When life gives you lemons, make lemon pickle! Here is an easy lemon pickle recipe to make during the lemon season. When kept away from sunlight, this pickle can last years, if not decades!
Why make the Lemon Pickle recipe?
Lemon pickles are one of the most basic condiments in an Indian pantry. If there is one pickle recipe that unites all of India, it has to be the humble lemon pickle recipe. The sharp tang of a tiny lick of the lemon pickle is unmistakable.
Every region has its own version and this version hails from the southern state of Tamil Nadu where the pickle recipes rely heavily on chili powder and oil to keep the pickles longer. You can see plenty of fermentation, sun-dried, and pickling recipes from the South, thanks to its hot and humid conditions.
How to make the brine for Lemon Pickle
Like most pickling recipes, this lemon pickle recipe calls for basic brine. You can make this by mixing salt with the cut lemons. This process allows the salt to naturally draw the juices of the lemon. This mixture of lemon juice and salt forms the brine. This liquid allows the salt to seep into the thicker skin of the lemon fruit.
Here, in this recipe, I have used Meyer Lemons which are not a true lemon variety. They are a hybrid version that is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. The Meyer Lemons are naturally sweeter and not as strictly sour as the regular lemon. I personally love this fruit over a regular lemon when making the classic lemon pickle recipe.
Types of Lemon Pickle
My paternal grandmother who hailed from the fairly cooler Kerala never relied on an overload of chili powder to make her pickles as we do in Tamil Nadu. Of course, this recipe starts to get hotter as we go east. The Southern states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh tend to lean on the hotter variants and the western states of Karnataka and Kerala use a much milder, fruitier version of the lemon pickle.
I like to make sun-dried, fermented, and pickling recipes every summer. This is when we get fresh and seasonal produce. The temperatures are also perfect for sun-drying and fermentation! This lemon pickle can last years in your pantry if stored properly. You can make a large batch of this pickle and revisit this recipe every few years if that’s what you prefer! But I like making an appropriate amount for my family that gets done within a year!
How To Make Lemon Pickle
The variation that I make calls for a simple brine that is created naturally when you mix the lemons with salt and turmeric. You mix cut lemons, salt, and turmeric thoroughly every day for 2-3 days. After this, you make the preserve by adding a generous amount of chili powder and gingelly oil. For those of you who are new to this oil, Gingelly oil is a lighter unroasted version of sesame oil. The chili and the oil help preserve the lemons for a really long time.
This recipe is a classic lemon pickle recipe from my husband’s family who are natives of Thanjavur. This lemon pickle recipe is great if you’re looking for the classic recipe commonly found in homes and restaurants across Tamil Nadu. The reason why I specifically mention Thanjavur/Tanjore in the title is that this recipe was passed on to me from my husband’s side who is from that region of Tamil Nadu.
Lemon Pickle Recipe
Lemon Pickle Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Glass Pickle Jar
- 1 Bowl with lid
Ingredients
- 8 Lemons
- 1/4 Cup Red Chili Powder
- 2 Cups Gingelly Oil
- 1 Tsp Turmeric
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry the lemons
- Place the lemons in a bowl.
- Add turmeric and salt. Mix thoroughly. Cover with lid.
- Stir every day for 2-3 days.
- Add Red Chili Powder.
- Add in the Gingelly oil and combine well.
- Transfer to a pickle jar.
- Store away from sunlight.
- The pickle is ready to be consumed within a week.
Notes
- You can use regular lemons or Meyer lemons.
- Dry your lemons thoroughly. Not doing so can cause mold to form.
- I prefer Kashmiri Mirch chili powder
- Add salt according to your preference. As a rule, pickle requires more salt and Indian pickles must taste saltier than the ocean. Salt cooks the lemon naturally and prevents mold from forming on the pickle. Doing this allows the lemons to absorb the salt evenly.
- You should stir the pickle every now and then. This redistributes flavor to the entire jar and allows stagnant oil on the top to saturate the drier bottoms.
- Add more gingelly oil as and when it dries up.
Lime – The Alkaline Cousin of the Lemon
I have a similar recipe that is made using limes. Limes are alkaline in nature and lend a bitter flavor to the pickle. Of course, this mellows with age. The longer it sits, the better! Here is the link to the recipe if you want to check that out!
Every summer, I make pickles and vadams when the weather starts to get warmer every year. I love homemade pickles. They taste significantly better than the store-bought ones. There are, however, a few brands that I don’t mind on the rare occasion I’m unable to store homemade pickles at home.
Do let me know if you try this recipe out! I would love to hear about it!