Nellikai or Amla or Gooseberry- Indian superfruit

Nellikai or Amla or Gooseberry,mother of all fruits.

Indian gooseberry is known as Nellikai in Malayalam, amla in Hindi, amlaki or dhatri in Sanskrit, and amlakkai in Kannada. February to March/April is the  season Amla  is available in market. Enjoy this fruit which is rich in nutrients. It is cheap and  worth more than you pay. It is the cheapest source of vitamin C. It is a nutritional supplement, rich in vitamin C, good for diabetes due to the chromium content,  antioxidant, detoxifier,  good for eyesight and abdominal distress. It is one of the rarest fruits with five tastes, bitter, sour, pungent, astringent and sweet. It is called "Dhatri" in sanskrit which means "mother of all fruits" due to its richness in nutrients. From Ayurveda to the modern nutritionists, all  admire it's excellence in nutrition.
How to make  juice?

Ingredients

1.       Amla – 4-5 nos

2.       Honey 3 Tbsp ( reduce if required)

Method

·         Chop the amla. Remove the seed.

·         Grind by adding ½ cup water.

·         Filter if required

·         Dilute with water as per taste.

·         Add honey ( if required).

How to make wine?

Ingredients

1.       Nellikai- I kg

2.       Water 3 liter

3.       Sugar 1.25 Kg ( reduce to 1 Kg if required)

Method

·         Wash amla remove or wipe water and keep in a sterilized bottle or jar or bharani

·         Boil sugar and water and add boiled water to amla. Try with less sugar if required.

·         When it becomes cool, place the lid . Cover  the lid  with  a clean cloth and tie.

·         Stir the mixture everyday, and cover after stirring

·         Keep for 21 days. Strain the mixture through a clean sterilized  Eerazhan thorthu or muslin cloth to a clean dry utensil.

·         Transfer to clean bottles and cork it.

·         Enjoy the nutrient  wine.

We think wine should be sweet. No. It should be a balanced  mixture of bitter, sour  and astringent taste. Only few wines like  British wines "wincarnis", "stone" some Port wines and Sherry wines are sweet. About 95% of wines which are healthy are not sweet. So don't add much sugar into wine.

How to make pickle?

Please see the separate blog on Nellikai Achar. Click the following.
http://motherkeralacom.blogspot.ca/2013/04/gooseberry-pickle-rosy-daniels-nellikai.html

How to make nellikai home made arishtam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqlbS19mDmc&t=14s