Lemon Pickle

I got this recipe from our friend Mrs. Mangai Rathanaswami who is living here in Canada for about 20 years. She is very good in cooking.
Ingredients:

• Lemon – 7
• Salt – 5 Tablespoons
• Red chili powder – 4 Tablespoons
• Turmeric powder – ½ Teaspoon
• Asafoetida - ¾ Tablespoon
• Fenugreek powder (dry roasted and powdered) – ¾ Tablespoon
• Canola oil – 150 ml
• Mustard seeds – ½ Teaspoon

 Method:

• Wash all lemons, pat dry and squeeze juice from one lemon and keep aside
• Cut them into one inch pieces and remove seeds.
• In a large mixing bowl, add cut pieces of lemon, salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and juice together and close with a lid.
• Keep this in room temperature for three days, occasionally stir this mixture thoroughly.
• On the fourth day, heat oil in a frying pan. When it is in medium heat add mustard seeds, when they pop up turn off heat.
• To this add asafoetida and fenugreek power. Let this cool.
• Then add this on lemon pieces. Mix thoroughly and adjust seasoning.
• Store this in a clean, dry glass container.

 Note:

• While frying fenugreek seeds, the heat should be low and if you feel the aroma, just turn off the heat, let it cool and grind in a mixer to a fine powder. If you over fry fenugreek, it tastes bitter.