Digestive and Khatta Metha Masala Nimbu Ka Achar

Sweet and Sour Lemon Pickle made with Ayurvedic spices
I have already mentioned in my previous posts  that I love to eat and make different type of pickles that I've learnt from my grandmother. Lemon pickles have the longest shelf life among pickles, and usually stay fresh till they're finished.

Today I am sharing a very authentic and popular masala lemon pickle recipe which is a specialty from Uttar Pradesh. It is very good for digestion and stomach aches as a lot of spices that are used in ayurveda are added in it.

Every year I make a large jar of this pickle. The interesting characteristic of this pickle is that as the pickle ages it become more delicious and good for digestion. On my last India visit I found a 8 year old lemon pickle jar in my mother's pantry,which had become too dry and so my mother ground the pieces of the dried pickle in a grinder and made delicious digestive herbal lemon churan :).
If you like this, you may also want to try out the Khatta metha nimbu ka achar (sweet and sour lemon pickle),Punjabi mango pickle , Green chili pickle and many more pickle recipes from my blog which are all family favorites.

Prep time-45 min
Difficulty level-easy
Spice level-medium
Cuisine-Indian
Type-Pickle
INGREDIENTS-

• Lemons-1.5 kg
• Sugar-850 gms
• Ginger, sliced-1/2 cup
• Black Salt/Rock Salt-100 gms
• Sea salt-50 gms
• Red Chili powder- 2 tsp
• Harad -10*
• Lendi pepal-15 *

To grind together-

• Pepper corns/Sabut kali mirch-2 tsp
• Cloves/Lavang-25
• Black cardamom/Badi elaichi-10
• Carom seeds/Ajwain-1.5 tsp
• Cumin seeds/Jeera-2 tsp
• Harad /Haritaki /Black Myroblan-8
• Long pepper/Lendi pipli /Bengal Pepper -10
• Ginger powder/Saunth-2 tsp
• Asafoetida/Hing-1.5 tsp

PROCEDURE-

1. Wash and wipe the lemons and then cut into 4 pieces.
2. Add salt in the lemon pieces and mix well and fill in a glass jar.
3. Close the jar with a plate or lid(don't use a airtight jar)and keep it in a warm place or in sunlight for a month or till the skin of lemons become soft.
4. Keep shaking or mixing the lemons in 2-3 days.
5. Grind all the spices listed in -to grind and make a powder.
6. Now add chili powder, asafoetida, ground spice powder, sugar ,chopped ginger and 10 whole pipli and 10 whole harad in the lemons and mix well.
7. Tie a muslin cloth on the mouth of the jar and keep in sunlight for a few hours daily.
8. After approx 15 days sugar will disintegrate completely and become a syrup.
9. keep the jar in sunlight till the sugar syrup thickens slightly.

Serving suggestions-taste great with any fried snack,pakora,poori,mathri,kachori,khichdi or daal-rice.

NOTE-1-*When you have stomach ache or gastric problem, take out the whole harad or pipli and chew slowly.
2-Lemons with thin skin should be preferred to make this pickle.
3- You may use half sugar and half jaggary instead of using only sugar
4-Add sugar only after the lemon peel becomes soft.
5-If you are making in small quantity then can remove the pips of lemon,but as I make it in large quantity so avoided that,as they can be removed while eating.