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Naranga Achar Recipe – Naranga Kari Recipe – Authentic Kerala Style Lemon Recipe – Lime Pickle Recipe

Craving for condiments.. Here it is!

Pickle is a traditional condiment used with Indian meals. Back home in Kerala pickles is pronounced as ‘achaar’ or ‘uppillittuthu’, each type of pickle being given its own name. Achar/Pickles are usually a must have in Sadya’s/Kerala feast served on the left corner of the banana leaf.

Home made pickle always taste good than the store-bought one. When it comes to pickle it reminds me of my husband cousin  ‘U’ who is a except  in preparing pickles and he prepares in the most authentic way. In their house kitchen shelves are lined with an array of cylindrical ceramic jars (Bharani) containing different varieties of pickles.  Whenever we visit India, we pick atleast 5-6 bottles of variety pickles. I can say this In & around Thrissur (a city in the Indian state of Kerala) his homemade pickles are very famous and one of the best, so I thought it was a good idea to blog this recipe and save it.

Trust me folks, I highly recommend it because this pickle recipe rocks and it’s prepared in  most authentic way though, its quite a lengthy process to make, but its worth all the effort and it’s taste is much more authentic.

If it can be made with the right proportion of ingredients and preserved in a dry ceramic jar (Bharani ) or a glass jar it can be kept for years.There are different recipes of making “Lemon Pickle”/“Naranga Achar” and here is recipe, I used given to make the mouth watering tangy traditional lemon pickle…Do try this and let me know how you like it 🙂 Enjoy!


Naranga Achar Recipe – Naranga Kari Recipe – Authentic Kerala Style Lemon Recipe – Lime Pickle Recipe

Preparation time : 30 minutes + 22 days

Ingredients:
Cheru Naranga / Yellow Lemon /Lime : 1 lb /1/2 kg
Enough Water for cooking the lemon
Garlic : 12 cloves
Whole Dried Red Chili : 5 nos
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder : 4 tbsp
Fenugreek Powder : 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida Powder /Kayam : 1/2 tsp
Gingely Oil /Sesame Oil /Nallenna : 4 tbsp
Vinegar : 1 tsp or as required
Mustard Seed : 1 tsp
Curry leaves : 2 sprig
Salt as required

How to make Naranga Achar-Kari – Lemon Pickle – Authentic Style  :


1. Clean, wash and pat dry lemon/lime.Steam in steamer or idli vessel for 8-10 minutes.Remove from the fire and take out the lemon from steamer. Let it cool and wipe it well with a kitchen towel. (or) In a big pan, boil enough water and immerse the lemon in the boiling water and cook until the lemon become tender. (Note : Approximately it takes 10 mins. Do not overcook the lemon/lime, then you can’t make it into slices.) Remove from the fire and take out the lemon from the water and let it cool and wipe it well with a kitchen towel. Cut the lemon into quarters and then cut each quarter into a half along the length. Then cut each resulting piece into quarters or thirds.(or) You can also opt not to steam or boil and cook lemon in water, instead you can just cut and quarter the lemon and proceed. If lemon is thick-skinned kind, then it would be better if you boil and cook in the water or steam them.
2. In air tight dry glass jar or in a ceramic jar (bharani); add chopped lemon pieces,turmeric powder, salt according to your taste and pinch of sugar, mix well and keep for 10 to 15 days in room temperature and place it in the sunlight everyday morning. Shake the jar once everyday or stir the mix once a day using a clean,dry wooden spoon. (Note :You will see that as the days progress the skin of the lemon starts softening and turning brown along with liquid at the bottom getting thicker than on the very first day.Let the jars sit in sun till the lemons are totally soft, brownish in color and the liquid is more like a syrup. You will need to shake the jars periodically.If you don’t have the patience to wait for 10-15 days, then just keep it for 3-4 days and follow rest the procedures, but the taste of pickle may not be exactly the same as the authentic one.)
3. On the day you are making the pickle, take it out and drain the water if any (Note : This helps to reduce the sour taste) or if you prefer pickle  to be little gravy  and sour then reserve the drained liquid from the lemon.The liquid is syrupy and has an intense salty scent.
4. Slice the garlic pods lengthwise and set it aside.
5. Heat the 2 tbsp of sesame oil/gingely oil in pan. Add the mustard seed, when  it’s starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and dry red chillies; saute for 30 second. Add the garlic slices into it and saute until it turns to nice brown color.
6. Simmer the flame. Add the red chili powder, asafoetida powder, fenugreek powder, curry leaves and saute for couple of  seconds.(Optional – If you want  pickle to be little gravy then add reserved liquid from the lemon if any,or add 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil, when the gravy is thick, remove from the fire.)
7. Allow the mix to cool down and then add the lemon slices; mix well and adjust the salt. Remove from fire and let it cool.
8.  Add vinegar and combine well in a such a way that vinegar has to get into all the part and leave it in the pan for 4-6 hours,but you can omit this step if you want.

9. Transfer it in an air tight glass jar or in a ceramic jar (bharani) and add 2 tbsp of gingely oil. Keep it in a room temperature for a weeks for the flavor to set in and then refrigerated it for further use.
10. Traditional Kerala style Lemon pickle/Naranga achar is ready! Serve and Enjoy with anything as you wish! Pairs well with curd rice!

Notes :

  • Use limes or lemons that has lots of juice.
  • You can also opt not to steam or boil and cook lemon in water, Instead you can cut lemon and turmeric powder,salt and proceed to keep in sunlight. If lemon is thick-skinned kind, then it would be better if you boil and cook in the water or steam them.
  • Be cautious not to get the pickle in contact with water…Use only clean dry spoon to scoop the pickle from the jar. Do not use wet spoon which adds moisture and the pickle very easily get “fungus” and that spoils the whole pickle.Even a small drop of water makes this pickle spoil soon. Even while serving the pickle, make sure the spoon you put in this container is very dry. Better yet, transfer small quantity in a smaller container which can be used to serve.
  • Any pickle should taste salty when it is prepared. The salt gets absorbed by the pieces as time passes. If it tastes just perfect when the pickle is prepared, it gets spoiled soon.
  • Open the lid of lemon once in about 2 weeks and mix with a clean dry spoon. This helps in redistribution of salt.
  • If you wish you can add any other oil, using sesame oil gives authentic & special flavor to the pickle and it helps pickle stay longer.
  • If the oil seems to less add boiled and cooled oil to the top of the pickle..This will prevent fungus.
  • Add or reduce the chilly powder to the pickle. If you adding more chilly powder then roast it before adding and mix well. It wont be spicy since the sourness of the lemon will compensate its heat.
  • Avoid using steel container for storing..Always store in dry ceramic jar /bharani or a glass jar and please note to clean the bottle and caps you planning to use for lemon pickle with hot water and wipe and dry well without any water content.
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Happy Cooking!
Sangeetha
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Comments

  1. sangeetha says

    Hi Hanna, First of all I’m sorry for the delayed reply.I was away on vacation to Alaska 🙂 hence delay in reply. So happy to hear that this pickle came out well for you and you & your husband liked it.I wish you both the best! Thanks for trying and letting me know.Please do try out other recipes too when you have time. Hope you will like it.Don’t forget to post your comment too.
    Coming your question.If still bubbles comes on the top and if you feel it’s still fermenting then pour little more oil say 1 tbsp on the top and close the bottle mouth with clean white cloth and leave it on countertop in the room temperature for couple of days and then keep it in fridge.Hope this helps! Sorry again for delayed reply.

    Cheers!
    Sangeetha

  2. Hanna says

    Hi Sangeetha,
    I finally made the lemon pickle. It came out amazing!! It tasting really good.

    I had a small question though. The lemons were really fermenting by day 10 so I up putting the pickle by that day. I boiled the gravy before putting the lemon in it. I poured the oil on top after putting it in the airtight glass bottle but even now there are bubbles coming to the top and there’s a slight pop while opening in. Do you think I should reboil it or maybe cover with a clothe instead of air tight lid? I don’t want it to continue fermenting cause I’m worried it might break the bottle if too much carbon dioxide accumulates as it sits in the fridge.

    Thanks for the awesome recipe again! It’s so good – the hubby said its amazing too!! 🙂

  3. Hanna says

    Hi Sangeetha,
    I finally made the lemon pickle. It came out amazing!! It tasting really good.

    I had a small question though. The lemons were really fermenting by day 10 so I up putting the pickle by that day. I boiled the gravy before putting the lemon in it. I poured the oil on top after putting it in the airtight glass bottle but even now there are bubbles coming to the top and there’s a slight pop while opening in. Do you think I should reboil it or maybe cover with a clothe instead of air tight lid? I don’t want it to continue fermenting cause I’m worried it might break the bottle if too much carbon dioxide accumulates as it sits in the fridge.

    Thanks for the awesome recipe again! It’s so good – the hubby said its amazing too!! 🙂

  4. sangeetha says

    Sorry about the confusion Hanna.Honselty speaking,I have no clue about that.All I can say is don’t add more salt to begin with,as it can always be adjusted later and try to use rock salt when pickling.Anyway I will try to touch base with my family back in India to see if they have any idea for it. Hope it comes out well. All the best!

    Happy Pickling!
    Sangeetha

  5. Hanna says

    Thank you so much for getting back to me, Sangeetha. I didn’t need an exact amount. The proportion you said is exactly what I was looking for. So that really helped! I just wanted to have an idea and so the tsp to lemon measure is perfect for that. Happy Vishu to you too!! 🙂 I will definitely give you an update when I make this. I’m planning to go all out and do the whole 15 days process when I do it So it’ll be a while but I’ll surely get back to you with the update. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks again!!! 🙂

  6. sangeetha says

    Hi Hanna, You’re most welcome, I’m so glad to know that you like this humble space and thanks a lot dear for trying recipe from here and also for letting me know your opinion.
    Sorry, I wish I had the exact answer. All I can give is my best guess and opinion on what I’d try.I use 2-3 tsp of salt for 8-10 big lemon. Pls do try and let me know result, if time permit take a snap and send it to me.:) Adding normal chilli powder will not affect the flavor, add more or less according to taste and your spice tolerance level.Hope this helps. Please do keep me posted when you try the recipes.

    Happy Vishu!
    Sangeetha

  7. Hanna says

    Also, can I use normal chilli powder instead of kashmiri chilli powder? will it change the flavor if I just half the amount of chilli powder? Thanks

  8. Hanna says

    I was wondering how much salt I should use in terms of each of the big lemons we get here in the US. I tried my hand at making mango pickle and I feel like I added more salt than I needed to. Is there a way to know when we have added enough salt to the cut lemon pieces? Thanks! The pictures look amazing and I can’t wait to make this. I simply love your website and have made so many of your recipes already. Did a whole round during last onam! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome recipes and beautiful mouthwatering pictures.

  13. sangeetha says

    Thanks Reshmi! The time of sun cooking depends on the strength of sun as well as the quality of lemon used.Let the jars sit in sun till the lemon are totally soft, turning brown along with liquid at the bottom getting thicker.There is no need to refrigerate sun-cooked pickles normally last at room conditions. However, I do refrigerate to make it last that much longer.Hope this helps!

    Sangeetha

  14. Re$hM! says

    hi the pickle is yummy 🙂 i would like to know how much time we need to keep for drying in the sun everyday and also is it necessary to refrigerate the pickle

  17. kothiyavunu.com says

    I’m so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed these and that they turned out so well for you! Thanks for returning to leave a comment! I hope you do try more recipes from here.

    Cheers!
    Sangeetha

  21. kothiyavunu.com says

    Hello Annette, It's great to have you here! Sorry for the delayed reply…lately I was too busy travelling and i couldn't check or reply for any comments here.
    Coming to your query, I wish I could help but I have not had the same experience as you. so I asked my mom and she pretty much said the same thing. There were a couple of suggestions: bottle that do not seal properly or that leak during processing, start to bubble up, creating a foamy liquid froth. Don't worry, its all part of the process. however, would not recommend using bottles with metal lids. If you must, then don't cover the bottle with the lid, instead make a makeshift lid by covering it with layers of cloth and tie it with a string. one more thing you need keep in mind is do not fill it to the top, you really need to have some space at the top say leaving 1/2-1 inch of space beneath the rim. Hope this helps and sorry about the late response!

    Thank you, Happy cooking!
    Sangeetha

  22. Anonymous says

    Hi there I made a lemon pickle with a recipe I got off internet, put them out in the sun most days for 10 days, although the weather was a little cool here in West Australia some of the days, I kept it inside then. I bottled it yesterday into smaller jars to give away and now the jars are leaking the whole lot is bubbling, ti looks like it's fermenting. Help! What did I do wrong? Thanks for your help, I wish I had seen your information first. Thankyou, Annette

  25. kothiyavunu.com says

    Hi Suchithra,

    Sorry to hear that it didn't come out perfect! When it comes to traditional pickle the tedious part is putting it out in the sun every day. Normally immersing the lemon in the boiling water and cooking them makes lemon tender & soft. Like you said, I think the weather may have played a large role, since it was very hot in oman that must be one of the reason it turned hard. I am not 100% sure though. I will try to touch base with my family in India to see if they have any suggestions for it. Next time just try with couple of lemons and then proceed with full and try to reduce the drying timing say 4 hours of sunlight per day, whether out in the yard or streamed through a window-pane, I think it should work and open it up every once in a while to stir it or give it a good shake and also make sure that the lemon you use are fresh and new, not the one kept in refrigerator…and coming to red color part of pickle, it depends on the type of red chillis that the red chilli powder is made from. Here we have used Kashmiri red chillies and always remember it is very important to simmer the flame to low before adding spice powder.Hope this helps…Better luck next time.:)

    Cheers!
    Sangeetha

  26. Suchithra G says

    Hi sangeetha,i cooked all your recipes very well, but only i messed up is this lime pickle.i stay in muscat.i kept this pickle for drying for 10days nd the lime has become little hard nd i made pickle with that as i cant waste it.the outcome is not like your pickle.its harder nd dark brown in color my lime pickle but taste is good.i thinks so i dried the lemon harder as oman is very hot place nd the chilly powder i put it in hot oil.please advise where i went wrong, so that next time i can correct it.first time lime pickle made nd it went wrong from me.suchithra

  31. julie says

    Hi dear,
    I have changed my blog's name from TASTY TREAT to ERIVUM PULIYUM
    URL http://erivumpuliyumm.blogspot.com
    Please unfollow the previous URL and follow me on my present URL for my latest updates for your valued suggestions and comments on my post !!Hope you will cooperate..
    Sorry for the inconvenience..
    please ignore if already done..
    Thanx in advance,
    Julie of(was)Tasty Treat now ERIVUM PULIYUM

  34. Prathima Rao says

    A mouthwatering & lip smacking spicy pickle!! My first time here in your blog & it was love at first sight..LOL!!!! The blog has some gorgeous pics & lovely posts…Happy to follow u..Keep rocking!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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