It is often said that life is like an Indian Gooseberry, sour and bitter at first but always sweet in the end. Flavourful, therapeutic and versatile, Amla aka the Indian gooseberry strikes the perfect balance between health and taste. Scientifically known as Phyllanthus emblica, Amla has been an intrinsic part of Indian culture since time immemorial and also integral to traditional Indian medicine or Ayurveda. K T Achaya in his book ‘The Illustrated Foods of India’ states that Amla is first mentioned in the ancient Vedic text Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana that dates almost as early as the 6th century BC. According to the book, Amla was also universally recommended by ancient Indian physician Sushruta for daily consumption irrespective of body type and season.
Amla aka Indian Gooseberry
Recipe: Amla Tzatziki – Recipe courtesy: Chef Saravanan Ranganathan – Executive Sous Chef Novotel and Ibis Chennai OMR
Ingredients
- Amla – 6 nos
- Greek yoghurt or overnight hung curd – 250 gm
- Garlic (Crushed) – 4 cloves
- Black pepper (Crushed) – 3 gm
- Himalayan Salt to taste
- Hing /Asafoetida (Optional) – 3 gm
- Mint leaves (Chopped) – 5 gm
- Fresh red chillies finely chopped (Optional) to taste
- Pumpkin seeds (Toasted) – 10 gm
- Extra virgin Olive oil- 10ml
Method
- Take Greek yoghurt in a mixing bowl.
- Grate fresh amla over the yoghurt, add Himalayan salt, hing, freshly crushed pepper, chopped mint leaves and stir to mix evenly.
- Add freshly chopped red chilli and hing, if you wish to spice up your dip.
- Add pumpkin seeds and extra virgin olive oil to garnish the dip.
- Serve with hot tepla or kebabs.
