Nellikkai saadham/ Amla rice

Amla Rice is a very heart-warming, easy to do, delicious, nutritionally loaded rice that can be had as a meal with something as humble as a papad or raitha to a poricha kootu.

Ingredients:

Amla ( big ones)                                           7 nos
Brown Rice  or white rice                              2 cups (cooked)
Lemon / Lemon juice                                    1 nos / 2 tsp
Salt                                                              As needed


To temper

Oil                                                              1 tblspn
Mustard seeds                                              1/2 tsp
Curry leaves                                                 1 sprig
Kadalai paruppu/Chana dhal                           1 tsp
Green chillies                                                3 nos split into 2 pieces each


Method

1.) Grate amlas and discard the seeds. If using frozen amlas thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or keeping it at room temperature for a night.
2.) Take a large stir fry pan and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds to splutter.
3.) Add kadalai paruppu/Chana dhal and fry until golden borwn. Add green chillies and fry till change in colour. Add curry leaves to splutter.
4.) Add the amla gratings to fry it for a little longer than a minute. Add salt to it.
5.) Remove it from the stove and add juice from one full lemon or add a tsp of lemon juice.
6.) Add cooked rice and mix well. Leave it for 5 minutes for the flavours to infuse,

Nellikkai saadham/ Amla rice is ready. It is a quick to make and a tangy-yummy rice that can be had with just appalam, vadaam/vathal, or it makes an awesome combo with avarakkai poricha  kootu.

My special tip would be to request you to use brown sona masoori rice for this recipe, as the taste of this amla rice is great with brown rice and the white one.

For more information:

My experiments with brown rice Part 1

My experiments with brown rice - Part 2

My experiments with brown rice - Epilogue

Nellikkai thogayal/ Amla coarse chutney

Nellikkai thogayal is a tangy thogayal that is very refreshing in its taste. One can't reiterate the nutritonal bonus that comes with nellikkai/Amla. It is very easy to make this thogayal.

Nellaikai thogayal

Ingredients:

Amla /Nellikkai                                  200 gms (big ones)

Red chillies                                        5-6 nos depending on the spice level

Thuvaram paruppu/Toor dhal               2 tblspns

Ulutham paruppu/ Urad dhal                3 tblspns

Kadalai paruppu/Chana dhal                 3 tblspns

Asafoetida                                          1 pinch

Salt                                                    As needed

Oil                                                     3 tsps

Method

1. Cut nellikkai/amla to small pieces and discard the seeds. If using frozen amla, place it in the fridge from freezer for a night to thaw and then it can be used . I have used frozen amla here.

Cut nellikkai/ Amla

2.  Take a stir fry pan , add oil in it, add all the dhals/paruppus and red chillies and asafoetida powder  and heat in medium flame .

Paruppus and milagai for thogayal

3.) Add cut nellikkai and mix well and let it cook until the dhals turn golden brown and nellikkai/amla is cooked soft ( but not too soft)

Everything together

4.  Grind everything together with salt to a coarse paste adding very little water as soon below. Nellikkai thogayal is ready.

Nellikkai thogayal

It can be had with hot rice mixing it with nallennai/sesame seed oil. It tastes great with any poricha kootu and appalam. 

Nellikkai(Amla/ Indian gooseberry) thokku(pickle variety)

Here I am,  posting another recipe for Amla

Ingredients:

Nellikkai big ones frozen 5-6nos

Refined oil 50gms
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red Chilly powder 3 tbsps

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida powder 1 pinch

Salt 1.5 tsps or to taste

Procedure:

1.) Boil nellikkai with turmeric powder for 15 mins or until it gets extremely soft.
2.) Remove it from the heat, let it cool. After it cools down, remove the seeds, mash it and keep it aside.
3.) Take some oil in a satti/vaanali and heat it. Add mustard seeds and after it splatters, add asafoetida powder.
4.) Add the mashed nellikkai and mix along with salt.
5.) Add red chilly powder and mix well.
6.) Lower the heat to medium low and keep mixing until the raw flavour of the chilly powder is gone and the oil starts oozing out.
7.) If u have the patience to cool it down :) then ur delicious nellikkai thokku is ready.

Nellikkai thokku

This is a pickle variety and can be stored for months in an airtight container. You can mix this thokku with plain rice and sesame oil and have it with poricha ulundhu appalam for a divine gastronomic experience. It can be had as a side dish with chappathis, yogurt rice, idli, dosa and a variety of ther dishes.

Nellikkai (Indian gooseberries/Amla) thayir pachadi

Here is our version of superfruit from India. The more we consume, the more are we the benefactors. How much ever we say about this fruit is so little. Amla enhances food absorption, balances stomach acid, fortifies the liver, nourishes the brain and mental functioning, supports the heart, strengthens the lungs, regulates elimination, enhances fertility, helps the urinary system, is good for the skin, promotes healthier hair, acts as a body coolant, flushes out toxins, increases vitality, strengthens the eyes, improves muscle tone and it acts as an antioxidant.

It provides remedies for many diseases so it is widely used in ayurvedic medicines. Nellikkai/Amla is very rich in Vitamin C. It contains many minerals and vitamins like Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Carotene and Vitamin B Complex. Amla is also a powerful antioxidant agent. Many health problems are conduced by oxidative damage (when body cells use oxygen they produce by-products that can cause damage). Antioxidant agents prevent and repair such damages. Vitamin C is a good antioxidant agent and so is Gooseberry/Nellikkai/Amla.

Recipe:

Servings:  2-4 

Ingredients:

Nellikkai/Indian gooseberry/Amla Frozen (Big ones) - 1
Coconut thuruval/ dessicated coconut powder -2 tsp/ 1 tsp
Pachai milagai (Green chillies) - 2 small ones or 1 big one
Salt- to taste
Curd/Yogurt - 1 measuring cup

Procedure: 

1.) Cook nellikkai when u keep rice/dhal in ur pressure cooker for samayal in a seperate cup
or boil it in water for maybe 10mins.
2.) Remove the seed when it has cooled down.
3.) Grind coconut thuruval/dessicated coconut powder along with green chillies without adding water.
4.) Mix the ground powder with nellikkai and salt 
5.) Mash it up and make the mixture to a round ball and leave it for 10-15 mins for the flavours to infuse.
5.) Add curd and mix it well for the raitha consistency. If u feel that it is too creamy, then add water to ur desired consistency.

PS: U may feel that its too much curd/yogurt for one  nellikkai... But the taste is too strong and u would want to dilute it with so much thayir :)