As I finish up the cleaning in the kitchen one night here comes my daughter asking for a rubber spatula. I ask her curiously why she needs it and she says she wants to scrape the bottom of the achar bottle!!!!! My silence gave her the message and she left in the same speed she came asking for the spatula :)))
I go nuts seeing the way pickles get over here. My constant dialogue and request to her is ” achar is not main food it is for taste only” and she nods teasingly and I know everything falls on deaf ears when it comes to scooping pickles.I have come to a point where either I make only very less quantity or put into two bottles and one bottle is hidden from plain sight. Not that I want to but I am forced to do so. Hope she reads this after some years and smiles.

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:
Naranga / Lemon  -8
Ginger -1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 pods (skip if u are making for sadhya)
Kashmiri chili powder- 1 tsp
Red chili powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/3 tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Sugar- 1 tsp
Vinegar- 1 tbsp
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- few
Sesame oil- 2-3 tsps
Salt to taste

To dry roast and powder:
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp

Method:
1.Wash the lemons and steam them in an appachembu or steamer  for about 10 minutes till the peel becomes soft but it should not break or crack.
2.Wipe the lemons with a clean dry cloth or paper napkin .Do not cut lemons immediately, allow them to cool completely and come to room temp then cut each into 8 pieces.

3.In a pan heat sesame oil add mustard when it splutters add ginger saute for few minutes then add garlic,green chili and curry leaves saute for few minutes until the raw smell goes then switch off flame and add the chili powder,Kashmiri chili powder,turmeric powder,asafoetida and salt saute until well combined and the chili gets a nice cooked smell now add the vinegar switch on flame let it boil for a minute then switch off flame.

4.Add sugar and add the lemon pieces mix well and finally add the dry roasted powder mix well.
When it cools store it in clean dry bottles/jars with tight lids.
Start using the achar only after 2-3 days when the flavors sink in well.
Achar stays good in room temperature for upto a month.

**Note: You can use both yellow lemon or green lime for this pickle both will taste good.
Omit garlic if u are serving for traditional style sadya.

Hope you like it.
Meena