Amla recipes to boost your immunity this winter

Winter is approaching and there is no escaping the many illnesses that come along with the season. However, what you can do on your part is to eat foods that strengthen the immunity and keep infections at bay.

Amla or Indian gooseberry is the fruit of the season. It is sour and bitter in taste, but can prove extremely beneficial for your health.

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Amla contains phytonutrients and antioxidants that fight free radicals that can attack and damage brain cells. The seasonal fruit is loaded with vitamin C, which helps boost immunity, reduces inflammation and also improves memory.

If you really want to try this nutritious fruit, without having to eat it raw, here are some amla recipes to try.

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Soak amlas in water with fitkari (alum) for 3 days. Once done, wash them and prick the amlas with a fork. In a saucepan, boil water. Once the water comes to a boil, add the amlas and turn off the flame. Cover the utensil for 10 minutes. Take the amlas out, and let the water seep out. Prepare a sweet syrup with water and sugar on heat, put the amlas in it. Once the amlas become soft and the sweet syrup thickens, add cardamom, black pepper, black salt and kesar. The amla murabba is ready. Let it cool and store in a container.

Blend amla with water, filter the pulp. Add pepper powder and honey, stir well and your amla juice is ready to drink. You can also add some fruit or vegetable to make it more flavourful.

Wash and pat dry amla. Boil water in a container and add the amla. Once the amla is soft, turn off heat and let it cool. Remove the seeds and collect all the Amla pieces in a bowl. Cover the Amla with sugar and let it sit for 3 days. Then take Amla pieces out of the sugar syrup and let them dry for another 2 days. Amla candy is ready.

Add roughly chopped deseeded amla in a mixer. Add chopped coriander. You can also add mint leaves, green chillies, chopped ginger, and cumin seeds. Add asafoetida and black salt. Add sugar or jaggery, salt to taste and pour in 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth and serve.