I made several bottles of lime and mango achar using this recipe https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/8400937-mango-and-lime-pickle
I put it all in glass bottles and they are completely covered in mustard oil. They are now producing gas suggesting they are fermenting. They have been in the bottles for about 4 weeks now, out of the fridge.
Is this normal and how do I know it will be safe to eat?
Also, the limes were still quite tough, I tried one after about a week.
This is perfectly normal - for a rotting dish, that is. I’m sorry, but this preparation is by no means safe after four weeks at room temperature.
The recipe states:
This pickle is ready. Serve immediately or after few days.
And I would tend to interpret that as “after a few days in the fridge”. So while some pickles are supposed to age for a while before serving and some are safe at room temperature for months, this one isn’t. The difference is that in your recipe there is no step that would kill possible pathogens and seal the contents of the jars airtight (e.g. canning) or other means of reliability restricting bacteria and fungal growth (e.g. a very acidic environment). Frying the components is not the same as sterilization or pasteurization, covering with oil protects somewhat from oxygen, but anaerobic bacteria has a field day in the veggies and fruit beneath the oil.
Please be safe and do not consume this dish, discard it instead.
