Nellikka thokku, Amla thokku or Indian gooseberry chutney
Nellikka thokku, Amla thokku or Indian gooseberry chutney
Nellikka thokku or Amla thokku is a chutney recipe made of nutritious Indian Gooseberries. Nowadays, different versions of Nellikka thokku or Amla thokku recipes are practised in different parts of India. The intense tangy taste of the Indian gooseberries combines well with the spicy flavour imparted by dried red chillies and black pepper. Few teaspoons of grated jaggery is used for a sweet flavour. Deseeded gooseberry pieces are steam cooked to make them soft and pulpy. These gooseberry pieces are grounded with spicy ingredients and jaggery to get a brown coloured fine paste. It is then heated for few minutes to increase its shelf life. It can be stored for more than 1 month in a refrigerator. Have a look at the preparation and the ingredients used in Nellikka thokku or Amla thokku.
Ingredients used in Nellikka thokku, Amla thokku or Indian gooseberry chutney
- 2 cups of deseeded Amla / Indian Gooseberry / Nellikka
- 9-10 dried red chillies
- 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns
- 4 teaspoon of grated jaggery
- ¾ teaspoons of cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- A pinch of Asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
- Few curry leaves
- 3½ teaspoons of salt
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Preparation of Nellikka thokku, Amla thokku or Indian gooseberry chutney
- Use a pressure cooker and steam cook the deseeded Indian gooseberry pieces for 3 whistles. (Use a medium flame)
- Keep it aside for cooling. Once it is cooled to the room temperature, use a mixer and grind the gooseberry pieces along with red chillies, black peppercorns, turmeric powder, asafoetida, jaggery and salt to a fine paste.
- Heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute it for few seconds.
- Once the seed splutters, add the grounded paste and saute it for few minutes or until it thickens.
- Spicy and nutritious Nellikka thokku, Amla thokku or Indian gooseberry chutney is ready.
- Serve it as a side dish for dosa and rice.
