The Pickle 25 · No. 23 of 25

1. No.23Photo: Pure Indian Foods

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   Organic Fermented Lemon Pickle

   From Pure Indian Foods · Princeton Junction, New Jersey

   Fermented●○○A little heat$14 a jar

   Sandeep and Nalini Agarwal started Pure Indian Foods in 2008 making ghee; now they make family recipes too. The lemon pickle is whole lemon, peel and all, fermented with salt and spices until soft.

   Indian lemon pickle is sour, salty, bitter and spiced all at once. A sliver with yogurt rice is a whole meal.

   Eat it withYogurt riceDalRoast chicken

   Order from Pure Indian Foods ↗More from Pure Indian Foods ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Quick lemon pickle

   25 min, then 3 days · makes 1 cup · A short version of a slow pickle: simmering the lemons softens the peel, then they sit in salt and spice.

   Save to my recipes

   You need

   • 4 lemons, scrubbed, cut into small pieces, seeds removed
   • 2 tbsp kosher salt
   • 1 tsp ground turmeric
   • 1½ tsp Kashmiri or mild chili powder
   • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
   • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, crushed
   • 2 tbsp neutral or mustard oil
   • 1 tbsp sugar or jaggery (optional)

   How to make it

   1. Simmer the lemon pieces in water to cover for 8 minutes, until the peel is tender. Drain.
   2. Toss with the salt, turmeric and chili powder.
   3. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds; when they pop, add the fenugreek for 10 seconds. Pour over the lemons with the sugar.
   4. Spoon into a jar, close and leave on the counter 3 days, shaking once a day, then refrigerate.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Pure Indian Foods's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

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Pure Indian Foods didn't pay to be here. Order goes straight to their shop. The quick version is Chef's own, in our words.