Lime pickle

Lemon pickle is the best side accompaniment during summer. Lime is rich in Vitamin C, Which has many health benefits like boosting our body's immune system, skin anti wrinkling, cure for common cold, eye diseases and more. Lemons grow beautifully in ample on our trees during summer. The lemon tree in my backyard is full of limes, So I thought of making a pickle out of all of them.

               

Recipe:

Lemons (Green/Yellow Lime) -500 grams i.e. 1/2 Kg

Salt - 100 gms

1 pinch of Turmeric
Cut each lemon into 8 pieces and mix well with salt and turmeric and leave it out it in hot sun for 20 days in a closed glass jar.

Note:
(1) You will Notice that the lemons have reduced in size considerably and have become softer and mushy as the pickle will have some fluid in it because the lemon juices are released from the lemons.

(2) If you don't like spices, you can eat the pickle this way itself (non-spicy tangy taste). But I like my pickle to be a little spicy, as it tastes even better.


So I have dry roasted the following spices for adding into the pickle:

-1 tsp of cumin seeds
-1 tsp of carom seeds (ajwain)
-Cinnamon - 2 long sticks
-1tsp of cumin seeds
-1tsp of fenugreek seeds
-10-12 cloves
-5-6 dry red chillies (or chilli flakes)
-1 tsp of black pepper

After dry roasting these spices, grind them well in a mixer grinder. 

Then you have to mix it with the lemon pickle you prepared above ( after 20 days when it has soaked up a good amount of sun ). While mixing do not forget to add 2 tablespoons of black salt in it along with the spices 

This is how it looks after adding the spices into the pickle.

        The pickle is ready! You can keep it for almost an year.

If you feel the pickle is getting slightly dry, squeeze more lemon juice and add the juice from top and shake the jar ( you can add the juice of 2-3 medium sized lemons).

You will notice the the pickle gets tastier with the passage of time!! :D

~Enjoy~

Tomato Pickle

Hi friends its been a long time since I blogged..I missed cooking So much! Was sick this year and was bedridden. But I'm Back now! My Heartiest & Warmest Greetings to all of you this Spring. It's My first post of 2015. 

Hope You like it.Today I'm going to share with which all of you a recipe was taught to me by my mother, & has been passed down in our family for generations :"Tomato Pickle"The best tomatoes are found during winter,when they are ripe, red and juicy inside. So make them during winter season :)

                                        

Ingredients:

• Ripe tomato- 1 kg
• Refined oil- 250 gm
• mustard powder- 2 tsp
• Jeera powder-2 tsp
• Turmeric powder-1tsp
• Red chilly powder-3 tsp
• Vinegar-1 cup
• Ginger- 75 gram
• Garlic- 100 gram
• Green chilly-25gram
• Curry leaves-12-15 leaves                                                         
• Sodium Benzoate-1 tsp
• Sugar- 2 tsp
• Salt -according to your taste

 <<Garlic cloves & curry leaves

I weighed each & every ingredient <carefully>

~My ripe tomatoes that I washed and dried before cutting them~

Procedure:

• Cut the tomatoes into small pieces (as shown in the picture) and keep it aside. -Medium sized tomato-into 6 pieces

                                 

• Heat oil in a pan, add red chili powder, cumin seeds powder, turmeric powder, mustard powder,

                                   

Grind the cumin seeds and mustard seeds into a powder (instead of readily available powders, for better taste)

• Grind ginger, garlic and green chili along with vinegar in a mixer grinder and keep it aside.

• Heat  oil in the pan, then add the red chili powder, cumin powder, turmeric and mustard powder. 
• Fry the spices in the oil for 5 minutes in low flame. Then add the ginger and chili paste which we made earlier. Cook in low flame for around 15 minutes.

    This is how the masala(spices) looks after it is ready

• Now at this stage add the chopped tomato pieces, curry leaves, sugar and salt. 

                                     

• Stir this really well.

                                     

• Let it cook for 1 hour till the oil leaves the side of the pan.

Caution:Keep stirring now and then so that the tomatoes do not get burnt and stick to the bottom of the pan.

• Keep on stirring so that all the spices are properly mixed and blend with the tomatoes.

• You will know that it is done when the tomatoes are soft and mushy and the gravy is thick.
• Lastly add Sodium Benzoate, & cook for 5-10minutes

                                 

As I prepared almost 3 kg of tomatoes, it took 2 hours to cook in medium flame. Slow cooking is best for making this kind of pickle.

Eat the pickle only after 3-5 days. If you are not adding sodium-benzoate then no need to wait you can consume immediately. 

~ENJOY~