Hamida begum's stuffed lime pickle/bhare nimboo ka aacha

1 batch

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
200 Limes
1¼ pounds Dried red chiles
1 cup Mustard seeds
½ cup Cumin seeds
½ cup Onion seeds
1 pounds Garlic cloves; peeled
1 pounds Salt
3¾ cup Mustard oil
12 Green chiles

Directions

Squeeze the juice of 100 of the limes into a large bowl, cover, and reserve.

Put the rest of the limes in a large saucepan or preserving pan, cover with plenty of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer until they are tender. Drain the limes, dry them with a tea towel, and put them aside.

Pound the red chiles fine in a mortar or grind them in a food processor or in batches in a blender.

Put the mustard seeds in a frying pan over low heat and dry-roast them for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. The seeds should begin to release their aroma. Repeat with the cumin seeds and then the onion seeds.

Combine the mustard, cumin and onion seeds. Take two-thirds of the mixture and pound it fine in a mortar or grind it in a food processor or in batches in a blender.

Blend the remaining seed mixture with the ground red chiles and the pounded or ground seed mixture. Pound the garlic cloves to a paste in a mortar or a food processor or in batches in a blender with a little water, then drain off the water. Mix the garlic with the chile and seed mixture, adding salt and a little of the lime juice to make a paste.

Cut the boiled limes halfway down into four. Spread the spice paste well into the limes, put them in a large container, and add the rest of the lime juice.

Warm the oil until it begins to sputter, then pour it over the stuffed limes and whole green chiles.

When the mixture is cool enough, transfer it to glass or ceramic bottles and cover with nonmetallic, airtight lids. Store in a cool, dark place or the refrigerator. Yield: About 10 pints.

Preparation and cooking time: 2½ to 3 hours, plus cooling and bottling.

Merchant writes: "This recipe, which figures prominently in _The Courtesans of Bombay_, will produce enough pickle to last an entire family for quite a long time, as one can imagine. It is so good that there is always great demand for it from friends and family. You can, of course, reduce the quantities proportionally." From _Ismail Merchant's Indian Cuisine_ by Ismail Merchant. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1986. ISBN 0-671-68477-9. Pp. 232-233.

Posted by Cathy Harned.

Submitted By CATHY HARNED On 10-26-94

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