Another advantage of drying limes in slices instead of whole is that it speeds up the drying process. Drying lime slices takes approximately 15 hours while drying whole limes takes 3+ days in the oven and up to a week when sun-dried! Pour the oil into a large saute pan for which you have a lid, and put on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the spices, garlic and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and fry for three to four minutes, stirring often, until the garlic starts to brown and the spices are aromatic. Add the cauliflower and any leaves, and cook, stirring continuously, for two minutes, until the cauliflower is coated in the spices. Stir in the coconut cream and poppy seeds, turn down the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook for four minutes, until the cauliflower is starting to soften. This product is amazing – dried limes, lemons and oranges are incredibly delicious and amazingly versatile, they’re an easy way to add wonderful flavours to all of your cooking, they make the most of the premium citrus that we grow right here in South Australia, and make wonderful gifts. In the same pan, fry the herbs on a medium heat for five to 10 minutes, or until dark green and there is little water left. Remove from the pan and set aside. Step 4: Fill the rest of the cup with boiling water and sweeten with your favorite sweetener. 🩺 Noomi Basra Benefits

Alternatively, cook the aubergine stew according to the recipe. And store the finished stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Gently reheat it before serving. Serve it with chelow (steamed saffron rice), flatbreads such as lavash, radishes, raw onions and more fresh herbs. Remove the limes with a slotted spoon. Drop them straight from the boiling water into the ice bath and leave them to cool down for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. Once the water is boiling and your ice bath is ready, add the limes to the boiling water for 60 to 90 seconds. Do not exceed 90 seconds. Immediately chill to stop the cooking process

More Spice, Pickle, Garnish Recipes

Thethree key flavor elementsfor ghormeh sabzi are: roasting of herbs, fenugreek, dried limes. In Persian,ghormehmeans “fried” andsabzimeans “herbs”. Recipe Ingredients Many of the cuisines of the Middle East were, at one point, used almost exclusively for holistic purposes. We regard citrus, for example, as a detoxifier and promoter of healthy digestion. We also cook with preservation in mind. The brining and drying of Persian limes began as a preservation technique—it was not a modernist’s ploy to discover flavor, but rather a humble person’s approach to creating longevity from the spoils of their harvest. I think some of the greatest cuisine comes out of the resilience to preserve. It speaks to the human condition, that arguably some of the most delicious outcomes are often through resourcefulness and not abundance.

Olive oil: The recipe calls for six tablespoons of oil. It may feel like a lot, but it gives the aubergine flesh a luscious texture. I use extra virgin olive oil. Heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan, then saute the garlic and turmeric until the garlic is lightly golden. Add half the garlic mix to the aubergine pot with the salt and pepper, then taste; add the rest of the garlic and turmeric if you feel it needs it. Dry the cooled limes with a clean tea towel. If your shop-bought limes have a wax coating, it should melt off and stay behind in the pot with the hot brine. But I like to give the blanched limes a good rub with the tea towel to get off any residue. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about four minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, tomato paste and hawaij spice mix, and cook for 30 seconds more, or until fragrant.Pour the soaked poppy seed mixture into a mortar and crush for a minute to break up some of the seeds. Sour and aromatic, like concentrated fresh limes, but beyond the obvious citrus flavour, dried limes present funky, fermented notes rendering it a complexity that cannot be found in its bright green former selves. Take off the lid, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for seven to eight minutes more, stirring a few times, until the liquid has evaporated and the cauliflower is caramelised. Off the heat, stir in the coriander, almonds and lime juice, and serve with the lime wedges. Hawaij root vegetable stew with whipped fenugreek Step 3: Steep tea in the teapot for approximately 10 minutes. Pour the tea through a tea strainer. Since the lime tea will be concentrated and quite sour, only fill your cup ⅓ to ½ way full. Now make the hawaij spice. Grind the coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom (in a spice grinder or mortar) until fine, then stir in the turmeric.

For this Iranian khoresht (stew), I personally love to use the red beans with the green herbs. You eat with your eyes too! The stew is delicious as is, but you can make it your own with some toppings. It turns the simple stew into a lavish and exciting meal – visually and texturally. Fill a pot with enough water to cover the limes, place the water (without the limes) on high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Some sources say to salt the water, others don’t. I dried two batches of limes at the same time, one salted and one unsalted. It did not make any apparent difference to the drying time, nor did it noticeably impact the final taste. But it could be the invisible antibacterial properties of salt that are at play here, so I add 1 teaspoon of salt per 1 litre of water to be safe. Dried Limes (limoo omani): Dried limes are very importantfor the taste of ghormeh sabzi and are available at Persian or middle eastern stores and online. You can also dry whole limes or slices in a food dehydrator. Persian dried lime powder or fresh lime juice can also be used.Dried limes are also referred to as ‘limu Omani’ (‘Omani’ because it was first developed on Oman) and are an essential flavouring ingredient in the cuisines of Iran, Iraq, and other Gulf States. They were originally obtained in this region by leaving the limes to dry on the trees instead of harvesting them.