nimboo achar

A delicious South Asian way to preserve lemon. Goes well as a “spice-up” to any dish. This preserve takes four days to make

INGREDIENTS FOR ONE LARGE JAR

-Five lemons – well washed, without seeds, cut in half, then each half sliced then quartered

-The juice of three lemons

-One teaspoon of turmeric

-One teaspoon of high quality salt – I use Himalayan salt, you can also use “fleur de sel” or “sal di mare” (use at least double the amount of salt if you plan not to keep it out of the fridge)

-One third of a cup of thinly sliced small fresh hot peppers without vein nor seeds – you can use jalapeño

-Half a teaspoon of coriander seeds –crushed

-Four cloves of garlic –smashed in a mortar

PREPARATION

Day 1: In a large glass bowl, mix the five lemons, the lemon juice, the turmeric and the salt. Place in a jar and cover with aluminum foil tied with a rubber band (see photo).

Day 2: Empty the content in a large glass bowl and mix. Return to the jar as the first day.

Day 3: Repeat the operation.

Day 4: Empty the content in a large glass bowl, mix in the hot peppers, coriander seeds and garlic. Then return the lemon mix to the jar and close with a lid. Place in the fridge. It’s ready!

SERVING

-Adds taste to pretty much any dish including soup.