Amla or gooseberries are the ancient traditions in the Indian sub-continent for their immense medicinal values. Vitamin C is its mainstay besides being loaded with antioxidants, Vitamin B complex, calcium, phosphorus, and carotene, to name a few. Innocuous looking, translucent, greenish amla has much to offer for your good health.
- It has great detoxification properties
- Supports heart, brain, lungs, liver, and stomach functions
- Great for healthy eyes, hair, and glowing skin
- Terminates free-radicals and offers a healthier body and longevity.
Why you would need all those supplements when you can have amla in your food? Here are a few recipes with immense benefits.
1. Gooseberries (Amla) Jam or Murabba
A winter preserve, amla murabba is your any time vitamin C supplement. This tasty yet easy to make recipe is just amazing.
Ingredients: 500gm amlas, 500gm sugar, a ¼ spoon of cardamom powder, and few strands of saffron.
Method: Wash amlas, prick them with the fork, boil them on high flame for 10 minutes, then drain out the water. Dissolve sugar in 3 cups of water to make syrup, boil, and add amlas for 15-minutes until tender.
Let the mixture cool in a pan, cover it, and let it stay in syrup for 2 days. Take out amlas and boil syrup again to higher density, after adding saffron and cardamom powder. Add amlas again to boil for a few minutes, let it cool to store it in a dry jar.
Ref: Tarla Dalal
2. Amla Honey party drink
Enjoy a sweet and sour cool and flavored healthy drink.
Ingredients: 4 chopped amlas, 1tsp amla crush, ½ tsp powdered star anise or ‘Chakri Phool’, 1tbsp honey, and ice.
Method: Blend all the ingredients in 1-1/2 cup of water, then strain it. Add honey and ice to serve after garnishing with Chakri Phool.
Ref: Tarla Dalal
3 Gooseberry (Amla) Crumble
Ingredients: 500g gooseberry (Amla) washed, 175gm plain flour, 85gm Golden castor sugar, 75 gm Demerara sugar. 85 g salted butter.
Method: Preheat the oven, mix amlas with castor sugar, spread in the baking tray with 2tbsp water. Now make crumble with the flour, butter, and a pinch of salt. Mix them well then add Demerara sugar. Spread the mix atop gooseberries to bake for 40 minutes.
Ref: BBC Good food
4. Amla (gooseberry) Pickle
This pickle will make your meal even more healthy and interesting.
Ingredients: 20 amlas, 6 tsp fennel seeds (Saunf), 1/2 tsp asafoetida (Hing), coarsely ground 6 tsp split fenugreek seeds (Methi Kuria), 2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji), 6 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp turmeric powder (Haldi), 4 tbsp mustard oil, 3 tsp salt.
Method: Wash and boil amlas for 10 minutes, take out, and cut them into pieces. Boil amlas for approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Drain water and allow them to cool. Cut the amlas in pieces.
Mix all ingredients well with mustard oil and toss them together with amlas.
Keep the pickles in a glass jar and expose it to the sunlight for 4 days. It is good to eat for 1 month and about 6 months in the fridge.
5. Sun-dried amla
Eat dried and lemony amlas.
Ingredients: Amlas, lemon juice, and salt
Method: Wash amlas, cut into thin slices without seeds, add lemon & salt then sun dry them for few days after spreading all on a big platter.
Have a happy time with Amla!
References:
https://www.tarladalal.com/recipes-using-amla-49
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/gooseberry
