Side Dish

Indian Gooseberry Pickle (Nellikka Achar/Amla Achar)

Pickling is a popular food preservation method around the world. Long back, pickling was mainly used by the sailers to store food to sustain in their long trips. Nowadays it is used not just to preserve food, but to enjoy the taste of favourite vegetables, fish or meat throughout the year or to savor the wonderful mix of salty and sour taste that comes out in the pickling process.

What are the other benefit out of pickling? Nutritional value will improve by pickling process, as there will be vitamin B productions by bacteria. I hope this is a lovely information for all pickle fans including me 😉

Indian Gooseberry Pickle (Nellikka Achar/Amla Achar) is not a real sour pickle. It is comparatively mild and contains chilli powder, gingelly oil, salt and a little vinegar. You can add more vinegar (by reducing the water) if you like to have a real sour one. As the boiled tender gooseberries are used for preparation, you can start serving this pickle within a day or two.

Indian Goosberry Pickle (Nellikka Achar/Amla Achar)

Ingredients:

  • Indian Gooseberry/Nellikka/Amla – 1 Kilogram
  • Salt – 1/2 cup
  • Chilli Powder – 3/4 cup [Would be good if you can use – mix of normal chilli powder with Kashmiri chilli in the ratio of 2:1]
  • Water – 2 cups
  • Oil (Gingelly) – 3/4 cup
  • Red Chillies – 2-3 Numbers
  • Vinegar – 3-4 teaspoons
  • Fenugreek – 1 teaspoon
  • Asafoetida – 1 small piece (1/2 teaspoon powdered form)
  • Garlic – 6-7 teaspoons (Chopped)
  • Mustard Seeds – 2 teaspoons
  • Curry leaves – 5-6 leaves

Preparation:

Step 1:
Wash gooseberries thoroughly and keep it in a vessel and add water. Keep it on flame/heat and allow it boil. Stir the gooseberries in between. After 5-10 minutes gooseberry starts changing the colour and becomes tender. Take out and keep aside. The remaining water is needed for later stage, so keep that too.

Step 2:
Fry fenugreek, 1 teaspoon mustard and Asafoetida in a pan (without oil) and make nice powder and keep aside.

Step 3:
Once gooseberries become warm or close to room temperature, cut into small pieces. You can cut a gooseberry to 4-5 pieces.

Step 4:
Keep a bigger pan on flame/heat and add oil. Once it is hot, add mustard seeds and wait for it to pop up. Add curry leaves and red chillies (cut in to 1-2 pieces) and chopped garlic. Saute for 1 minute and then add powder from Step 2. Mix well and add chilli powder also in to the oil. Within 30 seconds add cut gooseberries as well. Add salt and stir well for 1 minute and then add water (from Step 1). Wait for it to boil. Once it starts boiling take out from the flame/heat and add vinegar and close the lid.

After 2-3 hours, store Gooseberry pickle (Nellikka Achar) in an airtight container and enjoy the preservative free fresh pickle 🙂

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