Amla Thogaiyal or Chutney

Indian gooseberry is an accepted hair tonic in traditional recipes for enriching hair growth and pigmentation. The fruit, cut into pieces is dried preferably in the shade. These pieces are boiled in coconut oil till the solid matter becomes charres. This darkish oil is excellent in preventing graying .The water is which dried Amla pieces are soaked overnight is also nourishing to hair and can be used for the last rinse while washing the hair. Indian gooseberry is used in various ways. The best way to take it with the least loss vitamin C, is to eat it raw with a little salt. It is often used in the form of pickles and it is dried and powdered. The berry may also be used as a vegetable. It is boiled in a small amount of water till soft and taken with a little salt.
Amla Chutney ( Thogaiyal)


Big ripe gooseberry(amla)         --10
Red chilli                                   --2
Urad dhal                                  -- 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder                      -- 1/2 tsp
Mustard and Oil                        -- 1tsp each
Salt to taste

1. Grate the amla in the carrot grater and microwave it for just a minute.
2. Dry fry the urad dhal and fry the chilli with just 1/2 tsp of oil
3. Grind the urad dhal and chilli first, then add amla gratings and grind well.
4. Season the mustard in a tsp of oil, add the ground amla and saute it just for 2 minutes and keep.
5. As amla has sour taste, no need to add tamarind or asafoetida.
6. This is a wonderful chutney, that can be had with plain rice or as a side dish with curd rice or dosai.
7. This has the property of inducing insulin secretion and added to it, it has a special property of making the skin glow and hair to grow as it has plenty of Vitamin C.