Make Lime Pickle (sans oil) while the Sun Shines

While the sun shines? Towards the end of summer?! So what if my timing is off? My lime pickle is ready! It's simply out-of-this-world-delicious! So maybe it's not practical for most folks in the northern latitudes to consider making this now but this recipe for a Lime Pickle, like my Lemon Pickle, is a keeper.



It is very similar to my Lemon Pickle: it is a family recipe, has no oil and is cooked in the sun. It has additional ingredients: green chillies, ginger, and whole fenugreek seeds; and it does not have red chilli powder.

I put this pickle together in the last week of July, knowing that I did not have much time to cook it in the sun. So for those of you who are already experiencing cool nights and nippy mornings, this may not be something you want to consider making this year. Unless you have a window that gets at least 4 hours of bright sun every day. The jar must get very warm for this pickle to cook. My sister who lives in Bombay usually puts this together in December or January.

  • 10 limes, reserve 1 for juice
  • 30 green Thai chillies
  • 3/4 cup julienned ginger
  • 1 tablespoon whole methi seeds, to be added whole
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 3 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp methi seeds, to toast and grind
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp powdered hing (asafoetida)

  1. Quarter 9 limes, reserving 1 for juice later, after slicing off the stalk scars. Pick limes with few blemishes and smooth skins. Wash the limes well, making sure that any outer wax has been washed off. Dry well. There must be no moisture on the limes.

  2. Wash and dry the green chillis. Use less if you can't take the heat; more if you want to up the heat! Cut the stem off and cut each green chilli into two.
    green chillies

  3. Wash and dry a 2 inch piece of ginger. Peel it and julienne into slices that are about an inch long. I used about 3/4 cup of julienned ginger.
    julienned ginger
  4. Add 1 tablespoon of whole fenugreek seeds.
    methi seeds
  5. Add the salt, sugar and the turmeric powder.
  6. Toast 1 tsp methi seeds, the mustard seeds and the powdered hing (asafoetida) for 4-5 minutes until the methi seeds are nicely tanned. I got distracted for a minute and mine got sunburnt.
    toasted seeds

    Cool completely and grind them to a fine powder in your coffee grinder or spice grinder and add it to the jar.
  7. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into the jar. Shake the jar well and set it out in the sun to cook.
    lime-pickle-in-sun

  8. Give it a good shake as you bring it in and put it out every day. Open it once every couple of weeks to adjust it for taste as well as to check to see how well it's cooking.
  9. When the juices have thickened and the peel soft, it's ready. This lime pickle took 4 weeks in the Colorado sun. My sister says it takes about 2 months for hers to pickle completely in Bombay. Let it rest for 4-5 days in a dark and cool place. Then spoon it - a very dry spoon always - into smaller jars and refrigerate to make it last that much longer.

lime pickle


The taste is very different from my lemon pickle. It has a different zing to it. The ginger packs a wonderful punch and the aroma of the green chillies makes this pickle extra special. The methi seeds look like they wanted to begin sprouting but stopped short and are a delight to chew on.

I had to keep Medha at bay every time I opened this pickle to check on taste and just to give it a good stir. She has given her unequivocal thumbs up to this lime pickle! I have been declared the best mother in this whole world - because I make her favorite pickles! First the lemon pickle, now the lime pickle! As always, I am very grateful for the way she looks at life, especially since it is still filled with flattery for me!

The amount of juices released in this pickle from the lime, ginger and the green chillies had me worried. It took a good 15 days of warming in the hot sun before they started to thicken. We had our share of days with near 100F temperatures, but we also had far too many overcast and rainy days. I was worried because I've been warned that too much moisture leads to mold and fungus. But this pickle did really well. Perhaps the green chilli and lime combination helped ward off the evil!

65 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sure is a thing of beauty. What a nice color. I know I am going to love this pickle. I am going to have to bookmark this for next year. You should remind us next year when you start making these pickles.

Anonymous said...

Gini, I sure will! I am going to need to make more in another 6 months or so because the rate at which these pickles are disappearing is quite phenomenal. On the one hand I am not sure it's a good thing to be eating so much pickle, while on the other, I totally understand!

sra said...

I like the way you concluded your post!

Anonymous said...

Another lovely post Manisha. I loved your presentation. We make a similar kind of lime pickle but dont add methi to it. My mom never cooks the lime/lemon pickle, she just leaves it in a dry place. So it takes months to actually start using the pickle.

BTW..I loved live pickle more then the lemon version, I would definitely try it soon.

Anonymous said...

Sra, I'm glad you got it! :-D

Shilpa, the whole methi seeds are usually not included in this pickle. My sister has been adding them for the last couple of years and they taste divine. The lime pickle does have more interesting flavors because of the ginger, green chillies and whole chillies.

Anonymous said...

Hi Manisha,

I am so impressed with these pickle recipes. I am definitely saving to try one next summer -- here in New England it's probably too late to begin. That Colorado altitude puts you that much closer to the sun! ;)

Thanks for sharing!

Manjusha Nimbalkar said...

Hey Manisha,

How i wish i was in your neighbour hood. Would have flicked the jar ;-)

Yum Pickles ...
-M

Mandira said...

Manisha - thanks for sharing. It looks divine. But I'm probably late for this year. When do you start making the pickles?

Anonymous said...

Linda, the Colorado sun is simply amazing! It is so strong that it has a bleaching effect! I used Kashmiri chilli powder in my lemon pickle but the color is not as red as when I use it in regular cooking. The green chillies in this lime pickle were dark green. They are now a pale green in color. I'm sure the chemistry of the limes and salt also had something to do with it but the pickle my sister sends me always has dark green chillies in it and her lemon pickle is always a vibrant red. So I conclude on a very small and unscientific sample size that the Colorado sun has a bleaching effect!

Manju, if you were in my neighborhood, you know I would have made a jar for you!

Mandira, it is a tad late but I didn't want to post unless I was sure how this was going to turn out. The juices released were far more than in my lemon pickle which is why I waited till it was ready. This is the first year I have ever made any pickle. I started my lemon pickle towards the end of May. That took 4 weeks. And I put together this lime pickle towards the end of July and it, too, was ready in 4 weeks. It could take longer depending on where you are located and how much sun you get in summer. Next year, I will probably do both at the same time, after the last frost and once the days are warm.

Anonymous said...

Oh Manisha, you are killing me with these gorgeous pictures of yummy looking pickles. It's starting to get cold here in the Midwest, so I'm going to have to wait till next year to try out these recipes :-(

My daughter loooves pickles too, the spicier the better, while my son just has to look at them and his eyes will start to water! go figure!

cheers!

Anonymous said...

vow your pickle is mouth watering. Curd rice and your pickle would defintely make a good combo.

Anonymous said...

SH, I must say that your daughter has her taste-buds in the right place! It's been yet another 95F day here in Colorado. I was just complaining to my neighbor that if I had known in advance, I would have cooked many more pickles in the sun! I'll be making these over and over again from here on so I can always put out a 'pickle making alert' next year. And we can all have fun reporting on our experiences and variations. I will be posting soon about a carrot pickle that can be made at any time of the year, so maybe you could try that? My daughter loves that one, too!

Tastycooks, you are so right! We've had that refreshing meal of dahi-bhath and lemon or lime pickle many times now!

Anonymous said...

I've never been inspired to make pickle before I saw these pictures. Lovely!

Anonymous said...

Oh do try it! These pickles, especially the lime pickle with ginger and chillies is very delicious!

There were two reasons I made these pickles. My supply of pickles ran out much quicker than it usually does because of my daughter. And, the abundant sunshine! Anything I can cook in the sun, I want to.

I wanted to make gulkand, too, but I have had problems finding organic/edible roses in the area. The florists at the Boulder Farmers Market were clueless. They directed me to Whole Foods, who didn't know of any nurseries in the area that grew organic roses. I've located a nursery in California that sells organic rose bushes. I'm seriously considering growing my own roses to make gulkand.

Anonymous said...

Ooo...you are the pickle queen! Esp with no oil kind of recipes!!! Wow...!

Anonymous said...

Hi Manisha,

I just saw a comment on one of my recpies. Thank you for that.

I just want to let u know that, this is the only way a kheema can be made in our place. If u see the recpie in other place, even I saw it there and took some of the wordings, they use lamb meat and I use goat meat, they dont use garlic and so many things. I think that is what makes the difference. And for your knowledge, I dont have a digi camera, so I use the pictures from the internet. All the pictures in published in my blog are taken from internet websites and not from any blogs.

Thank you once again:)

Anonymous said...

Inji, I missed seeing your comment earlier! Try this pickle next summer - we like to eat this one with our meals and we use the lemon pickle mainly on sandwiches and bagels, now!

Anon, if you are who I think you are then, thank you very much for responding. Recipes will and can be the same. However, when the method is identical, and you know where you got it from, it's a good idea to say so. As for images, since you say you are getting them off the net, make sure these are in the public domain and you are not violating copyrights when you copy them or use them in your blog. It doesn't matter whether the originating web site is a blog or a regular web site - copyright remains copyright. I hope this helps! And, welcome to IFR!

Anonymous said...

Manisha, I am so glad to have found your recipes. I am a Canadian who has moved to NJ, and summer of 2006 was pretty hot (close to 40C... Cdn. thing,eh!)

My mom is Goan, and she used to make hot mango and lime pickles in the sun in Goa. With our hot New Jersey weather, I'm going to try it as well. Also, your Prawn Balchao looks sooo yummilicious, I have to find those hot green chillies somewhere. My mum also used to make prawn balchao with dried shrimp. The local grocery store are wimps when it comes to spicy, ethnic foods. My dad is British, and now I'm living in NJ, looking for spicy Goan dishes. :)

Thanks so much. :)

Anonymous said...

Anon in NJ, welcome to IFR! Do try the lime pickle. It's great. You should be able to find hot green chillies at any Indian grocery store. Or a Korean or Asian store, too. There are tons of stores out in NJ, you shouldn't have a problem at all! Now Goan food, that's another story! And especially if you want authentic Goan food. The stuff that is put out as vindaloo, for example, is just an extra spicy onion-tomato sauce with potatoes and meat. Mmmm! This is making me hungry for vindaloo! I must make some soon! If you find authentic Goan cuisine in NJ, please let me know! My sister is in NJ and she would be thrilled to bits to savor it, too!

Anonymous said...

Hey Manisha-
I can absolutely attest to you that IT IS possible to make these pickles in winter...Years ago, I started out making Morroccan lemon pickles, and then found recipes for Indian lime pickles(without oil)...these are naturally fermented by wild bacteria. I read somewhere that it works fastest in the hot summer sun, but it will still work well when cooler, (especially as the height of citrus fruits here in the states is in wintertime)it just takes longer for it to soften(2-3 months). They must be stirred/shaken around everyday to keep any mold spores from starting before enough acid has been produced.(I just plunge clean hands into the jar and move around and push them under the liquid) One trick I do is I put the jars near the heating vents/radiators. The bacteria prefer 60-80 F degrees. I make oil achaars too, but this type of pickle has such a wonderful, unique taste! I have blood oranges and grapefruit going right now...slow, but sure! :-)

Anonymous said...

Pelicano, you're my treasure trove! I have great western exposure in my kitchen. You think I can place the pickles on my window sill during the day and then near the vents at night? Although I drop the heat a fair amount at night that it kicks in only if it gets really cold outside. But it's definitely above 60F.

Blood oranges and grapefruit sound like exotic ingredients for pickles. Start that blog now! Or do a guest post here! I would be very honored! It's great to have you here at IFR!

musical said...

Yes, this is THE pickle :).

Pelicano, never tried blood oranges, but ye Grapefruits work well with ginger. Back home Punjabis often make a Galgal-Adrak achaar.

"One one hand i am not sure it's a good thing to be eating so much pickle"

Manisha, it is-a very good thing ;). Pickle-holic like me who needs pickle with every meal at home knows that it is :).

Shei Meyeta said...

I just made this , this sunday .. I am dying to have pickle but have problems with the too spicy one's that we get here .... Will get back - how many days it took in the FL sun .. already its smells good ..yummm....thanks a ton for the recipe ...I used Key limes ( they are exactly like the limes we get at home ...)

-IM

Shei Meyeta said...

I wonder how jalapeno's would be ... my mouth's already watering ...:)..I used them instead of thai chillies ..

Unknown said...

Hi manisha,
thanks for your wonderful pickle recipes, I bought limes yesterday and have made pickles according to u'r recipe, I just made one mistake, I did not see your post of lime pickles, and since I had bought limes, I followed your recipe for lemon pickle but instead of lemons I put limes and now I find that u hav a recipe for lime pickle. Now what shall I do?
:(

Indian Food Rocks said...

Musical, I totally missed seeing your comment before. Sorry! And I, too, need pickle with every meal but lately I have been trying to cut down on my sodium intake, so I try to limit myself! I am considering pickling grapefruit this weekend. I need jars!

IM, welcome! The key limes I get here in CO are really teeny. I am sure the fruit in FL is more juicy and luscious than the fruit that makes it over the mountains and across the prairies to us! The spicyness of this pickle is totally within your control. You can fewer green chillies, if you wish. But seriously, I wouldn't! Even if you don't crunch down on the green chillies, they impart a wonderful flavor to this pickle!

And jalapenos would work. I used serranos this year as I didn't get good quality Thai chillies when I was ready to put this together.


Nainakr_73, you're just fine! The original recipe that was used in my family was for Indian limboos (nimboo), which is in between key limes and Persian limes. Since I could not get that fruit here, I experimented with lemons and it worked very well. And then since my sister also made pickle using this recipe, I tried it with limes we get here in the US.

I think you can switch the recipes around, using any citurs fruit that is available to you. Personally, I have only worked with lemons and limes but Pel has pickled blood oranges and grapefruit, too! So relax, let your pickle cook slowly and enjoy it! Welcome to IFR!

Pooja V said...

These pickles look so gorgeous n taste must have been heavenly. We make similar pickle back home in goa but without methi i thik ( not sure). I will surely try these.

Shei Meyeta said...

Just 14 days ... yipeee ( well... honestly it didn't rain as it does usually ) .. it is ready but I have to confess - err .. its half of what I actually put it .. couldn't help myself ... :) ....

Thanks again

Argus Lou said...

Manisha, my lime and lemon pickles are just about done -- just as well, too, as summer seems to be over -- with taste adjustments. Thanks much for the ideas and inspiration.

Laura Soltesz said...

Would it be possible to cook this recipe inside a car year-round?? (I know that temperatures can soar inside a closed vehicle!) Just a thought.
Great blog - thank you for sharing! :)
~Laura Soltesz

Unknown said...

Hi Manisha,

Great blog. I've been reading it for some time. I just made the lime pickle - it's great.

I started it in the middle of August and used to leave it in my car to cook in the sun as I'm not home all day to keep moving it.

Indian Food Rocks said...

Pooja, welcome to IFR! Your sungtache hooman brings back so many memories! Whole methi is my sister's touch. They swell up, absorb the flavors and taste fabulous!

IM, 14 days! I am stunned! Sunny Florida, indeed!

Argus, always feel free to adjust the spices to suit your taste buds once you have the pickle going. Glad you liked it!

Laura, you sure can cook it in your car! Why ever not! If cookies can be baked on the dashboard, why not pickle, eh?! And that is just what Maria has done! It never occured to me as I work from home! I will update both this recipe and the lemon recipe with this suggestion! Thanks and a hearty welcome to both of you!

travelita said...

Using key limes from garden, 1/8 cup gray sea salt with Herbs de Provence, etc. Hope it works; rain today in San Diego, CA but the sun WILL come out.

Thanks!

Caleb said...

i'm VERY interested in making thise, but i am looking for a recipe that yields more of a salty lime pickle than a sweet one.
Are these lime pickles sweet? salty? sour?
i realize that it has to be a combination of all three.
i am just wondering if they are more salty than sweet? is it possible to describe the flavor?
can the sugar and salt ratios be changed to yield a more salty lime pickle? what would you suggest?

thank you for your help and wonderful recipes!

you have an amazing blog!

Indian Food Rocks said...

Travelita, I'm sorry I missed seeing your comment earlier. The salt works as a preservative and what I have learned is that the sun provides the warmth for a process of fermentation. So even if there is no sun but it is warm, your pickle should do just fine. It might take longer, that's all. I hope it worked for you! Welcome to IFR!

Caleb & Anthony, welcome! The sugar in this recipe helps with the process of fermentation. So the end result is that this pickle is salty and the green chillies make it spicy. It is not sweet. I wouldn't add more salt as it is already high in sodium and quite salty. Why don't you make a small batch and see how it goes? You can *always* add more green chillies to make it spicier. This past summer (2007), I added some thin sliced carrots to this pickle.

Kavita said...

Hi Manisha,
I've been looking for a lemon pickle recipe that I used to love back in India. Of course I can't find that pickle in the Indian grocery stores, so I thought I'd try to make it myself.

The pickle I'm looking for almost comes out really dark and kinda dry and really sour rather than hot. Does that make any sense? Please let me know if you know which lemon pickle recipe that could be.

Pelicano said...

Alrighty...this pickle was the star in my kitchen tonight...with onlookers watching the much-chopping. Since I've made your lemon pickle (using blood oranges), and it's really swell (to put it mildly),I thought I'd try your lime pickle...using limes! :-)
What a divine flavour-combo! And you and your sis have great taste adding all the methi- lovely! I saw your note about the carrots...hmmmm orange, yellow, green...nice analagous colour scheme! So I will now add those! You are totally a good pickle-maker! (despite your obstinate resolve to use glass instead of crockery) :-D

chefgate said...

Hi Manisha
I am a chef living in the high country of australia 1000 metres above sealevel. I tried your wonderful pickle, lime and lemon and much to my surprise 15 days later it was thick and the rind was soft. It is currently fall hear in australia very hot days and cold nights . The only problem was that i lost some of the great color due to our very hot sun . many thanks for your fabulous recipes ...Tony(chefgate)

Kitchenmate said...

Dear Manisha:
I prepared the lime pickle and lemon pickle as per your blog and left it in sun for 2 days and after that it started raining cats and dogs here with cloudy skies, all time for the past 5 days. Well, there is similar weather forcast like this for another 10 days.. i am scared abt the outcome of these pickles, i left it in the oven with the lights on... how can i proceed further, can you suggest me some ideas so that i can proceed further.
Thanks a lot dearie..
--Karthi

Gita Madhu said...

This is a nice touch!
I actually just use all the lemon pieces left after the juice is squeezed out. I add green chillies and ginger juliennes and lemon juice and lots of salt and leave it in the sun. Never gets wasted! When it is soft my hubby takes out a bit and adds lots of finely chopped green chillies and squishes it well with his fingers- then you can even mix it with left over onion chutney.

tigress said...

Hi Manisha,

This summer I've made both the no-oil lemon and no-oil lime pickle this summer. The lime pickle just became ready last week and it is delicious! It is the lime-pickle I have been wanting to make for years! The lemon pickle should be ready soon, and I can't wait!

thanks for the recipes!

gul said...

hi manisha .... found ur blog while searhing for a lime pickle recipe .. urs looking so good , I sure will make it , but there is one confusion ... that which limes should be used to make a pickle , i mean key lime or any other variety , from where do u buy ur limes , once i made lime pickle and it was a disaster , it turned out to be toooooooo bitter :( hope u could help .. thnx

Minti said...

Hi Manisha,

I wanted to report that I made this pickle - and it turned out better than all my other attempts at lime pickle so far.

I didn't have much sunshine in the northeast when I made it in September, but I was able to cook it inside my car, which still got hot enough in the sun to cook the pickle. After one too many gloomy days, I put the bottle in my slow cooker on low. It seems to have worked, although I don't have as much syrup as you have - my pickle is nearly dry. Tastewise, it's not bitter like my other attempts - there's just the right amount of sugar to balance it out, and its not sweet - so I like that.

Minti said...

I spoke too soon. Even though the peels had softened, it needed just a touch more time to come together. If it doesn't taste quite right, leave it alone until its delicious!

Unknown said...

I just started my 2nd batch of lime pickle, this time with key limes & chili powder. The first batch was terrific, just not quite spicy enough. I think the fermentation process must break down capsaicin somewhat, as those Thai chilis were hot as the hinges on the door to hell when fresh. After pickling, they weren't any hotter than the lime pieces...

I tried blood oranges too, using the lemon pickle recipe. The peel was WAY too bitter. As I was throwing it out, I realized that the, um, goo was not intolerably bitter, so I saved that & threw the peel away.

So, what do I have left over? Is there a name for it? I'm afraid my Hindi only goes as far as the really bad words I learned reading "Sacred Games"...

Rups said...

Hi Manisha

I made both of your pickels Lemon and Lime, giner , chilli pickle...both pickels taste awesome, I live in Canberra city in Ausland..which gets very hot during summer...so I think I saw your recipe on time .... I hae made Lemon pickle twice so far.

Thanks for sharing...

Cheers

Rupsana

Unknown said...

Hi Manisha,
I wondered if you could help me I followed a recipe for lime pickle from an Indian cook book. put the pickle in the sun for 4days(Spain)then put in cool larder for 1month now it is fermenting and squeezing out of the kilner jars(a feat in itself!)I now don't know if it is safe to use, any ideas?
I will be making your recipe for lime pickle today,but don't want to waste what I have already done.
Thank you,Tina

Pelicano said...

Tina, in my comment above I talked about fermenting. I wish to retract that statement after much delving this past year into pickle-making: already-sour things (like limes, mangoes, amla, etc.) are usually NOT fermented; they are salt-cured. For nimbu/key limes (Citrus aurantiifolia), recipes should use (as a minimum) 4 teaspoons of salt per cut-up cup, or about 6 nimbu if you leave them whole. Use 6 teaspoons of salt per cup of juice.
So, Tina... perhaps you used the larger, Persian limes (Citrus x latifolia)? For these, 5t of salt per cut-up cup is needed (2 or 3 of these will make a cup's worth), as they are juicier. So...you could compare this amount of salt with what your recipe used and adjust it by adding more to stop the fermentation. The bacteria which caused the fermentation are not poisonous (as long as there WAS some salt in the mix), and can be safely halted by adding more salt, but... (!) if you have a pale discoloration on the top of the jars I'd toss it... email me if you need more info or want me to check out your recipe: labaloo(at)yahoo(dot)com. Hope this helps...I've been there! :-)

Savi-Ruchi said...

Thanks a lot for this wonderful pickle. Though my granny used to prepare this, I dinot have any clue about the things that went into making them. I prepared this pickle & it took almost three months to get the softness. I replaced limes with lemon once & it was done in 20days. I am going to make this again soon. I am planning to post this in my blog too :)

Savi-Ruchi said...

Hi,

I have published the recipe here. Have a look when time permits.
http://nsushma.blogspot.com/2009/08/lime-pickle.html
The pickle tastes great, thanks for the recipe.

Deeba PAB said...

You make me feel like going to the market right away & making this Manisha!It rocks...& I have to make it soon. Has all my fave flavours. Wondering if I can wait two months though...YUM!! My mouth's watering!

DesertNails8 said...

I'm just thrilled I found this blog! I will be making both the lemon pickle and lime pickle. At the store I have seen small mexican limes 20 for $1 here (about the size of a walnut shell) that are now plump and in season. Would it be possible for you to estimate how many cups of cut up limes are used in your recipe? Being in an apt. without sun, I'll be placing these in the car. (I live in the Sonoran Desert - it's hot and sunny here.) Thanks!!

DesertNails8 said...

Might you happen to know if I make this recipe using mexican limes, should I use extra sugar because the limes are extra sour?

Indian Food Rocks said...

DesertNails 20 for $1! I envy you! Are these Mexican limes a little bigger than key limes then? They sound like they might be the size of Indian lemons. I'd say use about 10-12.

Based on what has been said about this pickle on fermentation groups, the sugar is to feed the naturally occurring bacteria, especially as the final result is not sweet at all. I'd suggest that you stay with the initial proportions in my recipe and adjust it for sugar by the time it is almost ready, but only if you want the pickle to be sweet. This is not a sweet pickle. It is sour and spicy.

DesertNails8 said...

Thanks a million!

I don't know what key limes look like but these Mexican limes are usually the size of a quarter (except spherically shaped of course) but right now they're bigger - about the size of a walnut shell.

I was so excited by the recipe that I went ahead and started the Lemon Pickle recipe and the Lime Pickle recipe (using regular limes).

The UV radiation levels have been 10-12 this week with temps around 110 F, and they seem to be zooming along.

I'm using my neighbor's sunny patio and we've both been happily discussing the changes we've seen every day this week. What fun!

pdkamath said...

Hi I am a blogger from India and blogging is my passion. I am here to know procedure for preparation of Indian lime pickle.
Good blog.
Thanks

Anonymous said...

my friend's mom makes this lemon pickle and she wont tell me how she made it... maybe because its too complicated but it looks like your lime pickle and it has this leaves with it as well like curry leaves i guess....not sure if it has ginger since I cant really taste the ginger. have you ever had it? If you did do you mind telling me the recipe.

Rekha said...

I'm so excited to try this recipe! I'm in Colorado too and look forward to trying many of your creations.

Rekha

anna in spain said...

I made this pickle in the slow cooker, with a few modifications because we can't get fresh chilis here, so I had to use dried. I cooked it for about 6 hrs on Low, part of the time covered (because my husband panics whenever I use the slowcooker)and part uncovered, to evaporate the steam that forms when it's covered. I thought it wouldn't really work in the slowcooker, but after it cooled and spent 48 hrs in the fridge, I tasted it and compared with some commercially-made lime pickle I had left...and this is better! It will be even better next summer, when I can make it properly, in the sun.

chic said...

Hi! Thanks a lot for your very simple and really tasty pickle recipe!I made it last year and the whole bottle of 1 kg of pickle was consumed before one could say "Jack Robinson".This year i'm making 2kg pickle to be on the safe side!!!!!!

anna in spain said...

Oooh, Manisha!! I made your "solar powered" lime pickle this year and it is completely out of this world! I used chipotle powder and let it sit in my sunny window for about 6 weeks. After a month, when stirring it I tasted what was left on the spoon and thought, oh dear, it's so bitter! But then I realised I'd never tasted the lemon pickle in all the sunning process, so what did I know if it was "wrong" or just not ready yet? I added a tablespoon or two of sugar, shook it around, and let it sit for the remaining time. It is ready now and SO GOOD.
We are now having temps of 46 degrees and I think I know where I can get Thai chillis so this weekend I intend to put up another jar!

Indian Food Rocks said...

pdkamath, sorry my reply is late but thanks for your interest!

rix93008, I wish I could say I have tasted that pickle as it sounds delicious! You could make it according to this recipe and then add a tadka with curry leaves, but only after the oil has cooled down, of course. Good luck!

Rekha, wonderful! I hope the Colorado sun was as good to you as it is to me!

chic, I make huge amounts each year, too! I end up sharing with friends but my family makes sure I keep enough for them!

anna, you are adventurous! Did the dried red chiles plump up? You can use red chile powder instead, too. Just like in my lemon pickle. I added ginger to my lemon pickle this year and it's quite delicious!

And yay, for the sun! I like to call these pickles, my slice of sunshine! You will *love* the flavor of the pickle with fresh green chiles. It is bright and oh, just so wonderful! Hugs!

Indian Food Rocks said...

anna, I forgot to mention that you might have toasted your methi seeds just a tad bit more if you got a bitter taste. Try toasting them a little less next time to see if you still get a bitter note.

Cogito Ergo Sum said...

I followed your recipe and the pickle turned out just like the picture. I used lemons though not limes and it still tastes wonderful. It was ready in less than a month in the hot California sun. Maybe because of the soft thick lemon skin. Everyone who tries it loves it. Thanks for the recipe!

NickiJ said...

Thanks for a great post Manisha. There's not enough sun here in Perth Western Australia now we're heading into winter. I've got limes and wanted to try your recipe so am trying it in a slow oven - on my overn's yoghurt making setting. I've followed your recipe apart from using less chilli and less ginger. I wondered what you think about using slow cooking instead of the sun - how long and what temperature? Do you think it'll work with slow cooking? Appreciate any comments/suggestions. Thanks in advance.