Traditional Goan Lemon Pickle Recipe

Sweet and Spicy Lime Pickle

Let’s make a delicious Goan lemon pickle recipe or lime pickle recipe, but the traditional way. It’s sweet, it’s sour, it’s medium spicy…. You’ll love it.

I’m going to show you two ways to make this traditional sweet and spicy lime pickle. And with both methods, the lemon peel will be nice and soft and not hard and stiff like in the instant pickles where they boil the lime pieces for a long time in the masala mixture.

This could be the best Goan lime pickle recipe you’ve ever come across. O do check it out. And if you’re fond of pickles why not check out the mouthwatering ones I have for you. Do make my delicious brinjal pickle, sweet and spicy raw mango chutney (a pickle actually), crunchy carrot pickle, quick lime pickle, and tasty tendli pickle.

Ingredients

1^st method

300g sour limes (11 nos)

¾ tsp turmeric powder

3 tsp (1 tbsp) salt

6 tbsp oil

2 -inch piece ginger, crushed

12 – 15 medium size garlic cloves, crushed

¼ tsp hing (optional)

2 tsp roasted ground cumin

1 tbsp chilli powder

½ cup vinegar

320 g (1 ½ cups) granulated sugar, powdered

2^nd method

300g sour limes (11 nos)

¾ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp salt

6 tbsp oil

12 – 15 medium size garlic cloves, crushed

2 – inch piece ginger, crushed

¼ tsp hing

2 tsp roasted ground cumin

1 ½ tbsp K chilli powder

1 tsp ajwain (carrom seeds)

½ tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds) roasted and ground

2 tsp rai dal (split mustard seeds)

½ cup vinegar

280g (1 ⅓ cups) granulated sugar, powdered

Procedure

1^st method

1. See that all the vessels and utensils you’ll be using are clean and dry.
2. Wash and dry the sour limes.
3. Slice off the skin near the stem part, and slice each sour lime into two (widthwise).
4. Press each half lightly over a bowl to squeeze out the seeds and a small amount of juice.
5. Cut each squeezed half into 4 pieces. Transfer these to a steel, glass, or plastic bowl.
6. Mix the cut lime pieces with the salt and turmeric powder, crushing them lightly with a spoon.
7. Transfer just the lime pieces to a steel vessel, retaining any salty liquid that had separated in the original bowl.
8. Cover the vessel with a lid and steam the lime pieces in a steamer for 20 minutes on medium-low heat to soften the peel of the lime pieces.
9. Take the vessel out of the steamer and let the lime pieces cool completely.
10. Transfer the steamed pieces along with any separated liquid to a glass or ceramic bowl or a wide mouthed glass bottle. Strain the lime juice over these pieces and discard the seeds from the strainer. Also pour the small amount of salty liquid retained earlier over the lime pieces. Stir the contents of the bowl or bottle well. Cover the bowl (or fix the lid over the glass bottle if using one), and keep this in a safe place in your house for the next 3 days, making sure to stir or shake the contents once or twice a day.
11. After 3 days, the lime pieces will have softened considerably. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the crushed ginger and garlic and sauté these for a few seconds. Add in the hing, cumin powder, and chilli powder, and sauté for a few seconds and turn off the heat. Add the vinegar and sugar and mix everything.
12. Turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for two minutes. Then add in the marinated lime along with any liquid that could have separated. Let the lime cook in the masala mixture on low heat for just 2 minutes and turn off the heat.
13. After 5 minutes, begin transferring the pickle along with some of the liquid to a sterilised glass bottle. Around half of the liquid will remain in the vessel.
14. Turn on the heat and boil this liquid on low heat for 2 minutes till it thickens a little. Let it cool for a few minutes and while still hot transfer this to the pickle bottle. Give the pickle a stir, wait for 5 minutes and then fix the lid on the bottle.
15. Keep the pickle aside for 3 days to let the lime absorb all the flavours of the different ingredients. It will then be ready for use.

Enjoy!

2^nd method

1. Steps 1 to 6 the same as in the first recipe.
2. Transfer the lime pieces along with any separated liquid to a wide mouthed sterilised glass bottle (or clean and dry glass bowl). Strain the squeezed out lime juice over the lime pieces. Stir everything, and put the lid of the bottle on (or cover the bowl).
3. Keep this bottle or bowl in a safe and well-ventilated place in your house for 7 days. During that time, stir the contents or shake the bottle around once or twice daily.
4. After 7 days, the lime pieces will have softened considerably. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the crushed ginger and garlic and sauté these for a few seconds. Add in the hing, cumin powder, and chilli powder, and sauté for a few seconds. Add the ajwain, ground fenugreek seeds, split mustard, sauté for a few seconds and turn off the heat. Add the vinegar and sugar and mix everything.
5. Turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for two minutes. Then add in the marinated lime along with any liquid that could have separated. Let the lime cook in the masala mixture on low heat for just 2 minutes and turn off the heat.
6. Steps 14 to 16, the same as in the first recipe.

Enjoy!