Sweet and Sour Lime Pickle or Khatta Meetha Nimbu ka achar! I think pickles come from a place of absolute and purest love for life, for family and for the universe overall. You need to appreciate all the blessings of life to be able to lovingly and tenderly indulge in the process of pickling. The process is slow and long and something which was probably way more common in our lives maybe a few decades back.
Preserving seasonal vegetables and fruits is something which is common to all cultures worldwide. And Indians are no different. Every summer I would see my mom (who was never much of a food enthusiast) make at least three types of mango pickle. Every winter I would see my best friend’s mom pickle all sorts of winter vegetables in a lip-smacking Panchranga achar.
My aunt or my youngest mashi, my mom’s youngest sister lived in a quaint town in North Bengal which is known for its mangoes. And she would bring us or send us the most delectable achars from mangoes grown in her yard. Today as I make achars and write about them, trust me they come from a place of such fond food memories.
I make achars once in a while and mostly make the Bengali epic kuler (jujube) achar with dehydrated jujubes that I buy from the Indian store. But with this sweet and sour lime pickle or the khatta meetha nimbu ka achaar I went the whole nine yards. This achar is made from the organic key limes that I grew in my backyard. And I made this achar sometime in February and then let it sit, ferment and develop flavors all these months. I would take the mason jar and let it sit in the full sun in my backyard every single day and finally I have an achar which actually tastes like the ones made back home by grandmas.
We are now relishing it with dal rice, various paranthas and sometimes just like that.
Do you like making pickles too? If so leave a comment and let me know a memory that you may have around pickles.
Also, you may like the recipes below:
Quarantine Special Dal Kalbeliya
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Sweet & Sour Lime Pickle – Khatta Meetha Nimbu Ka Achar
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
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Pin RecipeDescription
Sweet and Sour Lime Pickle or Khatta Meetha Nimbu ka Achar – a slow, old-school recipe of delicious homemade and homegrown lime pickle.
Ingredients
Limes – 2 pounds
Granulated Sugar – 1 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar – ½ cup
Ginger – 2 tbsp, minced
Red Chili powder – 2 tsp
Rock Salt – 2 tbsp
Sea salt – 1 tbsp
Whole Black Pepper – 2 tsp
Whole Cumin (Jeera) Seeds – 1 tbsp
Whole Coriander (Dhania) Seeds – 1 tbsp
Carom (Ajwain) Seeds – 1 tsp
Whole Cloves – 5-6
Bay Leaf – 1
Whole Red Chilies – 2
Asafetida (Hing) Powder – 2 tsp
Instructions
Wash the lemons well and dry them completely, each one of them. I generally put them on a kitchen towel and wipe them individually. You have to make sure there is no moisture at all. Quarter the lemons.
In a washed and sterilized mason jar, put the cut lemon and add the salt and with the wooden spoon mash the lemon pieces a little. Close lightly with a lid and let it stand in the sun in full sun for a good 5-6 hours every day for 10 days. The limes will get soft and will change color.
After 10 days, heat a skillet and lightly roast the whole cumin, coriander, whole cloves, whole red chilies, whole black pepper, carom seeds, and bay leaf. You should roast them stirring continuously till they get fragrant. Let them cool down.
In a spice blender, take the cooled down spices and blend to a fine powder.
Add to the granulated sugar to the spices and mix it in.
Now open the mason jar, and add the red chili powder, grated ginger, hing, brown sugar and the granulated sugar, mixed in with the spices. Mix everything well with a wooden spoon. Make sure there is no moisture in the spoon.
Now again put in full sun for 4-5 hours every day for 15 days before consuming. At the end of 15 days the pickle will be ready.
However, it is always a good idea to keep it in the sun periodically.
Enjoy with rotis, paranthas or dal rice.
- Category: Pickles
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: sweet and sour lime pickle, khatta meetha nimbu ka achar
In the first phase before adding the spices, a minimum of 10 days and after adding the spices a minimum of 15 days.
Black salt is crucial for the flavor of this recipe but you can use just normal salt if you don’t have it or even sea salt.
You should use a lime with thin skin like key limes or meyer lemons.
Wash the mason jar with warm soap water and let it dry completely in the sun. Or wash in the dishwasher and let it dry completely till there is no trace of moisture.