Ingredients
The limes
- 30small fresh limes
- thin-skinned
- water, to cover
- 3 tablespoonssalt
To dry
- strong sun
- or a very low oven
- a rack or net
To use in a stew
- 2or 3 whole limes
- pierced
- or 1 teaspoon ground
To brew as tea
- 1lime, crushed
- 300 mlboiling water
- sugar, to taste
Directions
- Pierce each one two or three times. Use powder sparingly for that reason. It is drunk hot and sweetened. Pick small thin-skinned limes. Thin skins dry very much faster. Wash all of the limes thoroughly. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add all of the salt to the water. The salt helps preserve the fruit. Let them boil for a few minutes. Three or four minutes is enough. Take them out while still whole. Draining them is straightforward enough. Lift the limes out with a slotted spoon. Let them drain very thoroughly. Spread them out on a rack or net.
- Set them in strong direct sun. They need real sun and dry air. Bring them in at night if it is humid. Turn every one of them over daily. Full drying takes two or three weeks. Set it to its very lowest setting. Give them several hours with the door ajar.
- Discard any that smell musty rather than sour. Discard any with visible mould. Keep them all in a sealed jar. Keep them somewhere dry and dark. They keep for a year or even more. Pierce each lime two or three times.
- Add them to the pot with the liquid. They give their flavour over an hour. Break one dried lime right open. Shake out and discard the seeds. It is worth the one extra minute.
- Grind the shell and pulp to a powder. Sieve it to remove any coarse pieces. Grind only as much as you need. Crush one dried lime up roughly. Put it into a cup or a small pot.
- Pour boiling water over the top. Steeping it takes about five minutes. Let it steep for five minutes. Five minutes gives the sourness alone. Strain the lime out if you like. Add plenty of sugar to your own taste. Add sugar generously rather than lightly. Serving it is done hot in a cup.
Technique
- The limes are boiled in salt water and then dried completely: boiling kills the fruit so it does not rot and softens the skin for drying, and the salt preserves it further. Without that first boil they mould rather than drying. Full sun drying takes two or three weeks and cannot be rushed — a finished lime feels very light, is hard right through and rattles faintly when shaken, because the dried pulp has shrunk loose inside the skin. A silent one is still damp inside, and incomplete drying lets mould grow within, which is the main failure of the process.
- The seeds and pith turn bitter with long cooking, which is why whole limes are pierced, added to the pot and then fished out after about an hour rather than left in. Ground lime powder cannot be removed once added, so use it sparingly — a teaspoon flavours a whole pot — and shake the seeds out before grinding, since they are the most bitter part.
- These are the loomi that appear throughout the atlas in marqooqa, margoog, mataziz, mumawash and murabyan, and are called limoo omani in Iran; this entry is the ingredient itself.
Substitutions
- A very low oven with the door ajar dries them over several hours, though the result is paler than sun-dried.
- Ground lime powder disperses immediately and gives a faster sourness; whole pierced limes give a gentler one and can be removed.
Variations
- Choose small thin-skinned limes, since thick-skinned fruit holds moisture and moulds before it dries.
- The best go fully black inside and are the most prized; lighter dried limes are milder and both are used.
- Crushed dried lime brewed for five minutes and sweetened generously is drunk as a hot tea across the Gulf.
History
Named for Basra, the Gulf port where limes were boiled in salt water and dried; they perfume Iraqi stews.
Frequently asked questions
What is Noomi Basra?
Noomi Basra is a sauce & condiment from Iraq: dried black limes, boiled then sun-dried, crushed into stews and brewed as tea. Named for Basra, the Gulf port where limes were boiled in salt water and dried; they perfume Iraqi stews.
How long does Noomi Basra take to make?
Noomi Basra takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes, plus drying of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 limes. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Noomi Basra?
Yes, within limits. A very low oven with the door ajar dries them over several hours, though the result is paler than sun-dried. Ground lime powder disperses immediately and gives a faster sourness; whole pierced limes give a gentler one and can be removed.
What is the most important thing to get right in Noomi Basra?
Discard any that smell musty rather than sour. Discard any with visible mould. Keep them all in a sealed jar. Keep them somewhere dry and dark. They keep for a year or even more. Pierce each lime two or three times.
