When Life Gives You Gondhoraj Lemons

Sumita: Any ideas on how to use lemon  zest and rind? The nimbus have a thick rind, and they are not that juicy. I don’t really know what kind they are. A lot of them split this year on the tree—someone told us it’s because of the rain after drought-like conditions, and that the soil needs more potassium.

Nancy: They look like Gondhoraj. I would make ice cream, chenna poda (with the zest), or use strips of the rind for cocktails / mocktails.

Ishan: The rind is thick, fragrant, and not very juicy. Maybe you can pickle them with salt or slice them whole to make cheong (traditional Korean fruit syrup). You could also zest them to make a lime limoncello.

Sumita: What is lime lemoncello? Yes, planning to pickle some with ajwain and black pepper. Do the cut pieces of lemon need additional lemon juice when pickling?

Ishan: Limoncello is an Italian lemon zest tincture in high-proof alcohol. It sweetens and can be diluted to make a refreshing drink. Since you’re saying these limes are very fragrant, subbing lemons for limes should work well. 

If you don’t want to go that route, cheong should work great because all you need to do is slice the limes, and bury them in sugar (1:1.5 ratio). For pickling with salt, there is no need for additional juice—just make an ‘x’ slit in those limes and pack them with salt (with additional spices if you want).

Himani: You can preserve them with little salt and turmeric for a savoury pickle, and with sugar for desserts—it lasts for 1-2 years.

Purba: I would suggest lemon cake, lemon chicken, or lemon pasta with shrimps. I use the zest in all these dishes.

Vivo: You could make kosho using the zest: add chillies, salt, and lemon zest, let it ferment for a week and at the end, you’ll have an amazing condiment.

Rishabh: You can dehydrate them and make a powder. It’s a great way to enhance the aroma and flavour of lemon in a dish. It can also be used as an air freshener, to make candles, bath bombs or salts.

Bindurao: They do look a lot like Gondhoraj. I love adding this on top of masoor dal and having it with aloo jhurjhuri (Bengali fried potato snack) or aloo fry dry sabji.