How to Make Gooseberry Pickle? Let’s Dive In

Gooseberry pickle or amla pickle is a well-known pickle in the Indian subcontinent and generally serves as a side dish. To prepare it, fresh gooseberries are cut into smaller pieces, mixed with a blend of other spices, and then marinated in oil or vinegar for a few days.

The result is a spicy, flavourful pickle full of nutrients and antioxidants. This is not only delicious but also good for your health and provides several benefits, such as boosting your body’s immune system and decreasing inflammation. This is a perfect example of tasty and healthy food. 

• Recipe name: Gooseberry pickle
• Place of origin: South India
• Time to make: 35 minutes
• Preparation time: 15 minutes

Gooseberry Pickle Recipe

Ingredients

1. 500 g fresh gooseberries
2. ½ cup mustard oil
3. ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
4. ½ tsp nigella seeds
5. Vinegar
6. 1 tsp sugar
7. Cumin seeds
8. ½ tsp chilli powder or chilli seeds
9. Turmeric powder ½ tsp

Method

• Step 1: Thoroughly wash the freshly bought gooseberries with normal water and pat them dry with a clean piece of cloth. Then, cut them into small pieces and leave the seeds.
• Step 2: Heat mustard oil or any oil of your choice in a cooking dish, heat it until smoke comes out, and then set it aside for it to cool down.
• Step 3: Fenugreek, cumin, mustard, and fennel seeds should be roasted in a different pan. Now, roast them till you can smell the nice aroma of the mixture of seeds. 
• Step 4: Now, grind the roasted seeds.
• Step 5: Add the mustard oil from the first pan to the dust and make a fine paste. You can add vinegar or lemon drops to the mixture. Mix the ingredients well.
• Step 6: Put the mixture along with gooseberry pieces in a clean glass jar. In this way, you can preserve the pickle for months. 
• Step 7: Close the glass jar lid and preserve it in a cool place. Shake the pickle well in between.

Tips to Enhance the Taste

• Fresh gooseberries can be used to enhance the taste of the pickle. If they are unripe, the pickle will taste sour and bitter.
• Rinse them with clean water and pat them dry with a dry towel to clean the dirt off.
• Discard the seeds after cutting them into small pieces. The seeds can make the pickle bitter.
• Dry the seeds before grinding them into a paste. Then, the flavourful and marvellous aroma will come out of the paste.
• Mustard oil is a very good choice for the mixture, as the flavour and strong taste of the oil boosts the taste. 
• Heat the oil until smoke comes out. Then, add the powder to the cooled mustard oil. This can remove the pungent and strong smell of the mustard oil.

Serving Ideas

1. Serve the pickle with the main course. You can eat it with roti, rice, dal, and other curry.
2. Use it for sandwiches, wraps, or burgers. The tangy flavour will enhance the taste of your food.
3. You can mix it with yoghurt before taking the flavoured dip. Chopped cilantro or fresh mint can make the taste more delicious.
4. You can also use the pickle as toppings for pizza or pieces of bread. It goes with onions and peppers.
5. Last but not least, you can try it out with salads, as it enhances the flavour of your food within seconds.

Nutritional Content

• Calories – 165 kcal
• Fat – 14 g
• Carbohydrates – 4 g
• Protein – 6 g