Lemon Sides

This is a recipe that everyone knows and enjoys.It is nothing but pickling lemon.Everybody has their own way of pickling lemon.I am not a pickling person but this is a very simple recipe .Here I am not adding any spices apart from ginger and green chillies. This also serves as an easy/basic method for making pickles.But we can use it as such as a side with rice(hence the name) and it increases the appetite of even dieters and is especially good when you are recovering from illness and your tongue has lost all its taste. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Lemon:2 or 3 big
Green Chillies: 3 big or as per taste
Salt:2 tsp or more
Ginger: 1 big piece.

Preparation:

Clean lemon and steam them for few minutes.This will sort of soften them and this is required if you have got a thick skinned lemon(rough skin).Else you can omit steaming and simply cut them.Once they are cool, cut them into quarters.Take a clean sterilized jar and add the lemon pieces.Top the pieces with salt.

Chop the green chillies and ginger.Add these to the lemon pieces in the jar.If you want you can top this with juice from another lemon, but it is optional.Cover the jar tightly with its lid.You can shake the jar to mix everything together,but otherwise also is fine.It looks like

Keep the jar in the pantry for 7-10 days,by which time they would have absorbed all the flavours and you can see water/juice in the jar. It looks like this

Open the jar and with a clean spoon,pick the lemon pieces.Serve/Sqeeze them over rice.They would be very soft and you can chew them as well.

Also if you have omitted steaming earlier,but still find that it is thick skinned,you can steam few pieces before serving.Once opened it is better to store the jar in fridge.

For making quick lime pickle,you can take a few of these pieces in a clean bowl,steam it if you had omitted it earlier,then add chilli powder to them and mix well.Top with sesame oil.Serve.

Now the lemon side goes to AFAM:Lemon started by Maheshwari of Beyond the usual and currently hosted by EasyCrafts of SimpleIndian Food.

The lemon side picture also goes to Click: Citrus of JugalBandi with a title of Pickling Lemon

Hope you too enjoy the lemon sides.

I have been tagged by SriLekha of Me&My Kitchen. Thanks Sri.The rules are

(a) List these rules on your blog.

(b) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

(c) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Well I already did (A).

B)7 facts about me:

1. I am a housewife,currently in US but settled in Bangalore.


2. I am a very pessimistic person,coz I feel thinking bad first helps us to enjoy the good things/thoughts in life.


3. I have a 3 yr old daughter.


4. I am single child to very unlucky parents.(unlucky to have me).(He! He! Its a joke,sorry ! and laugh pleaseee.)


5. I am a lazy person when it comes to fitness,but I am shapely(well 0 is a shape)


6. I am a strict vegetarian.


7. I work best under pressure.

C) I love to tag,

1. Lubna of Kitchen flavours,


2. Paru of Brindavan Recipes,


3. Aparna of MyDiverseKitchen,


4. SunshineMom of TumyumTreats,


5. EasyCrafts of SimpleIndianfood,


6. Vegetable Platter,


7. Divya of DilSe

Paru has also awarded me a "Good Job" award. THANKS PARU.It means a lot to be appreciated.

Enjoy the sides.

Plum Preserve

This recipe I did after being inspired by Cham's microwave apricot preserve.I had plums in my pantry and wanted to try out something.I was vary as how they would turn out.So most of them went into Plum Crumble and remaining into this preserve.

Ingredients:
Rep Ripe Plums:1/2 cup
Sugar:1 tbspn
Cinnamon powder:1/4 tspn

Preparation:

Clean the plums and peel and chop them and remove the pits.In a microwave bowl,add and mix these ingredients.Microwave on high for 2 minutes.Then takeout and mix well.Microwave again for a few minutes.Check the microwave after every 1 minute and mash the big pieces if any.Take out and let it cool when all the water has evaporated.Once cooled store it in sterilized jars and refrigerate.Mine was over the same day as I had used a very small quantity and it was delicious.

This goes to SunshineMom for Food in Colors:Red

And also to EasyCrafts for WYF:Color