Lemon Pickle |
Ingredients
| Lemon | 25 nos |
| Ginger chopped | 1 tbsp |
| Garlic chopped | 1 tbsp |
| Curry Leaves | 1 sprig |
| Green Chilly chopped | 2 nos |
| Chilly Powder | 4 tbsp |
| Kashmiri chilly Powder | 2tbsp |
| Fenugreek seeds | 1 tbsp |
| Mustard Seeds | 2 tbsp |
| Gingely Oil | 4 + 1 tbsp |
| Asafoetida | 1 tsp |
| Vinegar | 1 cup |
| Salt | To taste |
| Sugar | 1 tsp |
Method
- Choose 25 lemon all even sized and full of Juice. Wash the lime well. Keep little water for Boiling, and put the lime into it and allow to boil.
- Take out one lime and feel it with finger if it presses down your lime is ready. When cold cut the lime into quarters and put them into a bowl. Add salt and keep for a day covered.
- Dry roast Mustsrd and fenugreek seeds till the colour lightly changes, powder them and keep in air tight containers.
- Keep the 4 litres of gingely oil, on a slow fire and when hot add half of the block asafoetida and fry taking care that it doesn’t burn. Remove from the oil and place it on a small plate to cool. After that powder the asafoetida and keep in a bottle as before.
- Now open the Lime in brine and keep ready to pickle it. Heat the balance oil and add mustard seeds when hot and allow to splutter.
- Add finely chopped garlic and ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and sauté well on med. Flame. Sauté till the colour changes, then bring the fire to low heat, add asafoetida powder, both chilly powders, turmeric power and sauté till the raw smell of masala ceases. Add sugar
- Add one cup of Vinegar and allow to boil. The scum can be removed with a ladle. Allow to cool down. By this time the sauce will be thickened lightly. When its cold, add lime with the juice and stir well. Now your Lime Pickle will be in good consistency. To this add the powder that has been roasted and ground, and a 1 tsp of gingely oil. Leave aside for a day. Bottle the same and keep ready to serve with steaming hot rice.
Chef Nandakumar Menon or ‘Chef Nandu as he is known evolved into the Super Chef series. He was at the CASINO HOTEL in Kochi and later at the remarkable COCONUT LAGOON in Kumarakom. Both iconic Hotels and restaurants of repute for the quality and consistency of food offered at their restaurants. Coconut Lagoon where Chef Nandu headed the kitchen moulded him to cater to international clientele from all over the world coming in to experience the magic of the backwaters of Kerala and Kerala itself as a unique destination.
From his early Catering Technology days at Adayar, Chennai and training at the famed TAJ MAHAL INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, Mumbai, Chef Nandu was back again at the Welcome Group’s ADAYAR PARK INN, Chennai.
Later he headed the setting up of the various F&B outlets of the ABAD PLAZA group, Kochi as its Corporate Chef.
And then with the Quilon Beach hotels, Chef Nandu created a redefined art of culinary expertise. His clientele were Doctors, Cashew businessmen and of course celebrities from the tinsel world, the cloyed connoisseurs had a different feel with his nouvelle cuisine.
He still loves to cook and share his valuable experience of the world of food with The Daily Brunch and its readers in our series on SUPER CHEFS.
Cheers!
