Once you try this lime pickle, you won’t go back to shop bought!

I am so happy to have been taught this lime pickle recipe. I love lime pickle and have since I was first introduced to Indian food.

It goes fantastically well with homemade naan bread, pappadams, samosas and as a side to many curries.

Lime pickle is served at almost every Indian restaurant and would be greatly missed if it weren’t!

 

There was a time when I always had a supermarket brand name jar of lime pickle in the fridge.

These days I make my own and believe me the taste is so much better.

This recipe was taught to me by the chef of our local tandoori. He too used to serve those name brand pickles but now swears by this recipe.

My lime pickle recipe makes quite a lot but the pickle lasts indefinitely in a sterilised jar in a cool dark place such as a cupboard to the fridge.

My cookbooks are also available from the following retailers.

International & UK Orders

What about all that salt?

You might notice that it is quite salty. Lime pickles have been served for hundreds of years and they are usually salty in flavour.

Think of this lime pickle and others like it like you would salt. Use it as you would salt.

Instead of adding salt to plain white rice, serve it with some of this pickle.

Serving rice in this way is how it is done all over India. It’s a vegetarian meal in its own right!

What other uses are there for lime pickle?

Sometimes I add lime pickle to my curries as well.

Again, do this before you add salt. It is delicious stirred into a curry like my curry house style chicken Madras for example.

It takes some time to make this lime pickle but it’s worth the wait!

Now let’s tackle the one thing that scares a lot of people off making this. It takes about three days and then it is best not to serve it for another week for optimum flavour.

Put that out of your head and make it. I promise… you’ll be glad you did.

Make a huge batch and keep it in the fridge for when you need it. I often double or even triple this recipe. I like it that much.

Hope you do too! Enjoy.

Thinking of a great gift for a friend?

Every year I make a few huge batches of this pickle along with a few others. 

As the lime pickle keeps for ages, there is no rush to give them away. 

Simply make them up and put the lime pickle into some attractive sterilised jars and you have a gift that any curry fan would love.

What’s more, you made it yourself which makes the gift even more special. 

If you like the look of this delicious lime pickle, you might like to try these…

Indian Mixed Vegetable Pickle
Easy lemon pickle
Chickpea, Garlic and Carrot Pickle

 

Yield: 500ml

Lime Pickle Recipe

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 3 days

Total Time 3 days 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1kg (2 lbs) limes - stab holes in each lime and then cut into eight pieces
• 125g (1/3 cup) salt
• 40 cloves of garlic - smashed
• 50g red chilli powder - or less if you don't like spicy pickles
• FOR THE TEMPERING
• 150ml (3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 30 grams (1/3 cup) white cumin seeds
• 3 Tablespoons black mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon asafoetida

Instructions

1. Place the limes in a bowl and add the salt, whole garlic cloves and red chilli powder. Mix well coating the limes and pressing down on them as you do. Retain the juices and refrigerate and then place the juiced lime mixture into a steamer and steam for about 15 minutes until they are quite soft.
2. Transfer the lime mixture to a glass bowl and cover with a towel. Leave in the sun or a warm place for two days. Mix every eight hours to keep the limes coated with all the other ingredients.
3. At the end of day two, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, throw in the black mustard seeds, cumin seeds and the asafoetida. The mustard seeds will begin to pop. When they do, pour the oil mixture over the limes and stir well.
4. Pour in the reserved lime juices too.
5. Cover again with the towel and allow to sit in the sun or a warm place for another two days.
6. At the end of two days scoop the lime pickle into a food processor and process to a chunky or smooth paste. Place this in a sterilised air tight container and let sit in a cool place for at least two weeks before serving.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Waring Spice Grinder
• 
  Zanussi heavy-duty pan
• 
  I.O.Shen Chefs Knife

Did you like this recipe?

Please join me on Facebook where I share all my latest recipes and videos. Just click that Facebook icon on the left and let's get to know each other!

I hope you enjoy my lime pickle recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.