This is a re-post of my pickled lime recipe that I shared perhaps 4-years ago? When I redesign my website this recipe is one of a few that did not get transfered.

Pickled lime is a key ingredient when making the infamous Cambodian Pickled Lime Chicken Soup ស្ងោរម៉ាន់ណាំងូវ (Sngor Mon Num Ngov).

Advance preparation is required. The process of making Num Ngow is fairly simple, but it’s the preserving  process that is time consuming. Basically you make it and forget, for awhile that is.

Pickled Lime (makes 20 pickled lime)
(Num Ngov) ណាំងូវ

Ingredients
20 limes
½ cup sugar
1 cup salt
3 quarts water
clean container large to fit

Method
Several weeks in advance rinse limes and let them dry (sit) in the sun for a week or so. Remember to rotate them often so that all sides get their fair share of sunshine. The color will change from green to yellow and eventually tan. It should be ready when the outer skin feels a bit harden to the touch. It will loose it round shape and some will appear to be inflated.

Use a damp towel and gently clean the skin as they might have collected dust while tanning. Arrange inside a clean plastic or glass container.

Set a pot on medium to low heat and add sugar. Constantly stir the sugar until it caramelize be careful not to burn it. The color will turn to a rich brown color.

Slowly add water and salt and stir to dissolve and incorporate.  I usually allow the mixture to cool down a bit before pouring into the contained filled with sun-dried limes.

Close the container lid and leave it out on the counter for another week.  After that you can store it in a cool dark cupboard. I usually wait at least a month before I use it. The longer you store it the more flavorful it gets.

*This was the only batch (20 limes) I’ve made in the past 4-years. Because of it’s rich flavor a recipe usually calls just for one pickled lime. If you made this much, it will last you a very long time.

Another Cambodian comfort food. I think pickled lime ណាំងូវ (Num Ngov) is an acquired taste because I recall growing up not liking the smell so it was hard for me to take a step forward and eat the darn soup. But as time goes by I got used to it and became a fan of Pickled Lime Chicken Soup ស្ងោរម៉ាន់ណាំងូវ (Sngor Mon Num Ngov).  I crave it even more when I moved away from my Parents. I love it most during cold winter days or when I’m feeling under the weather just like some people crave Chicken Noodle Soup when they are sick.

I believe you can purchase pickled lime at some Asian Supermarket however it’s very easy to make it yourself. About 3 years ago I got a whole bunch of limes for dirt cheap so I decided to pickle them. The longer you keep it, the better it gets (at least in my opinion). One pickled lime goes a very long way!

Enjoy my recipe for Pickled Lime Chicken Soup. I have made this with a variety of chicken (black, game hen, regular whole chicken) and each one has it’s own uniqueness and equally delicious. You can either cook the chicken in bite size pieces or cook it as a whole and then remove and hand shred the meat and discard the bones which is how I made it today.

Pickled Lime Chicken Soup (makes 2-3)
(Sngor Mon Num Ngov) ស្ងោរម៉ាន់ណាំងូវ

Ingredients
2 chicken leg quarters
1 pickled lime
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and mash (amount adjust to your liking)
2 stalk green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
5-6 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to taste)
5-6 dried chilies (optional)
3 cups of water

Method:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add chicken and garlic and dried chilies if using. Cook chicken throughly, skim off foam if necessary. If you are using bite size chicken, proceed to the next step. If you want to remove the meat from the bone, now is the time to do so. Remove cooked chicken from the pot and allow to cool before picking off the meat. Then return it back to the pot.

Add sugar, fish sauce and pickled lime. Break the pickled lime into pieces to release the flavors into the soup. Continue to cook and mix it all in another 2 minutes. Taste and adjust sugar and fish sauce accordingly.

Turn off the heat and add the green onions. The soup can be enjoyed as it or eaten with steamed rice.