Sweet lemon pickle with jaggery and no oil / Neebu ka achaar is my favorite. You can make a hot and sour lemon pickle and even a sweet lemon pickle. Sweet lime pickle recipe is tangy and sweet at the same time. It tastes great with Indian flat breads. Perfectly goes with rice dishes as well. We can make it easily with very little cooking. Lemon is a versatile ingredient. Make a slice of cake or lemon rice. No Tandoori starter can do without lemon rub. Nor can any Indian curry. Lemon mojito works perfectly with a pizza slice. Limes are a great way to add sourness to your palate. Lemon pepper rasam works wonders with flu while lemon chicken woos you left right and center.
Commercial pickles and preservatives
Pickles today are a big industry. Commercial ones add preservatives, citric acid and vinegar. This ensures long shelf life. However ,they are not good for health in the long run. Also, you cannot control the chilli and oil.Home made pickles need only one careful skill. We need to store this in a dry bottle. Avoid touching the pickle with bare hands so that no moisture sneaks in.We use jaggery in this achar recipe, so it helps avoid the chemical sugar.Sugar is used in commercial pickles in the market. Jaggery makes it rich in iron too.It is also gluten-free and vegan.
Smart Tip: Best way to make this pickle & re-use waste.
Start storing lemon peels in a dry jar. Keep this in the refrigerator until jar gets filled. Once full, prepare the nimbu ka achar.This saves both the peels and the money. Also, you save time on cutting lemons whenever you decide. No waste recipe literally!So much food gets wasted in kitchens. We can always start fighting food waste today at our own pace!
Step-by-step instructions:
- De-seed the lemons before juicing,juice them and keep the juice aside
2. Cut remaining lemon flesh into smaller pieces,add salt.
3. Add lemon juice along with lemon pieces & salt to the jar before placing out in the sun.
For the next 7-10 days, once a day, turn the lemons in the juice with a dry spoon or shake the bottle so that juice is mixed.
4. Powder all the spices and keep it aside.
5. Heat jaggery in a large heavy-bottomed pan till it melts. 
6. Add the spice mix to jaggery. 
7. Add the preserved lemon pieces and juice, cook until the mixture starts boiling. 
7. Stir with a spatula, turn off after 10 minutes or once the lemon pieces are soft. Allow it cool.Store in a clean bottle/jar and keep it in sun for 10 days. 
Read the sweet lemon pickle recipe below:
Sweet lemon pickle
Ingredients
- 500 gms lemons/limes around 10 lemons/limes
- 125 grams jaggery 1 cups
Spices:
- 2 tbsp. black salt or plain salt
- ½ tsp. cumin seeds
- ½ tsp. carom seeds
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ⅛ tsp. asafoetida optional,avoid if gluten-free
- 1 piece cinnamon small piece
- 2-3 pieces cloves
- ½ tbsp. red chilli powder
Instructions
- De-seed the lemons before juicing.
- Cut remaining lemon flesh into smaller pieces to store in a fresh sterilized air-tight glass jar.
- Toss the lemon pieces with salt,add lemon juice with lemon pieces to the jar before placing out in the sun.
- For the next 7-10 days, once a day, turn the lemons in the juice with a dry spoon or shake the bottle so that the lemon juice is mixed with the lemon pieces.
- Once the lemon pieces have turned pale,Powder all the spices,keep it aside
- Heat jaggery in a large heavy-bottomed pan till it melts,add the spice mix
- Add the preserved lemon and juice,cook until the mixture starts boiling.
- Stir with a spatula,turn off after 10 minutes.Allow it cool.
- Store in the same/clean bottle and keep it in sun for 10 days.
- once it is ready to be consumed,store in a cook dry place.
Notes
Nutrition
Click here to get different types of achar recipes
-
Low oil vegetable pickle
-
Traditional mango pickle
-
Mango garlic pickle
- Jackfruit pickle
-
Mango chickpea pickle
Click here for more recipe videos.
Please share your inputs..