Tangy, spicy and a wee-bit sour, Kerala Naranga Achar or Lemon Pickle is one of the main dishes for Kerala Sadya.
Nope! I wasn’t a fan of Naranga Achar. I am a pickle person and would love to have my rice with accompaniments and a spicy achar. However, I was loyal to the traditional Mango Pickle until recently. It all changed when I started having a side of Lemon pickle with Biriyani.
| How to Make Kerala Style Mango Pickle
Homemade pickles are definitely much better than store-bought ones because at least you know the amount of salt and oil that goes into it. Again, I always thought making pickles at home was a tedious task and resorted to the easiest way of picking them up from supermarkets or asking my Mum to make it for me. However, last summer, the husband got home with two crates of raw mango one day, and I know it was time to try my hand in pickle making. Needless to say, I distributed to my neighbors and to the Officer’s Mess. 🙂
One of the easiest recipes to make, Kerala Lemon Pickle is made with the small yellow lemon variety. This quick to make achar will be ready to consume in three days for it will be extremely sour soon after the preparation.
How to Make Naranga Achar
Tangy, spicy and a wee-bit bitter, Kerala Naranga Achar is great with rice and biriyani
Ingredients
- 6 whole lemons
- 8 garlic cloves, julienned
- 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
- 2 large green chilly, cut in roundels
- ½ cup gingelly oil (sesame oil)
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ¼ tsp fenugreek powder
- A pinch of asafoetida
- Salt, to taste
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves
- Water, to steam
Instructions
- Wash and clean the lemons well.
- Steam them for about 10-15 minutes. Remove and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Cut the lemons in quarters and thereby, bite-sized pieces.
- Heat a tbsp of sesame oil and add the lemons. Saute for about five minutes, remove and keep aside.
- Add the remaining oil and mustard seeds. Thrown in garlic, ginger, green chili, and curry leaves. Saute until fried.
- In low flame, add the spice powders – red chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder, fenugreek powder, and asafoetida. Saute until well combined.
- Add lemon pieces and mix well.
- Season and cover a cook for a couple of minutes.
- Move to a glass pickle container when cooled. Use it after 2-3 days.
That’s all for now!
Do you make pickles at home? Let me know.
I hope you’ll drop by tomorrow too.
My theme for the A to Z Challenge this year is ’26 Kerala Dishes that have my heart’, where I would share a multitude of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes from the Spice Capital of the World- Kerala!
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Steaming lemons for a pickle is a new one for me. Looks simply awesome. Hope to taste and make it.
The achar is really looking very tempting. Steaming the lemons is totally a new thing. Will try it asap as my hubby is a big fan of pickles and normally there is some or the other pickle always in our kitchen
I love pickles, achars and have always toyed with the idea of making my own. This recipe seems quite straightforward so I may give it a try once the A to Z blogging challenge is over. Is it spicy though? I like to have my food spicy 🙂
I am not a pickle fan but i make an exception for Lemon Pickle, and this one sounds very unusual. I have never heard of a Lemon Pickle with the addition of Garlic in it. I am sure it is a burst of flavours in the mouth. Awesome pics too!
It looks mouthwatering. Will try this out.
Mouthwatering, Shalini. My lemon pickle is simpler with fewer spices.