amla chutney | mashed Indian gooseberry with mustard and turmeric


Indian amla berries

Amla (Indian gooseberry) is in season and I have started making fresh chutneys with it. Amla chutney is my way to supplement my winter meals with more oomph and some Vitamin C. This amla chutney was something my grandmother used to make almost twice every week and we used to have it on every possible bread or cracker we could lay our hands on.

Full of Vitamins C, Carotenoids, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron and many more health benefits, amla is supposed to be a great antioxidant food good for kaya kalpa (rejuvenation), it helps cleansing the system and tones the GI tract as per Naturopathy practitioners. No wonder this is an essential ingredient in many kitchens all over India including mine, in some or the other form. I used to add an amla to my daughters khichdi every day. Adding an amla to your daals (or lentil soups) is a great idea to incorporate some seasonal goodness to your meals...

amla chutney recipe

I make this chutney every year and use it as a side subzi in fact (like a bharta). This is my grandmother's recipe and she used to make large quantities of this, although it used to last only a couple of days sometimes. Recipe is simple but the end product is very versatile in it's use.
Read on...

amla chutney recipe

ingredients...
amla (Indian gooseberries) 250 gm
yellow mustard seeds 1.5 tbsp
ginger chopped 2 tbsp
garlic cloves 15 or more
green chillies 10 or more
salt to taste
turmeric powder 1.5 tbsp (preferably organic)
mustard oil 2 tsp

procedure ....

Boil the amla using a cup of water till they are soft and yield to touch. The segments of amla should get disintegrated when pressed. Reserve the water.

amla chutney recipe

Make a powder of mustard seeds, add all the other ingredients except mustard oil into the mixie jar and make a fine paste, adding the amla water.

Add the boiled amla segments and make a paste with it, add the mustard oil and the mash/chutney is ready.

It tastes better the next day but it can be consumed right away, we like the chutney with any meal that we have planned for the day. The day I photographed it we had Bathua parathas with it. Just smear the mash over the parathas like you spread butter on bread, roll up and enjoy.

Or have with methi paratha and some stir fry vegetables like this..

amla chutney recipe

Or if you are like me, wrap the chutney smeared parathas around a slaw salad. Here I have used slivers of radish and spring onions dressed in English mustard as a filling .... yummy...

amla chutney recipe

I get many requests for lunch box ideas and this combo can be a great option for that. This wrap can be assembled at the time of consumption and the chutney and salad can be packed separately if packing for a lunch box.

This amla chutney has survived all the dips, ketchups and sauces that have invaded the markets and we love it till the amla season lasts here in the north of India. The true amla chutney that has passed the test of time as well as competition from the modern convenient packaged stuff. It is useful for cleansing the body, improving immunity, toning up the GI tract and is packed with antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties. Please let me know whenever you try this one.

Cheers.

Comments

  1. chutney is awesome and i love the sandwich paratha.. looks delicious with the crunch of radish and spring onions along with this cutney..

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  2. Different. In south indian cooking, we make pickles out of it. I have never used it as such in cooking..

    Nice one.

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  3. beautiful recipe. I only eat murabba and salted amla ...this one is definitely tempting.

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  4. Sangeeta, I am surely trying this, sounds amazing.
    FOODELICIOUS

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  5. Yummy and healthy recipe.. looks nice !!

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  6. Sangeeta, now I know what i'm gonna do with a bag of frozen amlas in my freezer.....

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  7. Wonderful, colorful dish. I love the spices used! Warm and spicy. :)

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  8. tonge ticling looking spicy.
    thanks for visitingi am also 1st timehereu havewonderfl space i follow urblog andif like my blogdo thesame

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  9. Dear Sangeeta
    Thanks for the recipe..I hope Amlas will survive in the market till I come back.
    Have a nice week

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  10. Sangeeta, This is really looking good, i did not know any use of amla apart from achar and murabba, my list of 'to try soone' from your recipes is growing long by the day :)

    warm regards

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  11. Sangeeta,
    A very good recipe with amla..well let me go check if we get amla over here..hugs and smiles

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  12. Dear Sangeeta
    I made it...so nice and great taste ...kept in my fridge ..for future use.

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  13. Great recipes.Also thanks for writing about Amlaki (Indian Gooseberry). I found that it is the main ingredient in a traditional Ayurvedic supplement called Chyawanprash. I get my supply from Nature's Formulary. They use the original 2000 year old recipe, preservative free and packaged in USA. Here is a link: http://www.naturesformulary.com/Products/50-chyawanprash.aspx

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  14. Finally I will get my amla. I had a question about chillies. This quantity of 10 chillies plus is for hot chillies or mild chillies?

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    Replies
    1. The number of chillies would be as much as you can tolerate. Indian green chillies are really unpredictable on heat quotient as different seasons bring different chillies. Just make it tolerable for your family.

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  15. For how long will it remain good

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ranjeet, this stays well for at least one week at room temperature and I have kept it for a whole year in the fridge. Hope it helps.

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