Gooseberry (Amla) Pickle

Gooseberry Pickle:

Gooseberry or Amla (in Hindi), is a seasonal fruit. In south India, it is harvested in December – January. All the Amla preparations are done around this time of the year.

Amla is known to contain very high levels of Vitamin C. So eat Healthy and stay Healthy.

I watched my mom make this pickle as a youngster, but never took the recipe from her. After her demise, I wanted to make it; neither my sister nor my sister-in-law knew exactly what went into the pickle. So, with trial and error, I got the hang of it, finally.

The pickle does not stay long; may be a month or two max. So please keep it in the refrigerator. Do not change the proportion of the spices. You may increase or decrease the number of gooseberries, depending on how spicy you can eat.

Ingredients:

Gooseberries or Amla – 1 kg.

Oil – 250 ml.

Chilli powder – 50 gms.

Salt – 50 gms.

Mustard powder (Rayi) - 50 gms.

For garnishing – 1 tsp. (together) of rayi (mustard seeds), methi (fenugreek seeds) seeds

Asafoetida powder– ¼ tsp.

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp.

Preparation:

·         Wash and wipe Gooseberries.

·         Heat 2 tbs. oil in a sauce pan, and add cleaned gooseberries.

·         Cover the pan with a deep plate with water in it. Cook the berries until tender and remove from stove. Let it cool. or

·         Pour 200 ml. (approxi.) water into a pressure cooker / pan, and cook the berries in it until 1 whistle. Remove from stove. Let it cool. 

·         Mix chilli powder, mustard powder, salt, turmeric to the cooked berries along with the water.

·         Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan; add rayi and methi seeds. When they start spluttering, add asafoetida. Take the pan off the stove.

·         Pour the garnishing over the pickle mixture.