Lemon pickle or Elumichampazha Urugai is a very simple pickle that is consumed a lot in Tamil Nadu. Also called Nimbu Ka Achaar in northern India, it is served in most of weddings in Tamil Nadu. The ease of making this pickle makes is a prime candidate when doing in bulk for big occasions or weddings.
Making pickles have always been in my mind. One day, I want to be experienced enough to make jars and jars of a homemade pickles. It is not going to be soon, but I am taking baby steps in getting there. The traditional Lemon pickle making has a lot of sun involvement and it still springs here.
The weather is still on the colder side for me to try out any traditional method of pickle making. But I am really eager to try some as the summers are pretty here.
I do make thokku quite often like my Mango Thokku, Apple Thokku, Tomato Thokku and instant pickles like Cut Mango Pickle, Cranberry Pickle, Bitter gourd Pickle, Green Chili Pickle and Ginger Pickle.
For now, the only thing I could think of was making something out of Lemon for the alphabet L. I wanted a recipe that I can use to make Lemon pickles without using the sunlight. I also did not want to sauté the lemons to make the pickle as I read that it can make the pickle bitter.
So I asked my mother’s chitti for a recipe for Lemon Pickle and she gave me her version of the pickle. It was so simple to make and tastes amazing. I was able to eat the Elumichampazha Urugai the next day after I made it. Thank you Pattu Chitti for the recipe!
My other recipes from this series -
A - Athirasam
B - Badam Burfi
C - Chettinad Masala Cheeyam
D - Dosai Milagai Podi
E - Ellu Urundai
F - Fruit Kesari
G - Godhumai Rava Pidi Kozhukattai
H - Homemade Rice flour
I - Inji Marappa
J - Jevvarisi Thengai Paal Payasam
K - Kancheepuram Idli
Preparation time – 10 minutes plus about 4 hours of resting time
Cooking time – 10 minutes
Difficulty level – easy
Ingredients to make Lemon Pickle– (makes about 2 cups of pickle)
- Lemon – 5 large or 10 small (I used the US large Lemons)
- Salt – 2 tablespoon (more if needed)
- Chili powder – 4 tablespoon (I used medium spicy chili powder)
- Roasted fenugreek powder – ½ tsp
- Asafetida -¼ tsp
- Sesame seed oil / Gingelly oil – ¼ cup
- Mustard seeds – 1 ½ tsp
Procedure to make Lemon Pickle–
- Wash the lemons and peel off any stickers that are on the lemon skin.
- In a large pot, heat water (enough to completely submerge the lemons). Let the water come to a rolling boil. Now gently drop the lemons into the boiling water and turn off the flame. Cover the pot with a tight lid and keep it aside.
- Let the water cool down to room temperature before we proceed to the next step. I added the lemons in the boiling water at night and then let it sit overnight. I proceeded to make the pickle the next day morning.
- Once the water had cooled down entirely, remove the lemons from the water. The lemon would be very soft and squishy and this stage.
- Chop the lemons into desired shape. Lot of juice will flow out when you cut the lemons. Save all the juice as we will add it to the pickle. I used a plate to chop the lemons and kept draining the juice and the chopped lemons into a large non-reactive bowl.
- To the chopped lemon, add the salt, chili powder, asafetida and roasted fenugreek powder.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
- Once the seeds crackle, add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix well and let it sit overnight in the bowl (covered).
- Transfer the Elumichampazha Urugai to a sterilized jar and keep it airtight. The pickle should keep well outside, since it has quite a bit of oil in it. I am planning on storing it in the refrigerator after couple of weeks. This will give time for the lemons to keep getting softer.
- The Nimbu Ka Achaar can be consumed the next day itself. I found the lemons to be quite soft and delicious to eat.
Expert tips and FAQ's to make the best Nimbu Ka Achaar pickle
- I used the huge lemons that we commonly find here in US. Using just 5 was enough to yield about 2 cups of pickle. If using the Indian lemons, use about 12 for the same quantity.
- Also the chili powder and salt is what I used for my measurements. Make sure you adjust that based on your liking. I used the Kashmiri red chili powder; hence the bright color of the pickle.
- Store the pickle in clean and dry jar. Any moisture will make the pickle spoil quicker.
- Use fresh spoon / ladle to scoop the pickle out. This helps in prolonging the shelf life of the pickle.
Other Recipes with lemon
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Lemon Pickle
Equipment
- Pot
- Spoon
- Glass container
Ingredients
- 5 Lemon I used the US large Lemons
- 2 tablespoon Salt more if needed
- 4 tablespoon Chili powder I used medium spicy chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Roasted fenugreek powder
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- ¼ cup Sesame seed oil / Gingelly oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
Instructions
- Wash the lemons and peel off any stickers that are on the lemon skin.
- In a large pot, heat water (enough to completely submerge the lemons). Let the water come to a rolling boil. Now gently drop the lemons into the boiling water and turn off the flame. Cover the pot with a tight lid and keep it aside.
- Let the water cool down to room temperature before we proceed to the next step. I added the lemons in the boiling water at night and then let it sit overnight. I proceeded to make the pickle the next day morning.
- Once the water had cooled down entirely, remove the lemons from the water. The lemon would be very soft and squishy and this stage.
- Chop the lemons into desired shape. Lot of juice will flow out when you cut the lemons. Save all the juice as we will add it to the pickle. I used a plate to chop the lemons and kept draining the juice and the chopped lemons into a large non-reactive bowl.
- To the chopped lemon, add the salt, chili powder, asafetida and roasted fenugreek powder.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
- Once the seeds crackle, add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix well and let it sit overnight in the bowl (covered).
- Transfer the pickle to a sterilized jar and keep it airtight. The pickle should keep well outside, since it has quite a bit of oil in it. I am planning on storing it in the refrigerator after couple of weeks. This will give time for the lemons to keep getting softer
- The pickle can be consumed the next day itself. I found the lemons to be quite soft and delicious to eat.
Notes
Expert tips and FAQ's
- This is an instant pickle recipe. This can be eaten the same day as we make it.
- Always make sure to use fresh spoon/ladle to take the pickle out each time. This prolongs the shelf life of the pickle.
- Using Kashmiri Red chili powder gives the bright red color to the pickle.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says
I am loving this quick and easy lemon pickle recipe, this can be made for just for a short period so it can stay fresh too. Perfect with my Gujju thepla!!
Sasmita says
This seems a quick and easy recipe Sandhya ! This instant pickle is absolutely tempting and delicious. Love to have with pulao or simply with curd rice 🙂
Sasmita says
This seems a quick and easy recipe Sandhya ! This instant pickle is absolutely tempting and delicious. Love to have with pulao or simply with curd rice.
Lathiya says
I'm the only person who has pickles in our home but that doesn't stop me from trying this delicious pickle.
Sapana says
Lemon pickle is our family favorite. I always keep a jar full of it throughout the year. Your version looks and sounds so so tempting. Will definitely try it.
Padma Veeranki says
A quick and easy recipe...Your lemon pickle is absolutely tempting and delicious 😋Love lemon pickle with curd rice…my favourite combination!!
Padma Veeranki says
Your lemon pickle is absolutely tempting and delicious 😋Love lemon pickle with curd rice…my favourite combination!!
Padma Veeranki says
Love lemon pickle with curd rice...my favourite combination!! Your lemon pickle is absolutely tempting and delicious 😋
motionsandemotions says
Tongue tickling lemon pickle looks absolutely gorgeous... the best part of the recipe is without sun and doesn't take much time apart from resting time...
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Exactly. Love this quick one for that reason.
Uma Srinivas says
You don't believe it. I prepared this recipe last week. Almost same procedure! This is one of the best and my favorite pickle!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I agree 🙂
Vandana says
My mouth is watering just by reading this recipe. It looks so tempting. I have not tried making pickles at home.I will try this recipe for sure.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Vandana, do give it a try. You will like it.
Pavani says
Believe it or not I set myself up to try and learn to homemade pickles too. Your lemon pickle sounds easy enough to make and sooo inviting.
Rashida says
Loved your page of pickles thanks for sharing these easy simple quick recipes
Seema Sriram says
This looks like a keeper recipe. In winter here, I somehow love the pickles and add them to every possible meal, Since lemons I do get here all year round , I have to try this.
Blogtastic Food says
Wow I never thought about making pickled lemons before. This is fantastic!! Could be a great way to not waste the peel too (:
Lata Lala says
Pickles always fascinates me too. I too am not a pro in making pickles but keep trying new as well as traditional ones.
This lemon pickle looks so goos and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe Sandhya.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Lata, pickle making still intimidates me. Love the quick recipes like this to get over the feeling.
Muthulakshmi Madhavakrishnan says
Very nice recipe with step by step pictures. Will try your recipe soon.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thank you so much! Do let me know how it turned out.
Mayuri Patel says
A nice quick way to make lemon pickle. Going to try it out. Thanks for the tip about Indian lemons, as my sister in law gave me a similar recipe but with those large lemons that you get in US.