Lime and Dates Pickle

Overview
The sour taste of limes mixed with the sweet taste of dates makes this a unique sweet and sour pickle. A perfect accompaniment for any biriyani or any Indian meals. You can adjust the amount of green chillies and chilly powder to the level of spiciness you want. Like all pickles as this ages it becomes more tasty as the flavor of ginger, garlic and spices gets infused with the date and lime pieces in the pickle.

Lime and Dates Pickle

Limes and Dates pickle Ingredients

Ingredients
Lime cut into quarters  - 2 cups
Date cut into slices 1/2 cup
Garlic finely chopped 2 tablespoon
Ginger finely chopped 1 tablespoon
Green chillies finely chopped - 3  - 6
Curry leaves 2 - 3 sprigs
Kashmiri or red chilly powder - 2 - 3 tablespoons
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek powder - 1 teaspoon
Asfaoetida powder 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
Brown sugar 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
White Vinegar - 3 - 4 tablespoon
Oil about 3 tablespoons

Steps
1. Mix the clean cut lime pieces with salt and put in a clean jar for about 3 weeks. Mix the jar very day. This is to make the lime pieces soft.
2. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds and powder it and keep aside.
3. Soak the sliced dates in about 1/2 cup hot water for about 15 minutes till it becomes soft.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil gets hot add the mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds splutter add the finely chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves to this.
4. Saute till the garlic turns light brown.. Add the turmeric and chilly powder to this and mix well till the raw flavor of red chillies is gone.
5. Add the marinated soft lime pieces and soaked dates to this along with vinegar, fenugreek seeds powder, asafoetida powder, brown sugar and mix well. Add salt as needed.
6. Bring this mixture to a boil. Turn off heat.
7. Bring the pickle to room temperature and store in an air tight jar and keep in the refrigerator,. Stays in the refrigerator for about 2 months. If you add more oil and vinegar it can be left at room temperature too.

Serve as a condiment with any Indian meal.