Lemon Dates Pickle

Ingredients  

• Ripe lemon – 10
• Dates chopped – 100 gm
• Sesame/gingely  oil – 1/2 cup
• Sugar – 2 tablespoon
• Mustard seed – 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek seed – 1 teaspoon
• Green chilly -  4, sliced
• Ginger  – 1 tablespoon, sliced
• Garlic – 1 tablespoon,sliced
• Ginger and garlic paste – 1 teaspoon each
• Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1 teaspoon
• Vinegar – ¼ cup
• Salt

Preparation

1.Boil 4 cups of water with salt in a saucepan. Remove from gas. Add lemon to it & stir well. Keep it covered for 10-15 minutes till the lemon skin becomes soft.

2.Once the skin becomes soft, strain the water completely. Dry the lemon with cloth.  Cut the lemon into 2-3 pieces. Add salt, half of the sugar & asafoetida to the lemon pieces and mix well. Store this at room temperature for 3 days.

3.Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan & splutter mustard & fenugreek seeds. Add sliced ginger, garlic and green chilly. Fry till it becomes golden brown. Keep it aside.

4.Add some more oil to the pan, when it becomes hot, add chopped dates. Cook till it becomes soft. keep that also aside.

5.Add some more oil and when it becomes hot, add ginger garlic paste. When it becomes golden brown, add kashmiri chilly powder, turmeric powder and 1- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar (the powders should be added at lowest flame). Stir well till the gravy becomes dark red. Add vinegar to this masala and let it boil.

6.Once the vinegar boils, add the previously sauted ginger, garlic, green chilly & dates to this. Mix well. Add the lemons stored at room temperature. Combine everything well. Check salt and add more, if needed. Remove from gas & let it cool completely. Store the pickle in airtight jars/containers.

7.Boil the remaining oil in another pan & cool it completely. Pour the cooled oil on top of the pickle stored in the container/jar.