Amla Murabba

In January my MIL expressed a desire that we should make Amle ka Muraba, Tomato Sauce and Lemon Achar. Due to my tight schedule I knew that I won't have time to make them but I also knew that she really wanted to make them. When she was in Jabalpur she used to make these things besides Mirch ka Achar, Desi Ghee, Aam ka Achaar etc at home and I knew that she missed this part of her routine a lot. It is because of this very reason I agreed to her request and decided to bring in the required stuff.

Lemon Pickle!

To be honest I was also yearning to learn these things because there is a charm in making things at home. I remember that in our childhood days these things were common and we always had a benefit of eating homemade sauce and other stuff & in a way I want to pass on the memories or charm to Arnav. In fact during my diwali break I and MIL and had made Mangodi & Badi (if you are from North you will know what I am talking about). What works for us is that this house of ours gets ample sunshine (Which is must for making these items).

So she made the Murabba & the lemon pickle all alone. But I helped her in making the sauce. The Murabba as expected was a big hit and thus we decided to make another batch of it and I told my MIL that this time she will teach me how to make it. So, this Saturday the Murabba was made and here is the recipe, which is very simple.

Amla Murabba

Ingredients

Amla -    1 Kg

Sugar -   1 Kg

Water -   3-4 glasses (amlost double of Sugar + Amla)

Elaichi -  8-10 powdered (Cardamom)

Grate the Amla's leaving the seed aside. Just ensure that not a single spoilt piece is grated.

In a heavy based utensil add the water & sugar and put it to boil. Once the water starts bubbling add the grated Amla's. Initially you can cook it at high flame but reduce the flame after say 10 mins. Keep stirring in between so that the mixture doesn't stick at the bottom. In case you feel that the water is less you can add at a later stage but the quantity that I have given is more or less accurate.

You need to cook it for 45 mins to one hour. The colour of the Amla would change and the sugar will become more like chashni.

When the Amla gets cooked, mixes well with the water and the final consistency is such that liquid isn't running it is cooked. See it looks like this. Let it cook down and then add the powdered Cardamom. Once it is totally cool store it in an airtight vessel (preferably glass vessel). You can keep it in sun for a day so that it lasts long. This Murabba will last for 2-3 months without refrigeration. Just ensure that you do not handle it with wet hands i.e. not a drop of water should

Easy to make, this Murabba comes with loads of health benefits

• Good for Skin
• Good for digestion
• Loads of Vitamin C and as my FIL says 1 Amla = 3 Oranges
• Good for eye sight
• Cools your body
• Increases body resistance

etc etc....the best part here is that the benefits of Amla (which you can read here & here) do not get diluted even when it is cooked for a long time. So what is stopping you from making it? It will take 2 hours of your life and will add many more ;-). It is best had with Paratha's/ roti's or to be eaten as is.

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