One of the scenes of the song has Meera Jasmine showing a sour face on eating an upillitta nellika from a road side vendor. Somehow, whenever I see gooseberries, this scene flashes in my mind as I too get tempted to taste salted gooseberries. Each time, I buy gooseberries, I plan to pickle them or soak them in salt water. The plan never materializes, thanks to my memory.
Came across a recipe and found that it was very easy to prepare uppilitta nellikai. The otherwise untouched gooseberries were finished to half by husband in two days, when I prepared uppillitta nellikai. The best part is gooseberries are loaded with Vitamin C, and if this was a way they could be consumed, then why not?
Here goes the ingredients:
1) 500 gms of Indian gooseberries -
2) 6-8 Indian green chillies slit or 8-10 dried Kanthari mulaku slit (Thai pepper) or 4-6 fresh kanthari mulaku.
3) 3 cups of water
4) 1 + 1/8 cup of crystal salt
5) Vinegar (optional)
Salt and water ratio (2 cups of water:3/4th cup of crystal salt)
Process:
1) Mix the salt with water in a vessel and place it for boiling.
2) Once the water boils, simmer it for 4-5 minutes under low flame.
3) Fill the glass bottle with amlas and green chillies layering by alternately.
4) Pour the boiled hot water into the glass bottle. The hot water softens the gooseberries. As an alternate, place the gooseberries and slit green chillies in the vessel where water was boiled, after flame is switched off.
5) Add a dash of vinegar as a preservative. - I did not add any. I knew they would be finished before long. :)
End of two days, my salted amlas have been reduced to half the bottle.
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