Limbacha Loncha (Lemon Pickle)

Last week, Coffee announced the theme “Preserve it” for MBP July, and I was so glad about it.. I had just prepared something just fitting for the theme.. “No oil lemon pickle” using this recipe from Manisha. Actually I should thank Nupur’s post which leads me to the original recipe! The pickle is 6 days old now and is resting on my window sill for Sun God to shower His blessings on it ;) I loved the lovely pictorial step by step method by Manisha, used the same ingredients and proportions used by her, but changed some timelines while adding the ingredients.. Can update more on the taste as soon as its ripe.. I think It’ll take a month or so as the sun is not so hot regularly here.. But the pickle tastes yummy when I lick the fork after I mix it every morning! :)

Limbacha Loncha

What you need:

4 big Lemons
1/4 cup Salt
1/8 cup Red Chilli powder
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Methi Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Hing Powder
Juice of 1 lemon

How to proceed:
1) Take a glass jar (approx for 1 kg) and wash,clean and dry it totally
2) Wash and pat dry the lemons
3) Cut each lemon in 12-15 small pieces
4) Add these pieces to the glass jar and retain the lemon jucie that drips while cutting
5) When all pieces are added to the jar, shake the jar a well to settle down the pieces.
6) Now add salt and shake well
7) Add juice of one lemon and that juice while cutting lemons n mix well
8) Now close the jar and leave aside. Shake it on the second day using a dry spoon.
9) On day 3, add chilli powder, turmeric and sugar to the jar
10) Heat a pan, add methi seeds, mustard seeds and hing and saute till the methi seeds turn brown.
11) Grind these to a fine powder and add this powder to the pickle jar
12) Now use a dry sppon to mix the contents in the jar
13) When done, place the jar in a place where there is ample sun during day time
14) Shake the contents using a dry spoon every day until the pickle becomes ripe. This procedure might take a month or two depending on peel thickness of the lemons that are used.
15) These pickles can be stored for months, taken care that it does not come in contact with water.
Here's my first ever stock of home made lemon pickle proudly standing in the sun, awaiting to please me! ;)

* If the lemons have seeds in it, remove them while cutting

Potato Wafers

Summer time in India is time for ladies to prepare their year long stock of pickles and walawan.. Walawan is the category of things made which need to be sun dried. I remember mom making potato wafers, different papads and kurdais during summer time.. Our job as kids used to be to sit on the terrace to keep a watch on the birds that try feasting on these delicacies when they are left for drying :D Little did mom realise that we used to be the real birds feasting on them :) Especially the kurdais made from wheat flour coz they tasted awesome when half dry.. Mom used to have different prepataion for fasting food and for normal days as wells! Fasting preparations usually consisted of potato wafers, potato kees, sabudana papad and subudana babata kurdai/chakli.. Wafers used to be my favourite and I decided to try some last week as I had a bag of potatoes lying around. So here's one of my favourite fasting food- Potato Wafers- for "W of Indian Vegetables." I am glad I made these last week as I really enjoyed eating these yesterday during my Thursday fast :) Thats the advantage of fasting.. lots of yummy foods :D

Making Potato wafers is a bit lengthy process.. But once well prepared and dried, these can be stored for about year! So its just worth the efforts taken. Instead of deep frying in oil (the traditional way), these can be sprayed and baked in microwave as well! Take care while drying them.. If they are stored without proper drying, they can be spoilt by fungus.. So better check that the weather is gonna be sunny for the next 5-6 days before taking up this task ;)

Potato Wafers

Preparation time:

4-5 days

Makes:

Short snack for 1

What you need:

3 medium sized Potatoes (preferably flat and long)
Salt
Oil to fry
Red chilli powder
Hardware- Mandoline

How to proceed:

1) Peel potatoes and make chips using the wavy side of mandoline, or the plain one if you like it plain.. My opinion-the wavy ones look n feel good :D
2) Boil these in water with 1-2 tsp Oil for 4-5 mins
3) Now drain off water and hold the chips under cold water
4) Place the chips separately on a plastic sheet and dry in sunn for 4-5 days, flipping sides twice a day
5) When they are totally dry, store in an air tight container
6) Deep fry in oil, drain excess oil on kitchen towels and sprinkle with red chilli powder and salt or eat plain

Shengdana Chutney

After soups and salads for RCI Maharashtrian Cuisine, its turn of the humble chutney which occupies a very small but important place in Maharashrian Thali. Chutneys in dry forms are served after lemon, salt and koshimbir (salad).. the rest follows after chutney! Chutneys in dry form usually include lasun(garlic) chutney, tilachi(sesame seeds) chutney and shengdana(peanut) chutney. Wet chutneys include naralachi(cocunut) chutney, pudina(mint) chutney, chinchechi(tamarind) chutney etc.

Shengdana chutney is a dry chutney prepared using roasted peanuts. It is usually served as a "tondi lavana" (just another condiment if the other items are not so spicy). It can be used as bread spread(usually with "Wada Pav") or spread over rotis with oil to make "spicy roles" or on bhakri to make "Bhakri Burger" or add to yoghurt to make "Dahi Chutney". My hubby loves adding this chutney to yoghurt with a pinch of salt to make dahi chutney to have with rotis. He also loves to eat dahi chutney with chaklis. I know this is a wierd combi but everyone at my in laws eats it. so now its not wierd anymore for me :D Spicy roles and bhakri burger are my mom's recipes but the credits of naming ceremony remain with me ;) If it would be too late to cook anything for tiffin, mom used to just spread some chutney on roti wit oil on it and roll it to make "spicy rolls" I just loved it and demanded them many times when some vegetables that I didnt like were cooked! "Bhakri Burger" is one heavenly dish that I miss here.. Mom used to make a bit thick bhakris and then cook them on cooking gas. They used to puff from all sides. Then she would lift the upper layer using a knife from the corners, then spread chutney and oil on it and then put back the upper layer. This hot bhakri wih spicy chutney seemed so nice and I used to call it "Bhakri Burger" :D Sweet memories of childhood.. now laugh at such stupid names and keep pondering what made me think of such names :D Before I get too nostalgic, heres goes the quick recipe..

Shengdana Chutney

What you need:

100 gm Peanuts, roasted and deskinned
3-4 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tsp Cumin seeds, roasted
1 tbsp Sesame seeds, roasted (optional)
Salt to taste

How to proceed:

1) Place peanuts in a blender and add chilli powder, roasted cumin and sesame seeds to it
2) Blend to a coarse powder, add salt and mix well