The Indian Gooseberry, or Amla, is a tangy seasonal fruit available during the winter months. It is a fruit with a peculiar mix of tastes, containing five of the six tastes from bitter, pungent, sweet to astringent and sour and is famous in India as a health and beauty aid. Popularly known as Amalki in Sanskrit (sustainer) or Dhatri (Nurse), this tiny fruit is a known powerhouse of goodness, packed with nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, potassium, fiber, minerals and vitamins

Amla is capable of aiding in building, repairing and sustaining the human body. The high content of Vitamin C ensures effective synthesis of collagen, which improves the condition of hair, nails, teeth and skin. Amla also has a positive effect on the digestive, excretory, respiratory, circulatory, reproductive and nervous systems.

For adults, a recommended amount of daily amla consumption is 75-90 mg per day.

Nutritional value (100 g)

Energy 58 kilo calories

Fiber 3.4%

Proteins 0.5%

Fat 0.1%

Carbohydrates 13.7 g

Calcium 50 %

Iron 1.2 mg

Carotene 9 microgram

Thiamine 0.03mg

Riboflavin 0.01mg

Nicene 0.2mg

Vitamin 600mg

Recipes

Amla chutney

Ingredients

Amla 4

Corainder leaves 2 tsp

Green chilly 2

A small piece of ginger piece

Pinch of jeera

Pinch of hing

Rai (mustard) seeds ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil, 1 tsp

Method

1. Soak gooseberry in hot water for five minutes and peel skin. Remove seed.
2. Add coriander leaves, green chilly, ginger, jeera, salt. Put in mixer and make a paste without water.
3. Heat oil, add hing-rai. Temper the paste with this, and mix.

Nutritional content (100g serving)

Carbohydrates 75.40%

Protein 0.40%

Fat 0

Amla Sabji

Ingredients

Amla ¼ kg

Onion, finely-chopped 1

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp

Green chilli paste 2 tsp

Rai seeds (mustard) ½ tsp

A few curry leaves (kadipatta)

Haldi (turmeric powder) ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Methi (fenugreek) powder 3 tsp

Dhania (coriander) powder 1 tsp

Jeera (cumin) powder ¼ tsp

A pinch of hing

Salt to taste

Oil as per requirement

Method

1. Pressure cook amla with a cup of water in a pressure cooker for two whistles. Open the cooker after pressure subsides, remove amla seeds.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add hing, rai and kadipatta and let it splutter.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste, green chilli paste, onion, and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the dry masalas and stir on a medium flame.
5. Add amla, salt and stir well. When contents are dry, switch off stove.

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Written by Surbhi Sharma

Don’t start a diet with an expiration date in mind, says Surbhi Sharma. Instead, focus on developing a lifestyle that will have long-term health benefits. An advocate of eating well, but smartly, Surbhi has a diploma in dietetics and public health nutrition from Delhi University. She has also done professional certification courses on nutrition, packaging and food safety run by the Indian Dietetic Association and AIIMS and has counselled athletes and coaches under the Healthy Athletes Health Promotion Program held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. She believes that by eating right, one can solve various problems, including weight management, diabetes, cardiac diseases and other lifestyle disorders. Advising friends and family what food should be consumed in good amount and what in moderation, she’ll extend this expertise and more to HealthifyMe users. Personally, she believes in the merits of small and frequent meals, and feels diet and lifestyle changes need to be embraced by the family as a whole. It’s a team task that she looks forward to captaining!