ACHAR of LEMON
A simple traditional Indian preserved lemon pickle made by rubbing lemons clean, cutting them, and curing them in salt inside an airtight glass jar left in the open air. The achar is ready after about a month and can be kept for up to a year.
Ingredients
- 1 seer (approximately 930 g / about 8–10 medium lemons) lemons (pati or goura variety preferable) (Pati or goura lemons are traditional Indian thin-skinned varieties. Regular thin-skinned lemons or limes can be used as a substitute.)
- 1 powa (approximately 233 g / just under 1 cup) salt (Use plain non-iodised salt if possible, as it helps with preservation.)
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Instructions
- 1Take your lemons and firmly rub each one all over against a rough piece of blanket fabric. You are trying to remove the minute oily particles that sit on the surface of the lemon skin — you will notice the skin becoming slightly duller and less shiny as you work. This is a tedious job but it must be done thoroughly for each lemon. Work over a clean surface and rub each lemon for at least 30–60 seconds. The goal is to roughen and degrease the skin completely so that the salt can penetrate effectively during curing.
- 2Using a sharp knife and a clean chopping board, make a few deep cuts into each lemon. Do not cut all the way through — think of it like making 2 to 4 slits into each lemon so the flesh is partially exposed but the lemon still holds together as a whole. These cuts allow the salt to penetrate deep into the fruit during the curing process.
- 3Measure out 1 powa (approximately 233 g) of salt. Working over a large bowl, take each cut lemon and rub salt generously all over its surface and into the cuts you made. Make sure to push salt into each slit so the interior flesh is also coated. Use all of the measured salt across all the lemons — do not discard any. Any salt that falls into the bowl should be collected and used.
- 4Make sure your glass jar is clean and completely dry — any moisture can spoil the pickle. Pack all the salted lemons tightly into the jar, pressing them down so they fit snugly. Pour in any remaining salt from the bowl over the top of the lemons. Seal the jar tightly with its airtight lid.
- 5Place the sealed jar outside or in a warm, well-ventilated spot — traditionally this means leaving it outdoors in the open air, exposed to sunlight and natural temperature variation. A sunny windowsill or an outdoor shelf works well. Leave the jar undisturbed for about one month. The lemons will slowly soften, release their juices, and cure in the salt to become the finished achar. Once ready after approximately one month, the achar can be stored and preserved for up to one year.
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