Gooseberry (Amla/Nellikkai) Salted Preserve

Gooseberry pimples or goose bumps... Are they in any way related to the bumps on one's arms due to the tanginess of gooseberrys? I do not know. But I would not be surprised if the origin of "goose bumps" indeed is related to gooseberrys. Anytime we find these in the market, we buy a packet and bring it home. We do not pickle it. Instead we preserve it in salt water and store it for a month or so.

Ingredients:

Large Gooseberries (Amla) - 700g
Green chillies - 2 slit
Salt - 1/2 tbsp
Water - as required

Method:

Wash and clean the gooseberries and keep them aside. Heat water in a heavy pan and when it comes to a boil, add the salt and green chillies. Stir the water once, to distribute the salt. Add the gooseberries and then let the water come a boil once more. The gooseberries should just be covered in the water. If necessary, add more hot water to cover the gooseberries. Let the entire mixture boil for a minute or so and switch off the flame. Remove the pan from the stove. Cover it tightly and cool it down completely. We usually leave it overnight or throughout the day. Once completely cooled, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate it. 

Verdict: Simple and quick to make and extremely healthy. Eat one gooseberry a day, to have you share of iron and other essential nutrients. You will find hair-fall considerably reduced too. What about the water? Well there is a lot of iron content in that water too. So it is important to not dispose it. For those of you who do not mind the salty, spicy taste of the water with a bit of the gooseberry tanginess, well drink the water too when you eat the gooseberry. Else use the water in gravies, but just remember that the gravy will turn out to be brown coloured due to the iron content.

Lemon Pickle

A trip down memory lane definitely stirs some fond memories. Be it some pranks we played on friends in college or the great times at cultural rehearsals at school. With regards to home front, I remember the summer vacations with my grandmother distinctly. I specifically remember, spicy pickles that were stored in jars for consumption until the next season and the large buckets of rice vathal and javvarisi vathal. Vathal refers to sun-dried rice/sago mix. Will write more about the vathal in subsequent posts. This is about the spicy, tangy lemon pickle.

Ingredients:
Lemon - 10-12 numbers
Salt - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 10 (spicy variety)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (perungayam) - 1/2 tsp
Gingely Oil (nallennai) - 2 tbsp 

Glass/Porcelain jar: Wash the jar thoroughly with warm soapy water. Pour a cup of boiling water inside and shake the jar well. Pour the water out and let the jar dry out completely, preferably leaving it in the sunlight. Keep a piece of dry and clean cotton or muslin cloth to tie the mouth of the jar.

Method:
Cut each lemon in four pieces or eight pieces. Place the pieces in the prepared jar and add the salt. Shake the jar well. Close the jar with the cotton cloth, tightly tied to the opening of the jar. 

Leave the jar out in the sunlight all day, shaking it sporadically to evenly distribute the salt over the lemon pieces and allowing the lemon to marinate in salt well. Repeat this for a week until the lemon soaks well in the salt. The lemons should have softened to touch by then. If not, leave it on for a couple of more days and check again. The sunlight will take care of keeping the lemons from spoiling. 


When the lemons are ready, heat the oil wel and cool it down completely. Dry roast the mustard, asofetida and red chillies seperately. When the masala ingredients have completely cooled down, grind them to a fine powder. Add the powdered masala to the marinated lemon pieces. Pour the oil over the lemon pieces. Shake the jar well, to distribute the oil and masala evenly over the lemon pieces. Lemon pickles are ready to consume, just keep shaking the jar sporadically for the first few days to evenly distribute the spices.

Verdict: Lemon pickle is so delicious with a variety of dishes. Dosa, Paratha, and most notably with curd rice. Moreover, these pickles are guilt free indulgences, since it is homemade without preservatives and vinegar, unlike their store-bought counterparts.