Uppatta Nonche – Traditional Konkani lime pickle (Vegan + Gluten Free)

I was born into a large joint family. My father was one of nine children, and my mother, the eldest of twelve siblings. My dear late father, a jeweler, was the smartest and the most handsome of the lot. He took it upon himself to conduct every marriage or thread ceremony of all my cousins. So every couple of months, a huge get together of close relatives and friends would happen in or around our home; occasions for feast after feast. Most of these feasts would find my father’s favorite pickle, uppatta nonche, at the top left-hand corner of the leaf plate. The very flavor of the uppatta nonche is so exciting that the guests would find themselves salivating in anticipation of the repast. My mother, being the pickle specialist, the job of making this most delicious of pickles would naturally fall on her shoulders. The smell of the roasting ingredients would suffice for us to have enough saliva in our mouths to float a ship. Though this pickle needs three days of resting to marinate fully, my father would be impatient enough not to wait at all. We would find him dipping the lime / lemon pieces in the gravy (the pieces would be hard on the first day) and sucking on them with such an unforgettable, delighted expression on his face. I am only too happy to share this wonderful recipe with you all. I want you to enjoy it to the full, as we do!

Uppatta Nonche

Print Recipe

Uppatta Nonche Yum

The king of all lime / lemon pickles.

Cuisine

Indian, Konkani

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

5 minutes

Passive Time

3 days

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 600 gm lemons or limes (fully ripe)
• 40 gm hot green chilies
• 20 gm dry hot red chilies
• 20 gm dry Kashmiri chilies
• 25 gm mustard seeds
• 5 gm fenugreek seeds
• 20 gm coriander seeds
• 3 gm asafoetida powder
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 100 gm salt
• 30 ml sesame oil (gingelly oil)
• 700 ml water

Cuisine Indian, Konkani Prep Time 40 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Passive Time 3 days Servings servings Ingredients 600 gm lemons or limes (fully ripe) 40 gm hot green chilies 20 gm dry hot red chilies 20 gm dry Kashmiri chilies 25 gm mustard seeds 5 gm fenugreek seeds 20 gm coriander seeds 3 gm asafoetida powder 2 sprigs curry leaves 100 gm salt 30 ml sesame oil (gingelly oil) 700 ml water

Instructions

To prepare:

1. Put out the wet grind jar of your food processor together with an airtight glass jar of around 1.2 litre capacity (or several small jars) in the sun for drying.
2. To make the brine, set a 1-litre vessel on the stove. Pour in the water and tip in the salt.
3. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally.
4. Set a wok or pan on high heat. Put in both the chilies. Pour in 20 ml. of the sesame (gingelly) oil (saving 10 ml. for the tempering). Tip in 20 gm. of the mustard seeds (saving 5 gm. for the tempering) and all of the coriander seeds. Stir a few times.
5. As soon as you start hearing the mustard seeds popping, turn down the heat and continue to stir. The mustard seeds will finish crackling in 3 to 5 minutes. Switch off the heat and let cool naturally.
6. Chop the limes / lemons and the green chilies roughly to pieces.
7. The brine and the roasted ingredients should have cooled down by now. Pour half of the brine into the clean, sun-dried, wet-grind jar of your food processor.
8. Tip in the roasted ingredients and grind to superfine paste.

To make:

1. Pour the paste into a 2-litre vessel. Use the rest of the brine to wash out the paste from the food processor and tip it in.
2. Tip in the lime / lemon and chili pieces and mix well with a clean, dry ladle.
3. Set a skillet on low heat. Pour in the remaining (10 ml) sesame (gingelly) oil and throw in the remaining (5 gm) mustard seeds.
4. As soon as the mustard seeds are about to finish spluttering, tip in the fenugreek seeds. Stir once and tip in the asafoetida powder. Pull the curry leaves quickly off their sprigs and chuck them in.
5. Stir once more and transfer the entire contents of the skillet into the pickle. Stir the pickle once again.
6. Your delicious, mouthwatering uppatta nonche is ready. All it needs is 3 days of resting.
7. Transfer to a clean, sun-dried, airtight glass jar and store in a cool, dry place. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Once you start using it after 3 days, remember to store the pickle in your refrigerator, if you wish to use it over a longer period of time. The reason is that this pickle is not meant for storage, but for enjoying fresh on festive occasions.