A trip to the local market is always a satisfying experience for anyone who loves to cook. The look and feel of fresh produce, new crops and seasonal flair completely churns you and let's your mind explore the possibilities. One such trip last week to #MatungaMarket I ended up with two bags full of pickling veggies. Six varieties of pickles from chillies to mix veg were nailed. The real hero of this expedition turned out to be the sweetness of gooseberry. Slow cooked in saffron sugar syrup until a honey like consistency, the #AawleKaMurabba as it's locally called in North India turned out to be the real show stopper!
Recipe for those of you who wish to try~
Ingredients
1kg Amla/Aawla/Gooseberries
1 and 1/2 kg Sugar
1 tsp Black cardamom seeds crushed
Saffron/Kesar a few strands
Method
Place amla in a pan, add two cups of water and cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 mins till amla is tender and water has reduced to half the quantity.
Drain, reserve the cooking liquid.
Heat sugar with cooking liquid and additional 1 ltr of water in a thick-bottomed pan, til sugar dissolves completely and forms a syrup of one string consistency.
Add amla and continue to cook. Add crushed black cardamom seeds and saffron.
Continue to cook, uncovered, on low heat till the mixture is thick and translucent. The syrup by now should be of two-string consistency, almost ressembling a golden syrup or honey.
Cool and store in airtight jars.
The sweet and sour taste of this pickle tastes great with Rotis, Parathas and Breads. A great replacement for Jams...Aawla is filled with healthy antioxidants! And for anyone who is a sweet tooth like me...you can sneak in a piece of murabba even after your meal to satisfy a sweet craving.
Enjoy :)
