Usirikaya pachadi | Andhra style amla pickle | Indian gooseberry pickle

In India we have pickle for every season.Winter is the season of lime,amla(indian gooseberry),fresh turmeric.Actually there is science behind particular pickles for particular seasons.Indian meal is incomplete without pickles.As summer is horrid in India mango pickle pickle is made and devoured .Now what is the science behind it ?Green mango or avakaya is said to be a natural body coolant hence preferred for summer pickling mainly in the months of march and April .

Same is the case with winter specialities like amla and lime.Both theses are a store house of vitamin C and proved efficient in combating cold and flu virus and all the other winter ailments(seasonal).Hence amla and lime for winter pickling .In a traditional Indian house hold pickles are made in such a way that the house is never void of pickles.Like mango /avakaya pickle is made in such a way that it lasts until November- December.And once when the winter bounty of lime and amla is in the market it's time for those pickles.Again lime and amla pickles are made in such a quantity that it lasts until summer or the season of mangoes has arrived.

usirikaya pachadi literally translates to amla pickle in English.Amla /Indian gooseberry is a good source of vitamin c.It can be had with paratha or rice but tastes better with plain rice .

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way a person with any medical degree.All the above perception regarding pickles has been passed down by my ancestors and has never been  harmful to me.

NOTES  

• Pickles do not fall under the category of "healthy foods".
• If you are under a medical condition do avoid it .
• Always use sterilised jar to store pickles,and clean and dry spoon to scoop out .Always cover the pickles with a cloth , not a lid.
• Though the quantity of salt and oil looks like too much ,they act as preservatives and are must to keep it preserved .
• If available use sea salt ,due to unavailability I have used table salt only .Allow oil to cool to room temperature completely.
• For mustard and fenugreek powder,dry roast 1 1/2 tsp each separately and grind it to fine powder .
• Pickle tastes better after 3-4 days when the flavours mature ,but there is no harm in having it the first day.
• If you prefer to keep the pickle on the counter rather than in the fridge use an extra half cup oil ,so that it covers the pickle entirely.

Other pickles on the blog are

• Hyderabadi gosht ka achaar/mutton pickle
• Fresh turmeric and ginger pickle
• Pickled carrots

Recipe for usisrikay pachadi /amla pickle

Preparation time:10 minutes

cooking time;10 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 -amla /gooseberry (big size)
• 1/2 cup-oil
• 1/2 teaspoon-turmeric
• 1 tablespoon-red chilly powder
• 1 teaspoon-mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon-fenugreek powder
• 10 -garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoon-salt

Procedure

1.Wash the amla thoroughly and remove if any bruises with a knife.

2.Take amla in a pan ,add water until they are submerged.

3.Boil the amla for 5 minutes.Drain the water and allow to cool.This water can be used for rasam or Dal .

4.Remove the  amla seed  and separate the pieces.

5.Pound the garlic cloves along with fenugreek and mustard powder with a little salt.

6. Mean while heat the oil until it smokes and allow it to cool to room temperature.

7.To a sterilised bowl add amla and all the ingredients and mix well.

8.Add oil and mix well .

9.Transfer it to a sterilised jar and cover it with a cotton cloth .

10.After 4 days you can store it in refrigerator and use when needed.