I already have a Quick Lime Pickle recipe from a while ago. This Instant Pot Lime Pickle recipe I'm posting here is the traditional version. This one is a labour of love and it's so worth it! You need to steam the limes first and let them rest in the fridge for 3-4 days so you need to start with plenty of time.
We use the Instant Pot DUO to mature the Lime Pickle overnight (thank you Amanda for the tip!) but it will still be even better in 6 months! So make sure you let it mature in the jars too and let the flavours develop.
Don't worry if your Instant Pot or multicooker doesn't have the Yoghurt function, I give you a solution to that below.
Lime pickle is great with poppadums. With a curry. With a pint of lager. With a glass of wine. With friends. On your own.
It's just great.
Does the photo look Christmassy? That's because Lime Pickle is one of our Christmas Makes but you can make it round every day.
It makes great gifts!
Thank you Mike B for being my recipe tester!
Ready?
Instant Pot Lime Pickle
Adapted from a very popular Lime Pickle recipe in the Thermomix Fast and Easy Indian cook book
This Lime Pickle recipe is made in stages and there are a few days between the two steps and it may seem lengthy. Don't let that put you off because it's actually rather hands-free and the result is well worth it.
Stage 1: Prepare the limes - they need to rest for 3-4 days before you prepare the rest of the recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg limes, washed and left whole, just remove the stems
- 300 g sea salt (Maldon or Aldi sometimes ahs big 500 g tubs really cheap)
Useful equipment: steamer basket, mixing bowl, cling film
Steps
1. Add 250 ml cold water to the inner pot. Place the limes in a steamer basket. Place them inside the inner pot of your Instant Pot. Lock the lid in. Steam Release Handle pointing to Sealing. Press Manual and use the - and + buttons to programme 15 minutes. Do a natural release at the end (quick if you're in a hurry). Cut each lime into 8 pieces and place in a bowl as you go, making sure you save the juices they release onto the chopping board/bowl. Mix with the salt. Cover and let them rest for 3-4 days.
Stage 2
Ingredients
- 50 g garlic cloves, peeled
- 40 g fresh ginger, divided in 20 g and 20 g, sliced in chunks
- 150 g sunflower oil
- 100 g ground chilli powder (use mild if you don't want it too spicy and a mixture of hot and mild if you want it spicier)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 50 g mustard seeds
- 100 g golden caster sugar
- 60 g cider vinegar
Steps
Once the limes have rested for 3-4 days:
1. Chop the garlic and 20 g of the fresh ginger (5 seconds speed 5 if you have a Thermomix). Add to the inner pot with the sunflower oil.
2. Blend to a paste the chilli powder, turmeric, fenugreek powder, cumin sets, the remaining ginger and 200 ml water (for Thermomix: 30 seconds, speed 10). Reserve.
3. Press Sauté and soften the garlic and ginger, when it's golden (make sure the garlic doesn't burn, you can adjust Sauté to Less if necessary), tip to a bowl and reserve for step 6.
4. Without cleaning the inner pot, add the mustard seeds still on Sauté, stir every once in a while and, when they start to pop, add the paste from step 3. Press Keep Warm/Cancel, Press Sauté and then Adjust until you've set Sauté to Less. Let it cook for a few minutes, adding 2 tablespoon water at a time. When the oil starts to separate, pour the reserved garlic, ginger and sunflower oil from step 4. Add 300 ml water. Press Keep Warm / Cancel and press Slow Cook, use the - and + buttons to programme 60 minutes. 40 minutes into it, stir in the sugar and vinegar and cook another 10 minutes or so.
5. Towards the end of step 5, gently rinse the limes in a sieve or colander and let them drain.
6. Add the sautéed garlic and ginger mixture from step 4. Add the limes and stir well to coat the limes really well.
7. Press Keep Warm/Cancel and press Yoghurt. Use the - and + buttons to programme 14 hours. After this pour the lime pickle into sterilised jars and store. I tend to store the jars in the fridge but lots of people store them in a cool dark cupboard. It's ready to eat straight away thanks to Amanda's clever maturing tip but it will be even better in 6 months time. These are the jars in the photos, they are a great size, you're going to need a fair few, it makes a lot!
Note: If you haven't got an Instant Pot with a Yoghurt option. Either pour the lime pickle into sterilised jars after step 6 and let it mature for at least a month or place the stainless steel Instant Pot inner pot in the oven to cook at a low temperature overnight, about 40-50ºC.
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