I was very busy for last few weeks due to house renovation work. Still the work is going on, but today got some time to post here.
Gooseberry ( avalo or avla ) is full of Vitamin C. MoravaLo is prepared by cooking gooseberry pieces in sugar and preserved. When my kids were toddlers, my grandmother used to make this for them. She also gifted me with two tiny plates to serve this. At my native we don’t get big gooseberries, my sister or brother sends them from Belgaum/Mumbai (we get the small local variety, but bigger ones are very rare). Since everyone at home loves amla pickle , that would take precedence over this jam. Â But this jam always has a special place in my heart due to so many childhood memories.
Normally, gooseberries are grated and then cooked. But since they are very hard, it is a difficult process to grate them. Once cooked, it is very easy to cut them. So I cook them first in pressure cooker and then cut them into small pieces before cooking them with sugar. With this method, the jam gets read without a lot of hard work.
Sometimes, they are pricked all over and soaked in kitchen lime( chuna or chunno ) water to remove its bitter tart flavor, but this also removes the Vitamins from the berries. So I don’t follow this step.
Ingredients: 250 gms amla (gooseberry) Sugar Cardamom powder Saffron strands(optional)
Method: Pressure cook gooseberries in very little water. Chop them into small pieces, discard the seeds. Measure the pieces with a cup. Now mix same amount of sugar with the pieces. (If there are 2 cups of pieces, use 2 cups of sugar). Take the mixture in a thick bottomed (or nonstick) pan and heat on a medium flame. (if you feel the sugar is getting caramelized, you can use few drops of water). Cook till the sugar makes one thread syrup consistency. (touch the syrup with your forefinger and touch thumb to forefinger, if it forms a thread, syrup is ready). Take off heat, mix cardamom powder, saffron strands and mix well. Cool to room temperature and store in air tight container. Refrigerate it. This remains good for a long time. It can be served with chapathis , dosas .
Its getting colder and colder here. Today the temperature here is 4F and I am frozen to my bones. I am knitting a lot these days but it looks like I can never get enough warm cloths for the season. A hot bowl of delicious food is all I crave for when I step in the house. I think a one pot dish like a spicy pongal with loads of vegetables in it, is a heavenly food in this season.
Ingredients: 3/4 cup rice 1/4 cup moong dal 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds 1 tea spn cumin seeds 1/2 tea spn fenugreek seeds 4-5 curry leaves 4 green chillies 1/4 tea spn pepper powder A pinch turmeric powder 2 cups vegetables – cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, green beans 5 strands coriander leaves Ghee Salt
Method: Roast 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and powder them. Heat ghee and add mustard seeds, 1/2 tea spn cumin seeds. When they start popping, add turmeric, curry leaves, green chillies. Fry for min and add vegetables, rice, dal and fry for 3-4 mins. Add pepper, salt. Add the cumin-fenugreek powder. Pour in water(about 4 times rice). Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Cook in pressure cooker. Serve hot.
Serves : 2-3 Preparation time : 30mins
