Vadukapuli Achar Recipe – Instant Wild Lemon Pickle
Large Lemon Pickle or Vadukapuli Naranga Achar is a tangy kind of south Indian pickle certainly one of my personal favorite Indian pickles. This large lemon is also known as Wild lemon, Curry Naranga, Vadukapuli naranga, and it belongs to the citrus family.
Vadukapul achar is very simple to prepare with just a few common ingredients, salt, green chilies, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and spices. Unlike the traditional pickle, this Vadukapuli Naranga Achar can be served instantly after preparation. If stored properly, instant lemon pickles store for more than a couple of weeks if refrigerated.
There are so many ways to make lemon-based pickles and this is an instant version of it. No sadya in Kerala is complete without a pickle and most of the households use some type of pickles on a daily basis.
Here I have used wild lemon/ vadukapuli naranga which is commonly pickled during the Onam festival. If large lemons are not available you can use the yellow small lemon for this recipe. It is so yummy to eat this lemon pickle with kanji, thoran, and pappad/Pappadam. One of the best combination and a must eat in Kerala cuisine.
Vadukapuli lemon or Wild lemon is usually used for making pickle and curries. It taste like lemon and much larger in size than the lime. It is slightly bitter in taste compared to other lemons.
Instant Lemon Pickle
Ingredients
- 1 wild lemon vadukapuli, cut in to small cubed size
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ginger (optional)
- 4 green chilies sliced to round
- curry leaves
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek roasted powder
- 1/2 tsp Asafoetida
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup boiled cooled water
- 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse lemons well and pat dry with a kitchen towel or allow them to dry naturally placing them on a kitchen towel. Make sure that there isn't any moisture or water on the lemons before you proceed to the following steps.
- Peel the yellow part of the lemon but you can keep the white part of the lemon. This will make the lemon pieces softer.
- Cut the lemon into very small pieces into a bowl, this helps to absorb salt and spices to lemon pieces. Remove the seeds of the lemons as they add bitterness.
- Add 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1/2 tsp roasted fenugreek powder, 1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder, 2 tbsp vinegar on to lemon pieces. Mix all together very well so the lemon pieces are nicely coated.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seed.
- When mustard seed pops, add garlic and saute them for 2-3 minutes, then add ginger stir for 1-2 minutes. Saute garlic until they turn light brown.
- Add green chilies and curry leaves. stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the sauteed garlic and tempering on top of the marinated lemon. Add 1/2 tsp sugar and mix well. If you want bit more gravy you can add boiled/cooled water. Taste and adjust salt and spices.
- Store it in dry, clean bottle. This can be served immediately but taste better if you make it a day before. Make sure to use a dry spoon while serving.
Notes
- This pickle tastes much better when served fresh and will not keep for more than 3-4 weeks in a fridge. If you are planning to keep it longer then store this lemon pickle in the refrigerator and always use a dry clean spoon while serving
- Add or reduce the chilly powder to the pickle according to your taste. Even if you make it little extra spicy means some additional chili powder and salt still will probably be fine.
