The more I write about food, the more I’m learning about amazing flavor combinations. To be precise, this lemon curry brings you an explosion of flavors – the sweetness of jaggery, the tanginess of tamarind, and the tartness of lemon.
When I tried this recipe for the very first time, I never thought the jaggery would add this much flavor to the dish. It’s really magical!
Let me tell you, I love experimenting with food. And that’s one of the pluses of being a
foodie. This recipe, however, is not my art work at all. It’s a very traditional dish all the way from the southern part of India, Kerala.
A bit more about this recipe:
-Although this lemon dish is called a ‘curry’, it’s usually eaten as a pickle.
-Very large wild lemons are used in the traditional recipe. However, you can substitute them with small lemons.
-You can adjust the amount of jaggery used in this recipe to suit your taste.
-Unlike other pickles, this cannot be stored for months. Use it within 2-3 weeks.
More Lemon Recipes
Lemon Curry ( Naranga Curry)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon gingely/sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 small lemon sized tamarind
- 6 - 8 lemons or 1 big wild lemon
- 2 teaspoon grated jaggery
- 2 - 3 green chillies sliced
- 4-6 garlic cloves julienned
- 3 cm fresh root ginger julienned
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 - 3 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek
- A pinch of asafetida
- A sprig of curry leaf
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak tamarind in ¼ cup water. Set aside.
- Wash lemons under cold running water, and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Place lemons in the pan. Turn occasionally until all sides are lightly browned. Set aside, and let it cool. Once cooled, cut them into cubes. Set aside.
- Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a deep pan. Splutter mustard seeds, and then fry curry leaves. Add garlic, ginger, and green chillies, and fry again. Now throw in ground turmeric, ground fenugreek, and Kashmiri chilly powder. Fry again for a few seconds.
- Now it’s time to add the tamarind water (discard the hard bits) along with chopped lemons. Sprinkle with asafetida and enough salt. Give it a good stir. Add enough water to cook the lemons.
- When done, transfer the curry to a sterilized jar. Sore it in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition
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Aruna Panangipally says
Serendipity! I just got 20 nimbu yesterday. Guess what I am doing this weekend? 🙂
"The more I write about food, the more I’m learning about amazing flavor combinations." That is so, so true. And that makes life so much the richer.
My Kitchen Moments says
I can taste the Naranga pickle from here!!
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Richard Baker says
Lemon curry?
Rose Mary George says
It's called a lemon curry traditionally, but it's actually a pickle 🙂