Nimbu ka achar (lemon pickle)

Easy nimbu ka achar (lemon pickle)! A spicy, fragrant and tasty classic Indian condiment - perfect with parathas or dal & rice! 

Usually pickles take a long time to make as you have to leave them in the sun so they become soft. However, for this recipe you steam the lemons beforehand so they are soft and are ready to absorb all the delicious spices and flavours. This pickle uses a combination of oil, pickling spices, jaggery and salt! If you are new to Indian pickles then I recommend starting with one made with a fruit like lemon or mango. The taste is somewhat different to that of pickles with vinegar like gherkins. It took me some time to get used to the flavour of Indian pickles as they were so different to what I was used to with pickles containing vinegar. 

Ingredients 
8-10 large lemons washed and cut into small quarters, seeds removed 
2 tbsp achari (pickle) masala
1 tsp turmeric powder 
2 tsp salt 

1 tsp chilli powder 

50-100g jaggery or sugar (depending on how sweet you like it) 

100ml plain oil (canola or sunflower) + 1 tsp of ghee

Method 

• First, steam the lemon quarters. Add the lemon pieces to container (I used a small metal circular baking tray) and place in a steamer. Make sure that the lemons are in the steamer in a container with no holes in the bottom (otherwise you will loose lots of lemon juice). 
  
  
• Once the lemons have steamed add to a bowl. Add the turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder and achari (pickle) masala. Add the jaggery or sugar and mix well (I added around 75g - but feel free to add more or less depending on how sweet you like it or how bitter your lemons are). Give the pickle a taste at this stage to see. 
  
  
• Mix and you will notice that the lemons will start releasing moisture / juice and a nice sauce will form. Transfer this mixture to a large sterilised jar (making sure that there is space remaining at the top).
  
  
• To preserve the pickle, heat the oil and ghee in a saucepan. Let the oil/ghee mixture cool completely and then pour over the pickle.
  
  
• Mix well with a clean spoon - ensure that the pickle is covered by oil - this helps with preserving. Seal and store for 3-4 months in the fridge. 
  
  
• The pickle will thicken up and the lemons will become softer. If at any point you don’t see oil floating on the top - heat a little more, let cool and then pour over.  
  
  
• You can devour the pickle straight away but it will get better with time!!