Kadaranga Oorgkai - Citron Pickle

The Kadaranga Oorkai (கடார ங்காய் ஊர்காய் ) or Citron Pickle is another of my  favorites. The tangy bitterness of the citron goes well along with Thayir Saadam (தயிர்சாதம்)  aka Curd Rice.

For those who are not familiar with Citron, it is a large sized lemon like fruit belonging to the citrus fruit family classified as Citrus Medica. It has probably been used since ancient times in Indian medicine and grows in most places. The plant just requires well manured soil to grow.

I must have been in the 4th or the 5th grade when I first saw this over sized lemon like fruit. I have always been a foodie as long back as I can remember.  Curious to know what my mom was going to do with it  I tagged  along with her to the kitchen. What followed was a fascinating process of making the Citron Pickle.


Preparing the Citron:

Ingredients:

• Gingeley oil - 1 teaspoon
• Citron (கடார ங்காய்) - 1 number
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Heat an iron kadai  on a gas stove with a low flame and add a teaspoon of gingeley oil. Add a quarter teaspoon of salt to the oil else the citron skin would taste bitter. Place the whole citron fruit in the kadai and keep rotating it until the thick skin becomes soft all around. This is a slow process and would probably take an hour or so. Don't worry if the skin becomes black, it adds to the taste! The tangy smell of the Citron pervades the kitchen.

Preparing the pickle:

Ingredients:

• The prepared citron as per above
• Turmeric - 2 teaspoons
• Gingeley oil - 2 ladle (about 8 tablespoons)
• Salt - 2 to 3 tablespoons
• Mustard - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asefotida (Hing) - 1/2 teaspoon
• Methi seeds (Fenugreek)- 1 teaspoon
• Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons (depending on required spiciness)

When the Citron cools down cut it into small pieces. Add salt and turmeric to the cut pieces and set aside.
Fry the methi seeds in a kadai until brown. Grind the methi seeds into powder in a grinder and keep it aside. In the kadai heat the gingeley oil and fry the mustard seeds until the crackling subsides. Put out the flame and
add asefoetida, methi and chilli powder after the kadai cools down. Dump the entire quantity of cut pieces of citron into the kadai and mix evenly until the chilli powder pervades the mix. Store the pickle in a clean dry air tight glass bottle. Depending on storage the pickle lasts about 30 days. It may last longer if stored in the refrigerator.  Stir the contents of the bottle once a couple of days to prevent mold from forming on the surface.

Enjoy!