Lemon pickle (salted lemons)

salted lemons

When we talk about pickle then mango and lemon are everyone's favorite.People living in desert are used to
 preserve vegetables by drying ,salting or caramelising.This way these can be used when required.
Here is the recipe to preserve the lemons.It is very simple and usefull.In old days when there were no refrigerators to store fresh vegetables and fruits then these pickling methods helped.
This recipe we will make lemons salted.

Ingredients required
 20   kagazi lemon(thin skinned )
100 gms salt
A  glass jar with lid
Wash and dry lemons and put into the jar and add salt .Cover and stir the contents up side down few times a day .This should be done for 10 to 15 days .Then the lemon skin will become tender and the color will change.The shelf life af these lemons is more than a year.as the time passes lemons become more juicy and gives an  apetising  aroma .
These salty lemons can be used to make pickles.
Ingredients required
10 salted lemons
25 gms methi seeds
10 gms kalonjee(onion seeds)
2 table spoon salt
2 tablespoons red chilli powder
1 tabspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon hing powder
 50 gms oil

In a pan pour  4 tabspoon oil and heat it when oil start giving vapous then remove from the heat and pour hing. 
Now put methi then kalongee,Stir once and then add chilli and turmeric powder.Stir and leave it to cool.
Let this mixture cool to room temperature.
Till then wash the lemons to remove extra coating of salt,wipe with  a clean cloth and dry for 30 minutes in sunlight.
With the help of a knife cut these into four pieces and remove the seeds .Now mix lemon pieces with spices mixture and store in air tight container.
On third day heat remaining oil til it starts giving vapours.Remove from the heat.Add hing and let it cool to room temp.Now pour this oil into the jar to cover the pickle fully with a layer of oil.
Pickle will be ready in next two three days when methi seeds will become soft to chew.

Sweat pickle
10 lemons salted
2 tabspoom salt
6 tabspoon sugar
2 teaspoon garam masala
wash and dry lemons and then cut into 4 pieces.Remove seeds .Now mix all ingredients into lemons .Mix well and store in a dry jar .After 4 to 5 days sweat pickle is ready to eat.

Tips:-

1 As the lemons are salted so less salt will be required for preparing pickle.
2 For storing salted lemons the jar should be moisture free.