Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest |

MEALS THAT HEAL

Amazing amla

Photo: A. Shaikmohideen

RICH IN VITAMIN C Gooseberry

The tree is small to medium-sized, reaching 8 to 18 m in height, with a crooked trunk and spreading branches. The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, smooth and hard, with 6 vertical stripes or furrows. Ripening in autumn, the berries a re harvested by hand. The taste of Indian gooseberry (amla) is sour, bitter and astringent. The fruit is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries with salt and water to make the sour fruits palatable.

The dried and fresh fruits are used in folk medicine. All parts of the plant are used in various Ayurvedic herbal preparations. It may be used as a rasayana to promote longevity, to enhance digestion, treat constipation, reduce fever, purify the blood, reduce cough, alleviate asthma, strengthen the heart, benefit the eyes and stimulate hair growth.

Popularly used in inks, shampoos and hair oils, the high tannin content of Indian gooseberry serves as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics. Amla shampoos and hair oil are traditionally believed to nourish the hair and scalp and prevent premature grey hair.

Amla has been found to be an abundant source of Vitamin C. The fresh fruit contains more than 80 per cent of water besides protein, carbohydrates, fibre, minerals and vitamins. Minerals and vitamins mainly include calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, Vitamin C and B complex.

Rural folk in India eat the highly acid, fresh, raw fruit, and follow it with water, which produces a sweet and refreshing aftertaste. It is a common practice in Indian homes to cook the fruits whole with sugar and saffron and give one or two to the children every morning. When preserving it whole, the fruit is first brined, washed and pricked, blanched in an alum solution, layered with sugar until a syrup is formed, and then boiled. It is packed in cans or crystallised as a confection. In India, a sauce is made from the dried, chipped flesh. The chips are cooked in water, mashed in a mortar with caraway seeds, and seasoned with salt and yoghurt. The fruits can be used fresh or dried. The dried pieces or powder can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year. Generally amla is used in pickles, preserves and jams.

Now, for a recipe.

Ingredients

Indian gooseberries: 10-12 (cut into

pieces and remove the seeds)

Chilli powder:1 cup

Salt: three-fourth cup

Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds: 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 2 tbsp

Garlic paste: 3 tbsp

Lime juice: half cup

Oil: 2 cups

Method: Wipe the cut gooseberries with a dry towel and keep them aside in a bowl. Dry roast the fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds and powder them. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, garlic paste, and fenugreek and mustard powder to the gooseberry pieces. Now add the lime juice and oil and mix well. Store it in a dry jar. The pickle lasts for one month and goes well with rice, dosa and chapatis.

Note: Make sure your hands are not wet while making the pickle.

RISHI MANUCHA

SOUS CHEF

TAJ CONNEMARA

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail