Lemons - sweet and spicy !

When you get lemons what do you do? Make lemon soufflé, lemon cake, lemonade, lemon bars! I know countless options but all sweet! none of these would work for me as there had already been over-indulgence this holiday season and I needed to be on a detox diet. Instead, I chose to make a sweet and spicy lemon pickle - this one is a real winner for its simplicity and great taste.

A few days back I had gone vegetable shopping and came across these bright looking unblemished lemons and couldn’t resist buying a whole lot of them. They looked such beauties and were perfect for turning into marmalade, but these days all that time consuming work is on hold till the daughter is around so settled for something that can be turned around faster and doesn't involve much cooking - and that's this quick and easy lemon pickle which is a good digestive too! Winter is an ideal time for making this pickle when lemons are in peak season, as they are more juicy with a thinner peel.

Khatta Meetha Nimbu Achaar (Sweet & Sour Lemon Pickle)

1 kg lemons

1/2 kg sugar

8 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ginger powder (sonth)

1 tablespoon red chiili powder

10 cloves (laung) and 10 brown cardamom (badi elaichi ) well pounded

Soak the lemons in cold water for 8 hours. Then remove from water and pat dry thoroughly and cut into rings 1/2 cm thick. Salt rings and leave overnight.

Separate the salt liquid and the lemon rings. Then combine sugar, ginger powder and pounded spices with the salt water from the lemon rings and boil until the sugar dissolves. Lastly add the red chilli powder and cool.

Add the lemon rings to this cooled spicy syrup. Mix well and pour into a clean sterilized glass jar and cover.

Keep in the sun daily until it is ready to be eaten. The pickle takes around 4-5 weeks to mature.

This pickle goes particularly well with mathris