Lime pickles have a hot and a tangy taste at the same time and hence are liked by all. Lime pickles can be eaten with any of the main course Indian recipes. The ingredients and their quantities required for making lime pickle are as follows;

1. 1 kg limes/ lemons
2. 100 g cooking salt
3. 500 g sugar
4. 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
5. 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
6. Half a teaspoon cloves
7. Chili powder as per taste required
8. 75 g of grated ginger root
9. Fenugreek (methi seeds)
10. Mustard seeds

The lime pickle recipe is as follows;
Keep the limes in a bowl filled with cold water. Soak the limes for a night. Drain the water in the morning. This will make the limes clean as well as softer and tangier. After removing them from water, cut the top and the bottom parts. Then either slice or cut quarters of the limes for final preparation of the pickle. Generally thick skinned and juicy lemons are used for making pickle. The thick skin softens as the time passes and after about a month the skins become soft and the pickle is ready to eat. To avoid bitterness of the pickle, the seeds must be removed. Sprinkle some salt on these cut pieces. This will ensure longer life of the pickle.

The next step in the recipe is to grind and mix the spices. Drain all the extra liquid from the limes but retain the juice that has been produced because of the sprinkling of salt. The liquid should then be placed in a large cooking pot for proper mixing of all the ingredients. Add adequate quantity of sugar and the ground spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Keep stirring the mixture so that the sugar is dissolved. Boil this mixture for another minute.

Remove the pot from heat. Add the chili powder to the mixture and stir well to evenly distribute the chili powder. Leave the mixture to cool. Finally add the limes and the grated ginger. Mix these very well.

The last step in the recipe is to put the final preparation into sterilized glass jars so that there is no contamination and the pickle lasts longer. Care has to be taken that there are no air gaps. Seal the jars properly. Leave the jars in warm places such as window sills or balconies and terraces where there is ample sunlight. The jars must be placed for about 4 to 5 days. The pickle is then ready to be stored. The lime pickle is then ready after 4 to 5 weeks.

Each state in India has its own style and combination in making Indian recipes. The Indian recipes are renowned for its gravies, which is a tasty attraction for a newcomer. In Indian cuisine, food is categorized into six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent.

In Indian recipes, bread refers to roti, naan and paratha. The Indian roti is thin and flat made of atta (wholewheat) and cooked on a tava, cast-iron griddle or tandoor. The naan is soft and fluffy, made from maida (plain flour) with a little bit of yeast. Parathas are layered breads rolled out of wheat flour but fried in a little oil or ghee.

The Indian snacks consists of the famous mouth-watering samosas, aloo tikki, dhokla and bread rolls.

An Indian food is considered incomplete without sweet dishes like gulab jamun, kulfi, gajjar ka halwa, rasgulla, etc.

The Non-Vegetarian part of Indian recipes comprises of dishes like tandoori tikkas, kababs, roshan goshts, butter chicken, biryani and much more.

In North and West India, groundnut oil has traditionally been most popular for cooking, while in Eastern India mustard oil is more commonly used. In South India, coconut and gingelly oil is common. In recent decades, sunflower oil and soyabean oil have gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, also known as ghee, is also a popular cooking medium that replaces Desi ghee, clarified butter (the milk solids have been removed).

North Indian recipes are predominated by high use of dairy products; milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt. Gravies are generally dairy-based and can include chilies, saffron, and nuts. East Indian recipes comprise of desserts as rasgulla, chumchum, sandesh, rasabali, chhena poda and chhena gaja. Apart from sweets, East Indian recipes are famous for its posta (poppy seeds) content.

South Indian recipes are based of rice as the staple grain. Sambar and rasam (also called saaru andrasa), a variety of pickles, and the liberal use of coconut and particularly coconut oil and curry leaves are prevalent. Curries called Kozhambu are also popular and are typically vegetable stews cooked with spices, tamarind and other ingredients. The dosa, poori, idli, vada, bonda and bajji are typical South Indian favorites.

Western India has three major food groups: Gujarati, Maharashtrian and Goan consisting of rice, coconut, and fish. The hilly regions of the Western Ghats and Deccan plateau regions use groundnut in place of coconut and depend more on jowar (sorghum) and bajra (millet) as staples. Gujarati recipes are predominantly vegetarian and have a hint of sweetness due to use of sugar or brown sugar.

Honey mustard receipe can be made using various methods. .Honey mustard sauce is sweet and delicious. For preparing honey mustard sauce that is fat free you should have 8 parts of fat free mayonnaise. You should also have 1 part honey, 2 parts of Heinz mustard and 1 part sugar. After mixing honey, sugar and mustard together add mayonnaise. Blend and then serve it. Honey mustard sauce is used for salad dressing, for dipping fried seafood.

Honey mustard BBQ SAUCE can be prepared in the following way
You should have the following ingredients:
1 jumbo packet of  chicken parts, 6 tablespoon of salted  butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 i.e. 8oz jar of spicy brown mustard, ½ c. of apple cider vinegar, 1/3 c of honey, ½ tablespoon of  Tabasco sauce.   First sprinkle chicken with salt. In the saucepan cook garlic and butter for 5 mins. Cook them over low heat and stir frequently. Stir in honey, vinegar, mustard and Tabasco sauce. Cook the mixture over low heat for 10 to 15 mins
There is one more simple method of making honey mustard sauce. The ingredients include ½ c of honey and ½ c. of Dijon mustard. Blend all these ingredients together in a bowl with whisk. Put this mixture in refrigerator for minimum 1 hour.

Honey mustard dipping sauce can be prepared in the following way
The ingredients are1/2 c of honey. ½ c of Dijon mustard and 1 table spoon of cider vinegar. Over low heat bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 1 minute and stir it constantly. The mixture is about 1 minute.  The sauce contains only 1 gram of fat and has no cholesterol.

Another method of preparing honey mustard sauce is taking 1c of whip salad dressing, 4 tablespoon of mustard and 2-table spoon of honey. Mix together until the mixture becomes smooth. This sauce is used in basting meat on grill.

There is one more dish in which honey mustard sauce is the main ingredient. The dish is Roast chicken with curried honey mustard sauce. To prepare this dish  take 2 whole broiler chicken breasts, 1 onion chopped, 1/3c of honey, 1 tablespoon of curry powder, 1/3 c of spicy mustard and 2 minced garlic gloves. In a small bowl prepare sauce by mixing mustard, honey, garlic and curry. Place the chicken with its skin side up in a shallow baking pan Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake it at around 350 degrees. Bake it around 1 hour.

There is one easy way for preparing honey mustard sauce. It is wonderful on salads.
The ingredients are ½ cup of Kraft mayonnaise, ¼ cup of honey and ¼ cup of mustard, 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and 1 dash salt of cayenne pepper. Whisk all the ingredients together and chill.

The mustard oil that we get from pressed seeds has a very strong smell. The smell is like strong cabbage. This vegetable oil has a nutty taste and is made from black mustard, white mustard and brown mustard. This mustard oil is made up of erucic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid and fatty acids.

Mustard oil was considered unsuitable for human consumption in countries like United States and Canada as content of erucic acid is more which is considered to be harmful for health. Research has shown that after heating, the oil is safe for human consumption.   Mustard oil is more used in countries like Bangladesh and India. Mustard seed oil has very low saturated content. Mustard oil contains essential vitamins. That is why it is also used in cooking. Mustard oil also has anti oxidant and cholesterol reducing properties that help to detoxify the body. It is one of the wisest health investment. In courtiers like India, mustard oil is heated to smoking before using it for cooking. Heating is done for reducing the harmful substances. Heating is also done for reducing the nutty taste and strong smell.

Mustard oil is used everyday in Indian households. In some parts of India, mustard used is used for massages. Research has shown that massage with mustard oil improves blood circulation, enhances muscular development texture gives good texture to skin. This oil also is antibacterial. The level of artery clogging fatty acid is very low and hence is good for heart. It has high level of   mono unsaturated fatty acid and omega 3 fatty acid. Experts have proved that mustard oil is healthy cooking oil as it contains thirty percent calcium, phenolics, phytins and protein. It has immense nutritional benefits and is far more superior to other oils. It is organic oil that is free of pesticides, thus preventing blood and stomach related ailments.

Mustard oil is used as a preservative. It is also used for flavouring western foods and Indian recipes. Mustard seed is also useful for imparting flavour to chutneys and pickles. As the oil is not costly, it is economical to use it everyday.  Mustard oil has higher refractive index and lower saponification value as compared to other refined vegetable oils. It is third largest vegetable oil that is manufactured in the world.

Mustard oil is most preferred for medicinal and culinary usages. Medicinal value of this oil has been emphasized in many ancient holy literatures. Mustard oil if used everyday for cooking can not only increase the life span but will also helps to stay healthy and fit.

The most important aspect of pickles is that it should be crunchy and have a wonderful taste. For this salt is the most important ingredient and not any ordinary salt. A special pickling salt is used for the pickling purposes. Moreover, when selecting the fruit or the vegetable to be pickled, care has to be taken that it is fresh, about medium sized and a bit thick skinned in case of limes.

In making pickles some of the equipment that is required is generally the same for all pickles. Only the spices and the fruit may vary. The equipment includes jars with lids, pickling salt, fruit or vegetables to be pickled, spices such as mustard seeds, cumin seeds, allspice, cloves, garlic, etc, oil, vinegar, water bath, etc. There are different types of pickle that can be made. How to make cucumber pickles is explained below;

Remove the top and the bottom of each of cucumber and make sure to wash them well.  Add salt to a tub or sink and place them in it. Remove the cucumbers in about 2 hours and discard the liquid. In a large cooking pot, mix well mustard seeds, vinegar, sugar, water, and other ingredients mentioned as per the specific recipe. Put the cucumbers in sterilized jars and pour the hot mixture over them leaving just half a centimeter space at the top. Place the jars in boiling water for about 10 minutes for further process. For 2 months store in a cool and dark place and then the pickle is ready to consume.

Sweet pickles are another kind of pickle. They are made with almost the same ingredients as a cucumber pickle except that the quantity of sugar used is much higher in sweet pickles.

How to make pickles with lime? The ingredients used for lime pickles are lemons, sugar, salt, spices, oil, chili powder and ginger. Making these kinds of pickles is a very easy job. Cut in quarters are the lemons. Mixed well in a cooking pot all the other ingredients. Boil the mixture. The limes are placed in sterilized jars and the mixture is added to it. In a period of 8 weeks the pickle is ready to consume.

The ingredients may change, but pickles recipes in general are very easy and simple to make. Hence, a number of variations can be easily tried while making pickles. Of utmost importance is the taste and flavor of the pickles, which depends on the ingredients. Careful selection of ingredients is required.