10 if Indian lemons)
Sesame oil - 1 1/2 cups
Asafoetida - 2 teaspoons
Red chillies - 20-25
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - About 3 tablespoons (I eyeballed the salt measure)
Red Chilli powder - 2 tablespoons (optional instead of whole red chillies)
Method:
- Wash the lemons and pat dry them well. The lemons have to be completely dried.
- Cut the lemons into wedges and add them into a clean and dry glass bowl.
- Add the salt and mix them well with a dry spoon.
- Close the bowl with a lid or cover the mouth of the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil (If the bowl does not have a lid) and keep it aside.
- Keep the bowl in a sunny place for 4-5 hours daily for about 10-12 days.
- Let the salt get incorporated well into the lemons and the lemons will turn very soft in due course of time.
- After 10-12 days the pickle can be made.
After 10-12 days:
- Take a pan and dry roast the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and the red chillies.All of these have to be roasted separately.
- Instead of dry roasting the red chillies, you can even use red chilli powder. I prefer using dry roasted chillies and powdering them because of the freshness and the distinct flavor it gives.
- Grind all these dry ingredients into a fine powder.
- Heat 1tablespoon sesame oil in a tadka pan/any pan and once the oil is hot, pop some mustard seeds and add the asafoetida and set it aside and let it cool down completely.
- To the bowl of lemons, add 2 teaspoons turmeric powder, the ground masala powders and mix well with a dry spoon.
- Add the rest of the sesame oil and mix well.
- Add the cooled sesame oil mixture of mustard seeds and asafoetida.
- Mix all the ingredients well and store it in a clean and dry bottle.
- Let the mixture sit for a day or two so that all the ground masalas get well blended into the lemon and form a pickle.
- Enjoy the pickle with rotis, rice or even just like that..
