Name: Sweet lemon pickle
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 kg lemons/limes (around 20 lemons/limes); 250 grams jaggery (2 cups); 4 tbsp. black salt; 1 tsp. cumin seeds; 1 tsp. carom seeds; 1 tsp. black pepper; 1/4 tsp. asafoetida (optional,avoid if gluten-free); 1 piece cinnamon (small piece); 5-7 pieces cloves; 1 tbsp. red chilli powder

Neebu ka achaar or lemon pickle 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.

Versatile lemon

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 pickle.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!

Read the sweet lemon pickle recipe below:

Print Recipe

3.72 from 7 votes

Sweet lemon pickle

Fight food waste by storing left-over lemon peels for this pickle.Make it as soon as you have substantial quantity.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Pickle

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: Sweet lemon pickle

Servings:

Ingredients

1 kg lemons/limes around 20 lemons/limes
250 grams jaggery 2 cups

Spices:

4 tbsp. black salt
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. carom seeds
1 tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. asafoetida optional,avoid if gluten-free
1 piece cinnamon small piece
5-7 pieces cloves
1 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.
Add lemon juice along with black salt to the jar before placing out in the sun.
For the next 4-5 days, once a day, turn the lemons in the juice with a dry spoon.
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 bottle and keep it in sun for 10 days.
Its ready to be consumed,store in a cook dry place.

Notes

Avoid asafoetida if you are gluten-free.

The lemons with juice need to be kept out in sun for few days, if you do not have a good summer weather then leave it out in the sun for few weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g

Click here for more recipe videos.

Also, click here for more pickle recipes.