Amla Murabba

I am almost surprised but kind of grateful that Amla (Indian Gooseberry) has not made it to the superfood genre yet. I am also kind of kicking myself for not attempting to make Amla Murabba at home earlier. After all the benefits of eating just one fresh fruit of gooseberry every day are immense.

Some of them include anti-ageing as it helps in reducing free radicals, prevents hair fall, helps alleviate menstrual cramps, constipation, keeps cholesterol in check, improves immunity. I could go on. 

Here are a few articles for you to read up more on the benefits of Amla/Aamla/Gooseberry:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/phyllanthus-emblica

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/12-amazing-amla-murabba-benefits-digging-into-the-sweet-relish-1735336

If the fresh fruit is so beneficial why not eat it as is, why preserve it you may ask? 

For starters, it is quite a cultivated taste (if at all) to consume the fresh fruit. The skin itself is quite hard with a sour and bitter taste. The flesh is on a dryish side with an astringent taste. If you do consume the fresh fruit, nothing like it. Some rock salt sprinkled over makes it a tad more palatable.

Aamle ka Murabba is a more palatable way of consuming the fruit. The other reason why it is preserved is because Aamla is not available round the year. It is a seasonal fruit available from October through April in India. Hence making it into a Murabba is one of the best ways to enjoy this fruit. 

However, if one is diabetic and has acidity issues, best to consult your doctor before consumption.

This recipe is really very simple and I vividly remember my grandfather shaking the Aamla tree in his backyard as us kids waited to gather them, some we would sample with salt (just a few bites before it would end up in the compost area 😉 and rest would go to the kitchen to make Murabbas. The prepared Murabbas would then rest in a “bharni (glass jars)” or “boyeeaam” to be consumed by everyone through the year.

So, when I spotted some fresh Aamlas in the Indian provisions store the other day I decided to finally give this recipe a try. There are a couple of ways to prepare it but after some research I decided to go with what I had available at home and was pretty happy with the results.

Tips to make Amla Murabba

1. Choose only aamlas which are just ripe, a little hard than green grapes 
2. Do not rush any of the preparation steps as each step and assigned time is critical to final flavour of Murabbas
3. Prick holes deep enough so the aamlas soak flavours well
4. If you do decide to add honey like I have wait for the final mixture to cool down completely before adding
5. See here how to check two string consistency of sugar
6. I have used raw brown sugar for this recipe and while these Murabbas will taste different from the ones made with white sugar , they taste delicious none the less 

Ingredients

1. Aamla/Gooseberries- 14 
2. Brown Sugar- 2 cups or 3 cups if you like Murabba really sweet
3. Whole Green Cardamom-3 
4. Clove-4 
5. Cinnamon-1/2 inch stick
6. Mace- 1 small
7. Freshly pound black pepper- 1.5 tsp
8. Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
9. Saffron Strands- A pinch
10. Honey- 4 tablespoons
11. Hot water, vinegar and baking soda to wash the berries

Method

1. Heat a pot of water and to it add 2 tbsps vinegar and 2 tbsps baking powder and let the Aamlas soak in it for 20 minutes, then drain and wash well with plain water 
2. Prick holes into the Aamlas with a fork uniformly and set aside
3. Bring another pot of water to boil. Water should be enough to soak aamlas well. Once boiling, keeping the flame high, add the aamlas into boiling water and boil for 15 minutes, then drain and keep aside 
4. While Aamlas are boiling prepare the sugar syrup by mixing 2 cups sugar with 2.5 cups water (or 3 cups sugar with 3.5 cups water) on a medium-high flame
5. Reduce the flame once the sugar is dissolved and add Aamlaas; continue to simmer for an hour or until Aamalas are soft and start to shrivel. Check for doneness by piercing with a fork; the fork should glide in easily 
6. Turn off heat, bring to room temperature and store in an air tight container for 2-3 days in a cool, dry place. Since here in Hong Kong it is quite humid right now, I placed it in the refrigerator 
7. After 3 days, separate the Aamlas from syrup and cook the syrup with spices (green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, mace, freshly pound black pepper, cardamom powder and saffron strands) on a medium flame till it reaches a two thread consistency. To check, spoon out a drop of syrup and when it cools down a tad, place a drop between your forefinger and thumb. When you start to pull apart your fingers, two threads are formed without breaking. Alternatively you can drop a little syrup into cold water and if a soft ball forms, it is ready
8. Then reduce the flame and add the Aamlas and simmer for 5 minutes    
9. Cool it completely and add Honey . This step is completely optional. I added honey for its immune boosting benefits and because I had an excellent quality Wild Raw Honey by Le Organics at hand .
10. Store in an air tight container at room temperature in a cool and dark place. Amla Murabba keeps well for as long as a year if stored properly. In fact the flavours enhance and deepen with time. For maximum health benefits consume on an empty stomach with warm water 
11. Use a dry spoon for serving to prevent spoilage.