Serves: 5
Total Calories: 224

20 fresh limes (about 2 pounds)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons ajwain seeds (like caraway seeds), coarsely ground
4 cups fresh lime juice or lemon juice (from 20 additional limes)
1 small piece of muslin or 4 layers cheesecloth (enough to cover the mouth of a jar)

1. Wash and wipe dry the limes. Cut each one into 8 wedges and place in a large sterile glass jar. Mix in the sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and ajwain seeds, cover the jar with your palm or the lid and shake vigorously to mix.

2. Uncover, add the lime juice, and shake the jar again. (The juice should cover the limes by about 1/2 inch if not, add some more lime juice.) Cover the jar with the muslin, securing it with a rubber band, and place in a warm, sunny spot in the kitchen or outside in the sun. (If the pickle jar is outside in the sun, bring it inside in the evening.)

3. Shake the jar once or twice each day, until the lime wedges are soft and light buff in color, and the juices are thick, 15 to 20 days. This pickle stays fresh at room temperature almost indefinitely.

VARIATION: Add whole fresh green chili peppers, such as serranos (or halve them lengthwise through the stem or slice them in rounds), and add thinly cut julienne strips of fresh ginger along with the limes.

From "1,000 Indian Recipes." Copyright 2002 by Neelam Batra. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 5
Total Calories: 224
Calories from Fat: 0

More Recipes from the 1000 Indian Recipes Cookbook:
* Chutneys and Pickles
Basic Green Chutney
Cilantro-Lime Chutney
Classic Hyderabadi Ginger-Sesame Chutney
Cooked South Indian Mango Pickle
Cranberry Chutney Preserve
Crunchy Cucumber Pickle
Crushed Lemon and Fresh Red Chili Pepper Pickle
Eggplant and Malanga Root Pickle
Fragrant Mango Chutney
Fresh Coconut Chutney with Cilantro
Garlic and Fresh Red Chili Pepper Chutney
Green Garlic and Nuts Chutney
Hazram's Coconut-Tamarind Chutney with Mint
Lemon-Pickled Fresh Ginger Sticks
Mama's Punjabi Mango Pickle
Mama-in-Law's Mango Pickle with Roasted Spices
Minced Ginger-Lime Pickle
Mint Chutney with Pomegranate Seeds
Mint-Garlic Chutney with Peanuts and Tamarind
Minty Sonth Chutney with Mango (or Tamarind) Powder and Jaggery
Mixed Vegetable Pickle with Garlic
Peanut and Garlic Chutney
Pearl Onions in Pickling Spices
Pickled Chili Pepper Purée with Tamarind
Pickled Turnips and Cauliflower
Pickled Turnips with Black Mustard Seeds
Prabha's Green Chili Pepper Pickle
Puréed Fresh Mango-Ginger Chutney
Puréed Green Mango Chutneys
Quick Mango Pickle
Rama's Grated Mango Pickle
Red Tomato Chutney Preserve with Sesame Seeds
Roasted Black Chickpea Chutney with Peanuts
Roasted Coconut Chutney
Roasted Dal and Fresh Green Chili Pepper Chutney
Scallion-Ginger Chutney
Semolina-Coconut Chutney
Sesame-Peanut Chutney
Shahina's Shredded Coconut Chutney
Sonth Chutney with Dried Mango Sliced
Sonth Chutney with Fresh and Dried Fruits
South Indian Cilantro Chutney
South Indian Tomato Chutney
Spicey Apple-Ginger Chutney Preserve
Spicy Apricot Chutney Preserve
Spicy Cranberry Pickle
Sun-Cured Pickled Lime (or Lemon) Wedges
Sweet Sonth Chutney with Dates
Sweet and Sour Fresh Lime Pickle
Tart Apple Ginger-Chutney with Green Tomatoes
Tomato Chutney Preserve with Cashews and Raisins
Vinegar-Marinated Green Chili Peppers
Water Pickle with Crispy Cauliflower and Carrots
Yogurt Cheese Chutney with Minced Greens
Yogurt Chutney with Puréed Greens
Yogurt Chutney with Roasted Dals and Spices
Yogurt-Almond Chutney