Lime Pickle -- നാരങ്ങ അച്ചാർ

Summer here and don't you think this is the best time to make pickles, powders, Jams and no matter what. In-laws are here with us during this summer, kids enjoying summer vacation with their grands. Or maybe I should better say grandparents enjoying with kids, it is really wonderful to watch the bonding of kids with their grands. No matter how much they love their parents and vice-verse, when me or hubby scold them for even a simple or silly issue they run to their grands. They are not satisfied until the granny scolds me or hubby and they believe granny can make us do anything.

Memories explodes seeing kids doing all the pranks. Recollecting the childhood days with my granny, the most beautiful women on earth, with magical hands, managing anything and everything around, with no so called big degrees but with simple common sense she could manage the world around her and make it beautiful. During summer vacation at granny used to make all these 'Achars'/Pickles. A bottle of pickle wouldn't last for more than a week and my granny use to recycle the achar bottle and fill them with next batch of fresh pickles. Mostly mango pickles used to be eaten right away after pickled, we used to scoop them into a bowl and eat those spicy, tangy ones

My MIL, queen of pickles as I call her, makes wonderful pickles. This recipe is from my MIL who is more than happy to make pickles asked at any point of time. I'm not into making much pickles these days other than simple cut mango pickle if I ran out of her homemade pickle in my pantry. To be precise after getting married I hardly make any pickles as I mostly have my MIL's pickles handy. Her pickles always tastes way better than store bought one's and of course the homemade one's are always fresh and without preservatives. So do try out this simple and ezee Lime Pickle and Enjoy !!!

Ingredients:-

1. Lime - 3lbs
2. Garlic Pods - 10 numbers
3. Green chilies chopped fine - 5
4. Curry leaves chopped fine - 2 sprigs
5. Sea Salt/Salt - 4 tbsp(as required) 
6. Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp
7. Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
8. Chilly powder - 3 tbsp(depends on the spice level of the powder and the spice tolerance level)
9. Fenugreek seeds roasted and powdered - 1 tbsp
10. Asafoetida Powder/Hing Powder - ½ tsp

Preparation Method:-

• Wash the lime well, pat dry fully with paper napkins or kitchen towels
• Cut the lemon in squares and move to a wide bowl or bottles. Put garlic pods and chopped green chilies into the bowl and toss.
• Sprinkle salt on top and set aside for three-five days till the skin becomes bit tender and change the   color.

• Heat up a Kadai/Pan, pour oil, splutter mustard seeds. Switch off the stove and add curry leaves. Let the oil reach to medium heat.
• Add chilly powder and asafoetida powder to the oil and gently mix(if the oil is too hot chilly powder will burn and taste bitter)
• Add the salted lemon, fenugreek powder to the pan with oil and chilly powder mix an mix well with a spatula to combine well. Let it cool completely

• Move to air tight containers and keep it at room temperature for couple of days or a a week before you use till the flavors blend in well with lemon. The skin of lime become soft and bitter-less by then.
• Lime Pickle/Naranga Achar is ready to serve with Rice or anything you wish. Splash a tsp of them on top of Yogurt Rice/Curd Rice and feel the awesomeness 

Tips: 

The shelf life of pickle last based on the preparation method. If pickled without any external moisture it will stay fresh for more than a month when kept at room temperature. 

Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi Podi/Dry Shrimp Chutney powder

It takes days for me to compose a post these days. I have almost stopped writing anything in my posts as well, and rather go straight onto recipe. Its just because of lack of time: office, summer activities with kids and in-laws and the normal home chores takes most of my time. I still do a lot of cooking but clicking pictures have come down a lot. I try to hop on to all my blogger buddies post but that also have come down a bit. I still try to saty connected with my blogger friends and visit everyone as much as I can. I feel happy hoping onto fellow bloggers post and I enjoy seeing all the delicious posts. Thanks to all my blogger friends and readers for all the love and support you guys shower on me. Please stay tuned for more wonderful recipes from Cook-Ezee.

Moving onto today's recipe, it is something every Keralite's just love - Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi/Dry Shrimp Chutney powder. My kids absolutely love them too. Give them rice with yogurt and a teaspoon(more tsps maybe) of this chutney powder, I don't hear any complaints like spicy, yucky, I don't want rice kinda stuff. Me and my hubby relish it equally with Rice/Idli/Dosa. Now let's check out the recipe for the very delicious 'Dry Shrimp Chutney Powder/Unakka Chemmeen Chammanthi Podi'.

Ingredients:-

1. Dry Shrimp ~ 2 Cups(good quality white dry shrimp)
2. Freshly Grated Coconut  ~ 4 Cups
3. Sour Raw Mango ~ 4(use according to the sourness needed, we used sour mango)
4. Curry leaves ~ 5 sprigs (generous amount)
5. Dry Red Chilly ~ 10 nos(adjust according to the spice level, we made it medium spicy)
6. Urad Dal-  2 Cups
7. Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp

How We Made It:-

• Add oil in a pan, roast the shrimp in medium heat till light brown and crispy. Move to a plate.
• Remove any dirt. Remove head and tail part as well. Rinse them two times. Sundry them till crisp for a day or two and set aside.'
• Wash, peel and slice the mangoes. Sundry the mango slices as well till moisture is fully gone and becomes crisp. Set aside. 
• Add coconut in a deep kadai/pan, add curry leaves and stir for a minute or two. Add grated coconut to the same pan roast very well till they turn golden brown and crisp(don't over roast and burn the coconut). Move to a serving plate and set aside.
• Add red chilies to the same pan and roast well till they change to deep red color making sure not to burn. Move to plate and set aside.
• Add Urad Dal to the same pan and dry roast it till golden brown. Set set aside.
• Now next procedure is to grind all the ingredients separately and combine all of them.
• Start with Urad dal, grind the ural dal to coarse powder(not too smooth). Put into a deep vessel. 
• Grind roast coconut-curry leaves mix with needed salt. Add to the ground ural dal. 
• Grind the roasted red chilies and add to the url dal, coconut mix. 
• Now grind the sun-dried raw mango to powder it well. Add to the ground coconut mix. 
• Lastly grind the dried shrimp to powder, add to the coconut mix.
• Use a spatula or spoon and mix everything well till they combine. Let it sit for an hour or two to cool down as any ingredient can be but warm while grinding. 
• Move to an air-tight container and store

Notes:-

1.  Shelve life of the chutney powder depends on how well the powder was prepared. If you roast all the ingredients well enough without any moisture this can be stored outside for more than 3 weeks

2. But if you feel there is even a tiny bit of moisture refrigerate it. It stays fresh for months if refrigerated.