Simple Lemon Pickle for Upvas – Sweet and Spicy

Simple Lemon Pickle for Upvas – Sweet-Spicy, is the perfect accompaniment for your Upvas meals. Many religious traditions encourage the practice of fasting as an integral aspect of spiritual practice. Folks voluntarily ‘give up’ certain foods for a period of time, to enhance their inner strength, which then supports them in their spiritual pursuits. In the Hindu tradition, while observing Upvas (pronounce ‘Oop–Vaas’), also called Vrat (rhymes with ‘rut’), one can consume only certain “allowed” foods.

Which foods does one give up during Upvas? Usually, it is the ones that we consume on a regular basis. So, this voluntary abstinence gets us out of our comfort zones and reminds us to keep our focus on why we decided to fast in the first place. The physical fasting is symbolic, of course, a reminder to exercise intelligent self-restraint in all our activities. We also begin to appreciate anew the things that are “normal”, those that we sometimes start taking for granted in the everyday monotony of life.

what are the allowed foods?

Fruits and certain starchy root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, tapioca) provide the carbohydrates that one would normally get from grains. Nuts, milk and other dairy products provide the protein that one would get from beans and dals.

So, here come the ‘Upvas Foods’! Fascinating variations on everyday foods, using the “allowed” ingredients, one can create an impressive array of foods that are simple, nutritious and very tasty. In addition, the right condiments can enhance the flavor as well as the nutritional balance of the Upvas meal.

Pickles!

Indians are rather fond of their spicy pickles, made from a plethora of different fruits and vegetables. So why not a pickle made from Upvas – ‘allowed’ foods? Would it still fall under the category of simple and nutritious? The sweet-spicy, simple lemon pickle for Upvas presented here, sure does! I make it with just lemons, salt, sugar, red chilli powder, ginger and cumin. I do not use any of the other spices that I add to various other Indian pickles, because I cannot! They are not ‘allowed’ for Upvas!

This is essentially my Mom’s recipe. I have made small modifications: I like using the microwave to hasten the marinating process a little, which for lemon pickle is rather long. Since the lemon peel is quite bitter, it takes a while before its bitterness fades and makes the whole piece of lemon edible and delicious. You can start enjoying the “ras” (rhyme with ‘bus’) – the ‘pickle juice’ – almost immediately. Not the lemon slices, though – those take a while!

Making it the way I do decreases the waiting time a little – it takes about 3 weeks or so for the lemon peels to lose their bitterness. The reward for your patience? An absolutely delectable, tongue-tickling delight!

relieves gastric discomfort

There is yet another reason why this simple pickle is a staple in many Maharashtrian households. It helps relieve occasional gastric discomfort, dyspepsia, nausea, etc. All you need is a little lick! The lemon juice, ginger and cumin go to work and like magic, you begin to feel better!

Serve it with various savory Upvas foods like Sabudana Khichadi, Sabudana Thalipith, Vari (Samo, little millet) “rice”, etc. But why stop there? Serve it with any meal, even with some sweet/sweetish foods, like Shira (also called Sooji Halva, Kesari, etc.), Sweet Banana Thalipith and Pumpkin Thalipith. It will surely make you want to lick your fingers – and I always do! Why shouldn’t I?!

Please do leave a review and star rating. Many thanks!

Enjoy!

Simple Lemon Pickle for Upvas – Sweet-Spicy

Cut the lemons and microwave on defrost power for 7-8 min. Then add all the remaining ingredients; stir only after the lemon pieces become old. stir well and transfer to a glass jar. cover tightly and set aside. after 24 hours, transfert o the refrigerator.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine Indian

Servings 15 people

Calories 6 kcal

Equipment

• Mirowave oven; if not avaiable, it's OK, but the marinating process will take longer, and you will need to add more salt. See Recipe Notes for details.

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 whole lemons: large – cut each lemon into 16 wedges if lemons are small, use 5-6 and cut each into 8 pieces; if lemons are not available; can use limes, flavor is a little different but excellent
• 2 tsp salt adjust as desired
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne) adjust as per spiciness desired
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger – shredded or cut into long thin sliveres
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2-3 large lemons (5-6 small lemons); bottled juice is not suitable for this pickle; can use freshly squeezed lime juice, if lemons are not available

Instructions

 

• Cut the lemons into 16 wedge shaped pieces.: halve, quarter, then cut ito 1/8, then cut each in half again, to make 16 wedge shaped pieces
• Place the wedges in a shallow microwave-safe bowl (pie pan/cake pan works well) – spread out into a single layer; do not crowd, stack or pile
• Microwave, uncovered, on 30% power 7-8 min
• Cool for about 10 min, then add the remaining ingredients. Do NOT stir
• After the mixture has fully cooled – about an hou: stir well
  
• Transfer to a glass jar with a well-fitting lid. use the back of a spoon to press down tightly from all around, to prevent any air pockets from remaining trapped in the liquid pickle juice.
  
• Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp salt on the top and set on the counter for about 24 hours. Then refrigerate.
  

Notes

The pickle lasts for several months in the refrigerator. It is not meant to be kept on the counter- id does not have enough salt to prevent spoilage. Pickles that can be kept at room temperature have very large amounts of salt that act as preservatives to prevent spoilage by bacteria/fungi.

The microwaving step also helps a bit a “sterilizing” step- low heat for 7-8 min does not really “cook” the lemons, and preserves the heat-sensitive vitamins from getting destroyed.

Without microwave:

Without the microwaving step, it takes longer for the peel/rind of the pieces to lose their bitterness. If there is enough salt in the pickle, (which this one does NOT!), you can set the jar in a sunny window to gently warm and quicken the marinating process. This is not suitable for this particular recipe without adding extra salt.

if you do want to do it this way, you will need to add double the salt I have described in the recipe – so, 4 tsp, instead of 2 tsp

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 310mgPotassium: 10mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 2mgIron: 1mg

Keyword cumin seeds, ginger, lemon, lemon juice, lime, lime juice

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