Chyawanprash (Spiced Gooseberry Conserve/jam)
By: Veggi Fare
Published: Monday, December 13, 2010 - 1:45pm

Ingredients




500 grams gooseberries (amla)
600 grams sugar (may increase upto 750 grams)
3/4 teaspoon clove powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons dried ginger powder (saunth)
30 strands of saffron
edible silver foil to garnish

Preparation

1 Put the gooseberries in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover the gooseberries and pressure cook them for 4 whistles/ring or until the gooseberries are soft. Drain the water and remove the seeds from the gooseberries. 2 With a mixer, puree the cooked gooseberries. 3 Add the pureed gooseberries in a large cooking vessel and add the sugar to it. 4 Place the vessel on a medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil under constant stirring. 5 When the sugar melts, add the spices and mix well. 6 Cover the vessel and reduce the heat to low and let the mixture cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful, the mixture splutters a lot!!! 7 When the mixture thickens a little, do a saucer test, (as you would when making jams). If not ok, then bring the mixture to a boil and check again. 8 Fill the conserve/jam in a sterlised jar. Cover the lid when the jam is completely cool. 9 Shelf life of this jam is 2-3 months.

About


Life is like a roller coaster ride with it's ups and downs. After some tough times a few month's ago, this month really cheered us up. One of our deeply heartfelt wishes, which we had been hoping for and working towards for a long time, is coming true this month and we are floating in happiness.
As I said in my last post, December is a month of celebration for us and this little accomplishment adds to our celebrations :-) One must work hard to fulfill a wish and that's what we have been doing this month and, I didn't get much time to update my blog. But, I do have a great recipe to share today. 
Chyawanprash is a versatile herbal tonic prepared according to an ancient Ayurvedic formula with multiple health benefits. Used by people around the world today, and especially in India, it is a proven energizer, immunity booster and preventive tonic.
Chyawanprash is a mix of up to 49 ayurvedic herbs (or even more!) with gooseberries (amla) as its main ingredient. Of course, I didn't have all the spices and herbs so just used what I had available in my kitchen. We loved the taste and my hubby has already asked me to make it again and that's always a good sign and definitely makes me happy :-)