Preserved lemons
This is pure magic.
If you have a lemon tree or too many lemons on hand – this is one of the simplest, and most unusual things you can do with lemons. Once you’ve made your first batch of pickled lemons, you’ll never go back.
Pickled lemon rind is smooth, lemony and not at all bitter; mild enough to be eaten raw and powerful enough to add a punch of drama to cooked dishes. We always have a jar of these sitting at the back of a cupboard waiting to impart their magic to whatever we feel like cooking.
Pickled lemons
These should be stored in a cool, dark place. You are going to want to store them in a jar above the stove for easy access, but don't! The oil will go rancid if its exposed to too much light and heat.
Ingredients
- Fresh lemons If you are buying lemons, make sure you get unwaxed lemons, so go for lemons from a farmers market or vegetable shop, or, if you are stuck buying from woolies, the scrum the lemons with soap and water before using.
- Salt
- 1-2 Sticks cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Peppercorns
- 12-15 curry leaves
- oil
Instructions
- Reserve some lemons for juicing later.Slice the lemons from the sharp point downwards, not all the way through, to make a "flower" with 6 lobes. Rub 2 tsp salt inside each lemon, squeeze closed, and pack them as tightly as you can inside a big jar. Add all your spices to the jar throughout the process. Once you've squeezed as many lemons as you can in the jar, put a weight on top to compress the lemons (such as a clean stone).Leave for 2 days.
- After 2 days, top up with fresh lemon juice until the lemons are completely covered, remove the stone and cover with a layer of oil. Leave in a cool, dark place. They will be ready to eat in a month, and keep indefinitely.
1 COMMENT
[…] Preserved lemons are one of our favourite ingredients, for a few reasons – they’re cheap and easy to make, last forever, and taste amazing! They’re also frightfully expensive to buy for some reason, so well worth the effort to make a jar. There’s a recipe here. […]