Instant Lemon/Lime Pickle

(Instant Lime Pickle in Marathi)

Everyone has at least one pickle that they like. My favorite is God Keri, sweet mango pickle with lots of masala. It takes very long time to make that one., for that matter all the pickles are time consuming to make. And to top it off, not all the pickles can be eaten immediately after they are made. I remember my mom making the pickles in summer. My brother and I would go with her to pick up nice crunchy and most sour mangoes from market. Then that night she will soak them in the water for 10-15 minutes and scrub, wash and dry and let them completely dry until morning . Then next day she will make the masala, make the tadaka and start cutting the mangoes. She would take only the raw mangoes. Then mix masala and tadaka and fill the cleaned, dried glass bottles. Cover it tightly and not let anyone touch it until its ready to eat, in about 2 months. Chili pickle, Lime pickles also had similar deal. It used to be very time consuming way of making these pickles. My brother and I both like her sweet lime pickle. She cooks the lime pieces, sugar, salt and chili powder. This kind of pickle can be eaten within a week or so. But then she recently found out about another pickle that can be eaten immediately and also can be stored for year. Here is her recipe -

1 Lime
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Red Chili Powder

Preparation -
Wash and dry the lime.
Cut in few pieces, remove seeds if any.
Put everything in wet grinder and grind to paste.
Pickle is ready.

Tips -

1. This can be eaten for religious fasts.
2. You can add 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder.
3. This stays out of fridge for long time if stored in airtight container.
4. I like it little coarsely ground but it tastes little bitter. If you don't like bitter taste, grid to fine paste.