This savoury lemon pickle or nimbu ka achaar is child's play to make. I have used no oil, yet it tastes amazing.
A few days ago, I got a bounty of freshly picked juicy lemons from my mother-in-law's tree. With a good over 2 Kg. quantity that I received, I decided to make nimbu achaar two ways -- a savoury-tart pickle and a sweet sour pickle.
This lemon pickle recipe is without oil, is versatile and has very few ingredients and steps. It is delicious with food. This is also among the most popular achaar recipes on the blog.
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So here's how I make nimbu ka achaar at home:
Ingredients
Lemons: Lemons or lime work best for this recipe.
Seasonings: I have used black salt, regular salt, carrom seeds, cayenne, asafoetida and turmeric powder as the spices for the pickle.
Add ons: Green chillies and ginger add delicious taste and heat to the pickle. You could add mango ginger or carrot sticks as well.
Instructions
Wash and dry the lemons well.
Cut them into halves, quarters or eight parts as I did. Remove the seeds.
Now take a large pan. Add in the salts, chilli powder, asafoetida or hing, carrom seeds (ajwain) and turmeric and mix well.
Now add in the chopped chillies and ginger. You can skip these if you want a plain lemon pickle without oil or plain nimbu ka achaar. Though, I highly recommend adding them.
Mix all the ingredients together and add to a sterilized and dry pickle jar. Use glass or ceramic barnis (jars). Sterilize with some hot water and dry in the sun if possible.
Now comes the maturing part. You will need to keep this glass in direct or indirect sunlight for a few hours daily. Shake it well everyday and remember to take it inside during the night.
I needed about 10 days for the lemon pickle to mature and for the peel to soften. The pickle will reduce in quantity as water comes out of lemons. Once the peel softens, the nimbu ka achaar is ready to eat.
Pro Tip:
1. The lime pickle will keep maturing over the days. You can keep this spicy nimbu achaar for a year if it lasts that long.
2. Since this lemon pickle without oil has no preservatives, ensure that you only put in a dry spoon and do not allow any moisture to get in.
3. It will make a great side dish to your food. Did you know that nimbu achar is great for your digestion and if you are recuperating after a sickness, it helps to restore taste back to your palate.
Nimbu ka Achaar without oil recipe | Lemon Pickle | Lime Pickle
Ingredients
- 15 lemons washed and dried
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 1 tsp. carrom seeds ajwain
- 2 tbsp. black salt
- ½ tsp. asafetida
- 1 tbsp. cayenne red chilli powder
- 1 tsp. turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp. ginger
- 8 green chillies
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Instructions
- Wash and dry the lemons well.
- Cut them into halves, quarters or eight parts as I did. Remove the seeds.
- Now take a large pan. Add in the salts, chilli powder, asafetida or hing, carrom seeds (ajwaiand turmeric and mix well.
- Now add in the chopped chillies and ginger. You can skip these if you want a plain lemon pickle without oil or plain nimbu ka achaar.
- Mix all the ingredients together and add to a sterilized and dry pickle jar. Use glass or ceramic barnis (jars). Sterilize with some hot water and dry in the sun if possible.
- Now comes the maturing part. You will need to keep this glass jar out in the sun from morning to evening during sunlight hours. Shake it well every day and remember to take it inside during the night.
- I needed about 10 days in the sun for the lemon pickle to mature and for the peel to soften. The pickle will reduce in volume as water comes out of lemons.
- Mix well and it is ready to eat.
Notes
2. Since this lemon pickle without oil has no preservatives, ensure that you only put in a dry spoon and do not allow any moisture to get in.
3. It will make a great side dish to your food. Did you know that nimbu achar is great for your digestion and if you are recuperating after a sickness, it helps to restore taste back to your palate.
Nutrition
Simple, wasn't it? Try it and let me know how it went. If you like the recipe, do give it a * star rating on the recipe card or in the comments.
Shailaja Vishwanath says
Looks super tasty! I'm sure it must be awesome as well as a side dish. Husband loves making pickles. I enjoy eating them. 🙂
Rachna says
Thanks. Which pickles does your husband make?
Anita Desai says
Lip smacking 🙂
Rachna says
It is. ☺️
Shilpa Garg says
Love the colour of the achaar! I have never made achaars at home, this one is a small batch size recipe, so will try it out. Thanks for sharing, Rachna!
Rachna says
Yes, me too. I wanted a small batch as well. We don't eat too much pickle at home hence this batch size works fine.
Anindya Sundar Basu says
I have seen getting this made at home by my grandmother and this used to be one of the fav pickles of the home. There used to be another one where the lemons used to be sun dried completely. Will try this
Rachna says
I haven't seen the other version that you mentioned but it does sound interesting. I hope you like this recipe.
Nabanita Dhar says
I'll just come with two jars when I come to meet you next. But seriously, I think this is easy and even someone like me can try it.
Rachna says
hehe Yes, it is actually the simplest of pickles to make.
Dagny says
Subah tumhaari tehri ki recipe padhi. Ab ye padhi. I'm feeling so hungry now that I could eat you alive. 😀
Rachna says
I wish you lived closeby and then we could have chatted over a plate of Tehri with raita and nimbu ka achaar. 🙂
Reema D'souza says
Looks like an easy to make recipe! Hope I can try it.
Rachna says
Thanks
Shalini R says
And that my God, is P's favorite! That pics are sumptuous! I will definitely try this out, Rachna. That would be a surprise to him 🙂 Bookmarking!
OJ says
Does the jar needs to be tightly closed with a lid or covered with muslin cloth while maturing?
Rachna says
I put a muslin cloth at the mouth of the jar and then cover with a lid. The lid does not have to be screwed on but close it well.