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Cut lemons ready to be used in a lemon pickle recipe
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Lemon Pickle Recipe

A Lemon Pickle recipe from Tamil Nadu that follows a traditional Thanjavur style. Makes about 1 cup
Course Pickle, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, South Indian, Tamil Nadu
Keyword achar recipe, elumichai oorgai, lemon pickle recipe, nimbu ka achar, pickle, tamil nadu style lemon pickle recipe
Prep Time 7 days 10 minutes
Total Time 7 days 10 minutes
Servings 1 Cup
Author Pakoda Stories

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.