Instant Gooseberry Pickle | Instant Nellikai Pickle | Amla Pickle | Easy Nellikka Achar

Is Amla something that you would like to eat raw? I don't.. I like it when brined or made into a pickle or maybe a chutney or something.. I think it's coz of it's bitter taste and many would agree with me on that.. But it's a very healthy berry loaded with Vitamin C and antioxidants and many other minerals and vitamins. I don't have to elaborate that it's widely used in Ayurvedic medicines and treatments.. They are also low in calories and fat and cholesterol free. 

I have heard that it doesn't lose it's medicinal properties much even after cooked or pickled.. Not sure if it's true.. But believe me when I say that this recipe is one of the best and can make any gooseberry hate eat some ;) There is jaggery added to balance the bitterness and that gives a lift to this pickle :) We love this pickle and make it whenever I find some gooseberries :) So let's see how to make this lip-smacking pickle!

 

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Recipe source : Ma

Makes : A 300 gm bottle 

I Used:

Gooseberry/Nellikka	-	8 nos (1 cup after de-seeding)
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed
Gingelly Oil	-	¼ - ½ cup
Asafoetida	-	2 tsp
Red Chilly Powder	-	1 tbsp
Jaggery	-	½ cup
Lemon jucie/Vinegar	-	Juice of ½ a big lemon/ 3 tbsp vinegar
Mustard	-	2 tsp
Fenugreek	-	2 tsp
Mustard-Fenugreek powder	-	½ tbsp

The Way:

1. In a pan dry roast the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds for 4-5 minutes on low flame. Take care not to burn them. It starts giving a nice aroma and also the mustard will start spluttering. Then off the flame. Allow it to cool and powder them in a clean and dry mixer jar. You can grind this powder in bulk and use it for all of your pickles

2. Boil the gooseberries with salt and turmeric powder for 10-12 minutes or until cooked. Alternately you can pressure cook for 1 whistle

3. Once cooked, remove the seeds. The gooseberry will have natural cut marks on it. Gently use a knife to remove one wedge and then the remaining wedges can be removed gently using hands. Then remove the seeds and keep aside. If you want to make even smaller pieces, then go ahead and chop them

4. Now take a pan and heat the gingelly oil (nallennai). Now reduce the flame. Then add asaoetida, don't go stingy here :) Add it liberally

5. Then add red chilly powder and saute for a minute. Then add the boiled gooseberries

6. Now add the jaggery. I have used powdered organic jaggery. So added it directly. If using normal big roundels of jaggery, then scrape and take the required amount of jaggery in a pan. Add 2 tbsp water and heat it so that it dissolves completely. Allow it to cool and then filter off the impurities. Do not add more water as it can spoil the pickle. Now add the filtered jaggery syrup to the gooseberries

7. Give a nice mix and then bring it to a boil. Now switch off the flame and add the mustard-fenugreek powder and give a gentle nice stir

8. Then add lemon juice or vinegar. Not both, either one and mix gently

9. Store the pickle in a clean, dry, glass container. You should be able to see oil floating on the top of the container else chances of the pickle getting spoilt are very high. Leave in a clean place for a day or two for the flavours to soak in and then refrigerate it

Notes:

• If you do not like gooseberry bites in your pickle or want to mask it all together, after cooking the berries, mash them into a smooth paste 
• Add either lemon juice or vinegar. Don't add both. I would suggest to go for lemon juice
• Store in a clean and dry glass container for longer shelf life
• Refrigerate if possible after a day of making the pickle for longer life
• Always use a clean dry spoon to take the pickle from the bottle
• Allow a layer of oil on top of the container for longer life and it prevents from mold formation on top of the pickle

Cheers,
Chitz

Uppilitta Nellikka| Uppu Nellikka | Nellikka Uppilittathu | Gooseberries in Brine | Brined Gooseberry

Visit to Deepak's hometown Calicut is never complete without a visit to the kozhikode beach and the visit to Kozhikode beach is never complete without having the uppilitta maanga and uppilitta nelikka. Now some may argue that it's not hygienic to have them from the street side vendors but... I myself think about it every time I buy from them, but the sight of it just makes you crave them so much that you will be able to forgo the hygienic thought for a minute ;) It's not just gooseberries and raw mangoes that are brined there. Almost any possible veggie and fruit is brined in those big jars.. Gauva, Pineapple, Cucumber and so on.. Maybe next time I will take a pic and upload here ;)

So what do you do when you do not have the luxury of having them as often as you would like them to? You re-create them at home ! This is very easy to make. Just make sure that you take care of some things like using a glass container to store them and never to use your hands and instead take the brined gooseberries out from the container using spoon or fork. You can also use up the brine once the gooseberries are over. Take about half glass of the brine, add some lemon juice and another half a glass of soda. Mix well and tada, as Deeps says, it's divine :) Can quench you in an instant after that long run or heavy workout.. 

And you know what? I had kept this in the fridge and forgot to click the pics. Was thinking that I will click them after a few days once they swell up. After a few days Deeps and Dhruv ate one and warned me 'Take the pics fast and don't blame us if they get over'. Two days later, i found the bottle half empty. It was almost in the evening and light was low. I was thinking should i click now? Will I get decent pics? Then I thought it's better to get at least pics with half the bottle of gooseberries than to get none at all. So went ahead and clicked them ;) So what you waiting for? Go brine those gooseberries that are in season now :)

Makes: A 500 gm bottle with 8 gooseberries 

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

I Used:

Gooseberry	-	7-8 nos
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Salt	-	As needed
Water	-	1 ½ cup

The Way:

1. Rinse the gooseberries well and allow them to dry. you can pat them dry using a kitchen towel

2. Then using a fork make small prick marks all over the gooseberry. This is for the salt to sink in well in the gooseberry

3. Rub salt all over the gooseberry

4. Heat water in a saucepan. Allow it to come to boil and then cool it to room temperature

5. Now take the prepped gooseberries in a glass bottle or container. Add slit green chillies and salt. Then pour the water into it. The water level should be above the gooseberries. Check for salt. The water should be salty (slightly more than normal salty taste). If not sufficient add accordingly

6. Rest it for a day or two and then you can refrigerate it. Leave it for at least a week before having it

Notes:

• Some use vinegar or lime juice also. But we do not prefer it to be too sour, so we skip it. If you want to add, remove 1/4 part water and add vinegar instead or juice of 1 lime
• I allowed the gooseberries to rest for a day in room temperature and then refrigerated it for a month and then used it
• Avoid using plastic containers to preserve this. I did once and also did not refrigerate them and they developed mold and had to discard them
• You can also use up the brine once the gooseberries are over. Take about half glass of the brine, add some lemon juice and another half a glass of soda. Mix well and serve

Cheers,

Chitz