Indian Gooseberries Jam
Amla Murabba, Lachcha
Suresh Chandra Gupta
This recipe is based on a recipe in my late father's 'preseves' diary-Mamta.
It is an easy preserve to make. Amla is a rich source of Vitamin C, which is not all destroyed during cooking. It is considered a good fruit in Ayurvedic medicine. It?s dried fruit is powdered and added to many stomach remedies and often used in traditional Indian hair shampoos. Amla oil is considered an excellent tonic for keeping hair strong and shiny. Vitamin D in it helps to absorb calcium and strengthen the bones. It has diuretic, laxative, cardio-protective, cooling, and anti-infective properties. It?s antioxidants help to keep Cholesterol down.
Makes 1 jam jar.
Ingredients
200 gm. Amla
200 gm. sugar
1-2 tbs. water
1 cinnamon sticks of about 3 cm.
Instructions
Wash, dry and grate the amlas. Discard the stones
Place in a heavy bottomed pan, add sugar, water and cinnamon stick and cook on medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Simmer until grated amla looks semi-transparent and the consistency is thick, like marmalade.
Remove the cinnamon stick and cool a little for a few minutes.
Fill in sterilised, heated jars. Cover with wax paper, close lid and store up-side-down. As it cools, a vacuum will be created inside the jar, which will prolong it?s life.
