Indian Gooseberry Pickle | Nellikai Oorugai
A lip-smacking instant gooseberry pickle or nellikai oorugai as we say in Tamil with frozen gooseberries! Easy pickle recipe with frozen gooseberries.
Servings: 20
Calories: 20kcal
Ingredients
- 10 gooseberries frozen,the big green ones. Thaw it to room temperature
- 2 tbsp water or as required to pressure cook + water to add in the pressure cooker
- 3 tbsp oil preferably gingelly or sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp salt heaped tsp or to taste
- ½ tsp asafetida
- ½ tsp fenugreek powder vendiya podi
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
Instructions
- Pressure cook or steam the gooseberries for 2 to 3 whistles in a pressure cooker (refer to recipe notes for timing adjustments). You may use your preferred pressure-cooking method. Allow the pressure to release naturally and let the gooseberries cool completely.
- De-seed the cooked gooseberries. This step is very easy—simply press each gooseberry, and it will split into two.
- Remove the seeds and chop the gooseberries into small pieces.
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter, reduce the heat. Add the chopped gooseberries, red chili powder, fenugreek powder, turmeric powder, hing, and salt.
- Mix everything well. If you prefer a thokku-style pickle, you can mash the gooseberries while mixing. I chose not to mash them completely. Refer to the recipe notes for more options.
- Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the oil separates and oozes out along the sides and surface.
- Allow the pickle to cool completely, then transfer it to a clean, airtight container for storage.
Video
Notes
- This gooseberry pickle stays fresh for several months when refrigerated. Always use a clean, dry spoon to maintain shelf life.
- To make a thokku (mashed or grated pickle), pressure-cook the gooseberries for 4 whistles. After deseeding, you can roughly mash them instead of chopping, or mash them while mixing in the pan.
- Fenugreek Powder: If you don’t want to buy fenugreek powder, you can easily make it at home. Dry roast 1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds until they turn light brown and crisp, then grind them into a coarse powder. This powder works well for pickles and kuzhambu. My grandmother roasts fenugreek, grinds it with dried turmeric root, stores it, and adds a pinch to sambar and vathal kuzhambu.
- You may also add ¼ teaspoon of mustard powder, which acts as a natural preservative.
- I prefer using gingelly oil (sesame oil) for pickles, but regular cooking oil works just fine.
- Adjust salt and spice levels according to your taste.
- Yield: This recipe yields approximately 1 cup of pickle, serving about 15 to 20 portions. The serving size mentioned is an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 20kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Iron: 1mg