Onam Recipes: Try This Tasty Vadukapuli Achar! Learn How To Make It

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To celebrate Onam, preparing the Vadukapuli Achar is one of the delicious ways. Now, if you live in Kerala, you'll know all about this achar; but if not, you will be surprised to know that vadukapuli achar is nothing but aromatic wild lemon pickle, which can make any dish taste better.

Why is this pickle preparation so special during Onam? Actually, Onam is one of the biggest festivals in Kerala and it is the festival of harvest.

People of this state celebrate it with pomp and vigour and they enjoy this harvest season by preparation of various traditional dishes.

During this time, even lemons are harvested and the women of the family prepare vadukapuli achar with great enthusiasm.

If you are interested in trying different cuisines and also feel the pulse of Onam in your house, no matter in which part of the world you live in, you should try the vadukapuli achar recipe for Onam.

The 'vadukapul' or wild lemons are sour than the ordinary lemons and they are quite strong in flavour as well.

So, this Onam, you can prepare vadukapuli achar and enjoy it with lots of other South Indian delicacies like thoran, avail, pachadi, olan, etc. How to make vadukapuli achar for Onam? Read on to know more.

Serves - One jar
Preparation Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Vadukapuli (wild lemons) - 4
• Green Chillies - 6
• Gingelly Oil - ½ cup
• Red Chilli Powder - 2½ tsp
• Turmeric Powder - ¼th tsp
• Fenugreek Powder - ¼th tsp
• Jaggery - 50 grams
• Asafoetida - ¼th tsp
• Vinegar - ¼th cup
• Boiled Water - 1 cup
• Salt - as needed
• Curry Leaves - 5 to 6 leaves

Procedure:

1. Heat a pan with oil and sauté each lemon at a time.
2. Once you see the lemons losing their green colour, strain the oil and allow them to be cooled.
3. Now, cut from the middle and peel off well along with the white flesh as you peel off oranges.
4. Then, cut the lemony part into small pieces.
5. Add salt into the pieces and mix them well. Keep it aside.
6. Heat oil again and add fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.
7. Sauté well and add chilli powder, green chillies, turmeric powder and stir well.
8. Now, add jaggery. If you want it to be more sweet, you can add ½ a cup of sugar too.
9. Mix all the ingredients well, add vinegar, and let the mixture boil.
10. Add boiled water if it gets too dry. Cook for 5 minutes over low flame.
11. Add the chopped lemons and mix everything well.
12. Taste it and, if required, add salt.
13. Now, add the curry leaves and turn off the flame.
14. Cool it off completely and store it in an airtight jar.
15. Your vadukapuli achar is ready to be served.

You can serve it with roti and rice. Vinegar is used in this achar as a preservative. If you store it well, this achar will stay edible for long. Always close the jar tightly after each use; otherwise, the achar may rot soon due to the chemical reaction with air particles.