Gooseberry Pickle (Amla Pickle)

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Nellikai Urugai, Nellikai Pickle, Amla Achar, Amla Achaar)

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Gooseberry (Amla / Nellikai) is a very old fruit in India. It is usually eaten raw or pickled. The fruit has been tested and proven to reduce the blood sugar and cholesterol.

Amla has a thick flesh when eaten raw. When you first take a bite into the fruit, it tastes kind of bitter and sour. However after you swallow the fruit it gives a very sweet after taste. Kids often enjoy drinking a cup of water after eating the fruit. You can actually taste the sweetness of the fruit for quite some time when you swallow the water.

Here I've giving you a traditional pickle recipe of gooseberry. This amla achar is easy to prepare and tastes very good.

Recipe For Gooseberry Pickle

Ingredients

• Indian gooseberry (Amla / Nellikai) - 1/2 kg
• Salt - 4-5 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Sesame oil - 4 tbsp
• Red Chilly Powder - 5 tbsp
• Asafoetida - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Method

1. Wash the whole gooseberries and dry it completely.
2. Take the gooseberries in a clay jar or glass bottle. Add the salt and turmeric powder to it. Keep it covered for 2-3 days. Toss the bottle once or twice a day. The gooseberries will absorb all the salt and become soft.
3. If you want to skip the above step and make instant Gooseberry Pickle, then boil the gooseberries with 1/2 cup of water with salt. Boil until the gooseberries become soft and then proceed.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
5. Switch off and then add the asafoetida and red chilly powder.  
6. Add this to the soft salted gooseberries. Let the pickle absorb all the flavors for at least 3 days before enjoying.

Serving Suggestion

• After 3 days, tasty Gooseberry Pickle is ready to serve with curd rice or any other dish. This will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 months.

Storing Gooseberry Pickle

Nowadays everyone owns a refrigerator. So, storing and preserving the pickle has become very simple. Moreover, people have become very health conscious. Everyone prefer to make instant pickles with less oil and salt. With the above recipe, you can control the amount of salt and oil.

However, if for any reason, you plan to preserve the pickle for a long period without a refrigerator, please do take care of the following steps while making the pickle:-

1. The gooseberries should have absolutely no moisture before starting.
2. You have to double the amount of salt and oil as they are the main preservatives. The oil should float above the level of gooseberries.
3. Dry roast 2 tsp of mustard seeds and 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds, powder it and add to the pickle. These are preservatives too.
4. Finally, add 2 tbsp of vinegar. This also helps in preserving the pickle.  

Variation

• You can chop the gooseberries into segments and make the pickle.
• Check out the amla pickle Kerala style recipe @ Nellika Achaar.

More Pickle Recipes

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Gooseberry Rice	Gooseberry Chutney	Gooseberry Sharbat	Gooseberry Dal
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