No indian meal is complete without pickle, more specifically lime pickle. This classic lime pickle recipe is smple t make and full of tangy flavour. Once you have tried this recipe yu’ll like never buy a generic supermarket ar of lime pickle again.
Lime pickle can be more than just a condiment too. It’s a versatile ingredient that can be used in various ways to enhance your culinary creations. Spread a spoonful on a sandwich for a burst of tangy flavor, mix it into yogurt for a quick dip, or stir it into stews and soups to add a little zing. Once you start using it, you’ll find yourself reaching for it again and again.
tore-bought pickles can be convenient, but there’s something special about making your own at home. Not only can you control the quality of ingredients and adjust the level of spiciness to your liking, but you also get to experience the joy of crafting something from scratch. Plus, homemade lime pickle contains no preservatives or additives, allowing you to enjoy a healthier, more authentic version of this beloved condiment.
Lime Pickle Ingredients
10 limes
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of turmeric
5 green chillies
5 cloves of garlic
10 teaspooons of salt
15 teaspoons of red chilli powder
2 litres of water
Method
Bring the water to the boil and add the limes and turmeric. Leave for 2-3 minutes then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled cut the limes into wedges and add them to a large jar along with the salt and leave for 24 hours to infuse.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds until they start to pop then add the chillies (sliced),garlic, limes and chilli powder. Fry off on a high heat for 2 minutes then allow to cool. Add the limes mixture to a sterilised jar and pour the remaining oil over the limes before sealing tightly.
Once opened store the pickle in a jar in the fridge.
If you liked this lime pickle recipe then you should definitly try our famous chilli chutney recipe.
Melanzane Parmigiana (Aubergine & Parmesan) is a truly classic Italian dish. As with most Italian food this is all about simple ingredients cooked well in the right combination. The result is a dish that is incredible light yet full of flavor. Ideally this is served as a starter or a side dish.
Melanzane Parmigiana Ingredients
2 aubergines (egg plants to our US friends)
3 cloves of garlic
2 tins of plum tomatoes
1 onion
Small handful of fresh thyme
Small bowl of grated Parmesan cheese
Small handful of fresh basil
Salt & Pepper
1 fresh red chilli
Method
Slice the aubergines about 7mm thick and grill them in a dry (no oil) griddle pan (a frying pan will do if you don’t have one) until they are lightly charred.
To make the tomato sauce chop the garlic and add to a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Finely chop the onion and add to the pan then cook until the onions are soft. Next add the tomatoes and break them up in the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer the sauce on a medium heat so it reduces down and intensifies in flavour and season to taste. Though not entirely traditional I like to add a finely chopped chilli to give the sauce a little bit of a kick.
Once the sauce is ready spread a layer of the sauce into an ovenproof dish, followed by a layer of the aubergine slices and a sprinkled layer of grated Parmesan and a few fresh basil leaves. Continue adding layers in the same order until the dish is full, ending with a thicker layer of Parmesan on top.
Alternatively rather than cooking this in a large dish you can make up individual towers (using the same layers) an cook them on a baking tray if you want more of a fine dining rather than presentation.
Cook the dish at 200 degrees for about 25 minutes when the top should be golden brown. Serve while still hot with a sprig of fresh basil on top.
We are always keen to try and improve the site and welcome any feedback from our readers. Many people have been asking recently if it is possible to have an area of the site to share pictures or photos of their plants to help diagnose disease, identify pests or just plain show off their peppers!
As a result i’ve started a group on the brilliant photo sharing site flickr. You can find it here: Flickr: The Chilli King Group
If you don’t know about it, flickr is a site used primarily by photographers (amongst others) to upload, backup, organize and share photographs as well as having discussions about their pictures.
Being an avid amateur photographer I started using the site about a year ago to upload some of my best photos. The thing I like about flickr is it lets users create groups to share their pictures into a collective pool and have discussions about them. Hopefully our readers can use the group to maintain some of the discussion and advise around the photos posted.
Here are some ideas for the sort of pictures it would be good to see from everyone;
- Your growing set up
- You chilli harvest
- Unidentified Pests
- Potential diseases
We’ve created our own Chilli King Group so that our readers can pool your chilli pictures together. You can learn more about how groups on flickr work here.
