Gooseberries In Brine / Nellikka Uppilittathu

Everyone bought a water purifier, right? No other way to drink some cool, clear water.. At home we don't have a purifying machine, but the process happens from the well it self! Can't you believe? Yeah, the well is an old one, it's walls was built using the big stones, upon the log of a goose berry tree,(nellipalaka) that's the reason! :) It was built during the great grandfather's time, and only few wells of such remains now, I think. No need to tell you about the medicinal properties of goose berries, those vitaminC packs are world famous! To enjoy it's health benefits, eat them raw, and here you have a gooseberry chutney recipe, try it too...


Amla or Gooseberries in brine / Nellikka uppilittathu

Ingredients,
gooseberries
water
salt
vinegar
green-chillies few



How I prepared,
Wash and wipe the gooseberries.
Keep aside.
Boil water adding some salt.
Put the gooseberries into the boiling water* and switch off fire.
Add slit green-chillies into this.
Allow to cool.
Takeout 1/4 part water and add the same amount of vinegar* instead.
You can add enough vinegar according to the sourness you like.
Check salt and add if needed.
Transfer the contents into a jar.
Tight the lid, and you can use this after one week.

* You can let the water cool and then put the gooseberries. This will take a little long for the gooseberries to absorb the salt well.
* If you don't like sourness, avoid adding vinegar.

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Kappa , Meen , Ulli chammanthi / Tapioca , Fish , Small Onion Chutney

Kappa /tapioca with fish and ulli chammanthi /shallots chutney is a delicious dish which I usually crave for... :) This fish preparation is not a curry , it is the "mathi thappuvechathu" dish which we do prepare using the old baking method! (See the recipe and baking method here)
During a specific season, we get fresh big sardines (mathi / chaala) which contains lots of fat ( meen neyyu) in it and with the lesser number of bones too. That kind of sardines are good for preparing this. Sardines soak in the thick masala of freshly ground ginger, garlic, shallots, pepper, gooseberry (or tamarind) etc and slowly reduce water on a medium heat.You can try this with ayala/mackerel also.



For preparing Kappa / tapioca,
Cut and peel the roots. Wash and boil in water enough to soak it. Add salt when it is boiled. Cook and drain when it is done.



I have posted a Ulli chammanthi recipe before, with dry red chillies. This one is with green chillies, which is best with kappa.

Ulli chammanthi
Small onions 7
Tamarind 1 gooseberry size
Green chillies 4 (according to taste)
Salt
Coconut oil

Peel small onions, wash them.. Grind all the ingredients together and add coconut oil in the end.

See other Kappa / Tapioca preparations here.

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Nellikka Chammanthi /Gooseberry Chutney

Do you like to take a very healthy side dish with your rice? Me always lazy to eat gooseberries, found this way to have raw gooseberries, without losing its vitamin C content. This is the way to avoid my DH's usual queries, did you throw away it? I forget the refrigerated gooseberries all the time when he buys. Pickles/Achar, Uppilittathu(in brine),gooseberry syrup etc are the other forms of Kerala Nellikka/Gooseberry dishes.

Ingredients and method of preparation
Gooseberry 6 chop and discard seed

Ginger 1/2 inch piece

Garlic 1 clove optional

Small onions 6

Curry leaves few ( I prefer adding lots of curry leaves)

Green chillies 2 or 3 or as desired

Salt

Grind all the above ingredients together. Add little (about 1 teaspoon) coconut oil on top if you find it too spicy.

Goose berry is rich in vitamin C.It provides immunity.It has an anti ageing property and makes body cool. It is the main ingredient in the "Chyawanprasam" which is famous rasayana for immunity. It is also known as Amla.

Read here about Indian Gooseberry

Healing properties of Indian Gooseberry / Amla / Emblica Officinalis

See the sardines in pepper and tamarind / Mathi thappuvechathu using Nellikka/Gooseberry.

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