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Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Usirikaya Pachadi / Andhra Style Indian Gooseberry Pickle


(This was originally published on 8/4/2010.)

Today's post is about a pickle prepared using the Indian gooseberry which is called amla in Hindi and usirikayi in Telugu. Indian gooseberries which are rich in vitamin c, come in two sizes. One is tiny variety which are called nellikayi in Kannada. These are shaped like pumpkins, are pale green colored and are about or little smaller than a grape in size. These are mouth puckeringly sour and I have fond memories of greedily snacking on them while growing up. The bigger variety which is called bettada nellikayi in Kannada is used to make dishes like spicy pickle, murabba, spicy rice and other dishes in India. The big berries are also used to light the lamps during Tulsi festival in south India where cotton wicks greased with ghee would be placed on them and lighted. 

My mother mostly uses the berries to prepare usiri avakaya, a popular pickle from Andhra Pradesh, made with gooseberries and ground mustard. I don't prepare that as I don't find fresh gooseberries locally. I however find frozen berries at Indian stores and I use them to prepare this style pickle, following my sister-in-law's recipe. 
The process of making pickle using frozen berries needs a little improvisation. I wash and thaw them for half a day and then squeeze them to get rid of excess of water. People who are familiar with Indian pickle making know that even a trace of moisture would ruin the fate of pickle. This pickle, if prepared with frozen berries needs refrigeration since water keeps oozing out of them as you squeeze them even after thawing. The pickle prepared with frozen gooseberries stays fresh for 2 tp 3 weeks, refrigerated. And the one made with fresh gooseberries stays fresh longer.

Ingredients: 
Indian gooseberries / amla / usirikaya - About a dozen (I had 14 berries in the frozen pack)
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder 
1/2 cup (or more) oil 
Salt to taste
Chili powder to taste (I had used 6 tbsp.)
Lemon juice as needed (optional)
Ingredients for tadka:
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 pinches of ground asafoetida 

Method:
1. Wash and wipe dry the usirikaya if using fresh ones. If using frozen ones, wash and thaw them for a few hours. Wipe them dry using a towel or paper towels.
2. Keep your hands and the utensils dry. Chop the berries into small pieces and discard the seeds. Chop away the skin if you notice any blemishes. Transfer the berries to a bowl. 
3. Add turmeric powder, salt and oil to the chopped gooseberries. 

4. Mix it well, cover and let it sit overnight.
5. Next day, stir the mixture well.
6. Transfer the mixture to a dry blender and grind the mixture coarsely without adding any water. 
7. Heat a tbsp. of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add asafoetida and turn off the stove. Let it cool. 
8. Transfer the ground gooseberry mixture to the bowl back, Add chili powder to the mixture and mix well. Taste and adjust the quantities of chili powder and salt if needed. Add the lemon juice as needed (1 tsp. or so) and mix one more time. Add the tempering from step 7 and mix well.

9. Refrigerate the pickle to store longer, especially if preparing with frozen berries and use a dry spoon whenever using.

Note:
Use salt, chili powder and lemon juice to taste.

Comment

20 comments:

Unknown said...

wow, that looks drool-worthy !!!

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

lipsmacking recipe....mmmmmmmmmm.....love amla......gorgeous color

Suji said...

Drooling over that spicy tasty pickle with gooseberries...

RV said...

It makes me drool... Love the idea of making pachadi with Amla, it is seriously a must have dish.

Nitha said...

Looks great..

FewMinute Wonders said...

My god looking at your pictures my mouth is watering. I dont get gooseberries here.Wish I could.

PranisKitchen said...

thats a very delicious pickle.

Hari Chandana P said...

Wow.. mouth watering pachadi.. looks awesome dear !! nice presentation too :)

Ms.Chitchat said...

Your pickle looks yummy and tasty too. It is worth the effort u put in.

jayasree said...

Interesting recipe for amla pickle. I just make with the pieces. Grinding them is also a good idea.

lubnakarim06 said...

Drooooooooooooooooooooooooling......my all time favourite pickle......

Shabitha Karthikeyan said...

Mouth Watering recipe...Looks great Suma !

chaitrali pathak said...

superb clicks..mouth already watering

Priya Srinivasan - I Camp in My Kitchen said...

Lip-Smacking pickle Sumaji!!! Luv that color!!!

Pavani said...

mouthwatering n healthy pickle dear...

Srivalli said...

Oh this looks so yummy Suma..and different from the way we make it..we mostly make it as slices or chopped pieces, the pulsed version is very nice too!

Harini R said...

Love usirikaya paccchadi. I also make it the same way with frozen amla.

Radha said...

This is a great pickle. I miss hving fresh ones. Frozen ones are always a challenge for pickle. This post has tempted me to try tghe frozen amla I bought this weekend. Thanks for the recipe.

Srividhya said...

Definitely a lipsmacking pickle for sure. I like how you pulsed it. Very nice. I do have fond memories of relishing ara nellikai with spice powder. So yummm.

vaishali sabnani said...

I have never tried anything with Amla except a candy. This pickle sounds super delicious and would be a treat . Must give it a try.