Uppu Elumichai Oorugai / Pickled Lemon

How to make Uppu Elumichai Oorugai / Pickled Lemon

         At first sight, this may not seem like a pickle at all. The ingredients are lemon, ginger, green chillies and salt. That's it!! No preservatives, oil or chilli powder are required. As you can guess, most of the heat comes from the green chillies. Salt and the citric acid from the lemons are the only (natural) preservatives here. This pickle makes an excellent side for sambhar rice, curd rice, as a treatment for morning sickness or just cos' you want to suck on something sour. 

         This one pot - one shot, home style recipe comes from my MIL - to - my recipe diary - to - you. This pickle can stay good, for months together under refrigeration and will taste great. The longer the ingredients swim in its own juices, the better they will taste. That's when, the heat of the chillies get on to the lemon, the sourness from the lemon juice gets into the chillies, and the ginger absorbs some of the sourness from the lemons. Scroll down to see a picture of the pickle, after three weeks of storage. Anybody can make this pickle - No special skills or expertise  needed; so go ahead and try this hassle free method of preserving a few lemons this time. Who know this could give you the confidence to make other complicated pickles too ;o)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of bite sized chunks of  fresh lemon (about 3 to 4 lemons)

1 cup chopped, Mango ginger or Ginger

2 Tbsp salt, preferably rock salt

7 to 10 slit or chopped green chilies (about 1/4 cup)
a few fresh green peppercorns (optional)

Upside Down Peach Cake (Low Fat & Egg less)

How to bake an Upside Down Peach Cake

         What would you bake for someone on their anniversary; that is egg less, healthy, and low fat ? Well, luckily I came across this recipe in a big book of luscious low fat cooking, called Great Good Food by Julee Rosso.

         Last week was the 46th wedding anniversary of my in-laws, I can't imagine what that must be like. Every passing year seems like an achievement for some of us. They say - 'With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone'. I just hope, I am the first kind ;o)

         Getting back to the cake, I had to serve this cake to friends & family with my fingers crossed, because, I hadn't tasted it and had no clue if it was fit for the occasion. Delightedly, the whole cake disappeared within minutes of cutting the first slice. I managed to grab a piece, so I could write this post. My favorite part of this cake are the peaches on the top with the caramelized brown sugar. Serve this with a whipped cream topping if you like & enjoy your treat, guilt free. Sharing this recipe with my friends over at CCChallenge.

Ingredients for 8 to 12 servings:

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 cups peeled, pitted & sliced fresh peaches (about 3 peaches)

1 Tbsp ground/chopped crystallized ginger ( I used "inji murabba")

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

vegetable oil, to grease the pan

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

up to 5 Tbsp of buttermilk as needed to get the batter to pouring consistency

1 tsp vanilla extract