LEMON PICKLE

Ingredients

Ripe lemon - 10 nos
Dates chopped - 100 gm(1 cup)
Sesame/gingely oil(nallenna) - 1 cup
Sugar - 2-3 tablespoon
Mustard seed - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seed(uluva) - 1 teaspoon
Green chilly - 4, sliced
Ginger - 1 tablespoon, sliced
Garlic - 1 tablespoon,sliced
Ginger and garlic paste - 1 teaspoon each
Kashmiri chilly powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida (kayam)- 1 teaspoon
Vinegar - ¼ cup
Salt

Instructions

Boil 4 cups of water with salt in a medium - big size saucepan. Remove from gas. Add lemon to it & stir well. Keep it covered for 10-15 minutes till the lemon skin becomes soft.
Once the skin becomes soft, strain the water completely. Dry the lemon with cloth or kitchen towel. Cut the lemon into 2-3 pieces. Add salt, half of the sugar (1- 1½ tbsp)& asafoetida to the lemon pieces and mix well. Store this at room temperature for 3 days.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan & splutter mustard & fenugreek seeds. Add sliced ginger, garlic and green chilly. Fry till it becomes golden brown. Keep it aside. Add some more oil to the pan, when it becomes hot, add chopped dates. Cook till it becomes soft. keep that also aside. Add some more oil and when it becomes hot, add ginger garlic paste. When it becomes golden brown, add kashmiri chilly powder, turmeric powder and 1- 1½ tbsp sugar (the powders should be added at lowest flame). Stir well till the gravy becomes dark red (make sure that you don't burn the masala). Add vinegar to this masala and let it boil.
Once the vinegar boils, add the previously sauted ginger, garlic, green chilly & dates to this. Mix well. Add the lemons stored at room temperature. Combine everything well. Check salt and add more, if needed. Remove from gas & let it cool completely. Store the pickle in airtight jars/containers.
Boil the remaining oil in another pan & cool it completely. Pour the cooled oil on top of the pickle stored in the container/jar.
Notes
For the best results, use the pickle after a week of making it. It allows the flavors to settle in. If you are planning to keep the pickle for a long time, I will recommend refrigerating it.