Amla Pickle

I have now officially graduated to make more sophisticated stuff that moms are famous for!! I made some pickle and surprise, surprise. It did come out very well to my amusement!

It all started during lunch time when S had got some homemade andhra style amla pickle made by her aunt. I was smitten!! I told her to give me the recipe and she promised to do so. Little did she know how much adament I am when it comes to getting hold of traditional recipes :) When she was visiting her hometown I called her and got the recipe thanks to her co-operative aunt who told all the little details.

Next stop was the Supermarket and I was all set. I was warned that this is not the season to make pickle but determined I was!!

Amla or Hogplum or the Indian Gooseberry is an amazing fruit with extraordinary benefits. You can read all about it here. This pickle made of Amla is very easy to make and tastes so good.

You will need:

• Amla - 1 kg



• Groundnut Oil - 1 1/2 cup (for frying)



• Groundnut Oil - 1/2 cup (for tempering)



• Salt - 4-5 tbsp



• Chilli Powder - 4 tbsp



• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tbsp



• Tamarind - 1 ball the of meduim apple



• Mustard Seed - 2 tbsp (tempering)



• Jeera - 1 tbsp



• Methi or Fenugreek Seeds and Mustard seeds- 1 tbsp each (Dry Roast)



• Chana Dal - 2 tbsp



• Water 2 cups



• Garlic - 4 whole (peeled and minced roughly)

Method

1. Cut and de-seed the Amla.



2. Dry it in the sun for about a couple of hours till the moisture has been removed.



3. Dry roast the methi and mustard. Once done, cool it and powder it. Set aside for later use.



4. Heat the groundnut oil for frying and fry the amla for 5-10 min till Amla is brown.



5. Strain and cool the Amla.



6. Take salt and haldi in 1 cup of water and bring it to boil. Once bubbly, simmer it for about 5 -10 minutes. Set aside to cool.



7. Take the tamarind and bring it to boil in 1 cup water, simmering when the mixture thickens, for about 10 minutes. Cool it.



8. Once the tamarind paste is cooled extract the paste through a sieve removing any seeds impurities. Set aside.



9. Now add the tamarind paste and the salt-haldi mixture in a dry bowl. Add the chilli powder, Amla and the raosted and ground methi-mustard seed powder. Mix well with a dry spatula.



10. For the tempering, heat the oil. Add Jeera, Mustard, Chana Dal and Garlic and fry till the spices and garlic are well browned.



11. Cool this mixture and then add it to the amla mixture.



12. Transfer the amla pickle into an air tight container.



13. If you find that the pickle is dry, add some oil (boiled and cooled) to the mixture.



14. Enjoy your pickle with Rice or Rotis!!

P.S: Mine didn't last for a long since it got over :) I am making some more right now!!!