Amla Candy, fresh amla marinated in sugar and dried to preserve longer just like amla murabba. Amla candy is easily available in supermarkets these days but making this at home is pretty easy and it is preservative free. Learn how to make delicious dried amla candy at home with step by step pictures and video.
Amla Candy
We buy gooseberry often and usually it is pickled which is my favorite. But mostly we consume it raw and love to drink a cup of water after having gooseberry which makes the water sweet.
Table of Contents
About Amla Candy (Gooseberry Candy)
Amla | Gooseberry is a kind of berry which has lots of health benefits in them. Gooseberry is rich in vitamin and it is best to consume daily for its nutritional properties. Amla can be consumed raw, made into gooseberry juice, nellikai pickle, uppu nellikai and used in cooking in making pachadi, gooseberry rice, nellikai thokku, rasam and soups.
Kids don't like to eat amla on its own. So you can make it into murabba, amla in honey so they can consume. Amla candy is a great way to preserve Amla | gooseberry. Amla is steeped in sugar and dried under sun to make amla candy.
Similar Recipes
Amla Murabba
Gooseberry in Honey
Amla Juice
Watch Amla Candy Video
Amla Candy Ingredients
Gooseberry | Amla - Amla is a variety of berry which is known for its health benefits. It is rich in vitamins and has more nutrients which is good for our body. For making Amla candy, use large size amla. Fresh amla has a subtle flavour which stays juicy even when dried.
Sugar - refined sugar is used in amla candy which helps preserving and makes it sweet. Jaggery or brown sugar will affect the texture of the candy. For healthier option, you can check my Amla in Honey.
Amla Candy Preparation in 4 Easy Steps
Steaming Gooseberry - Wash and steam gooseberry till they are cooker. Separate the segments and take it in a bowl.
Marinating Gooseberry in Sugar - Add in powdered sugar and mix well. Store this in fridge for 3 days.
Sun Drying - Drain the water and take the amla in a plate and sundry for 2 to 3 days till it is nicely dried up.
Coating Candy in Sugar - Now take it in a bowl, add some powdered sugar and mix well. Store this in a dry jar. You can enjoy this daily. This keeps well for a 2 weeks.
Variations
Chaat masala - Mix 2 tsp of chaat masala powder with the powdered sugar. Coat the dried amla in this sugar for a delicious taste.
Spicy Amla Candy - Mix 1 tsp of black salt, 1 tsp of black pepper powder, 1 tsp roasted jeera powder, 1 tsp amchoor powder with ½ cup of powdered sugar and coat dried amla in that.
Amla Sharbat - Take the syrup which you strain from the sugar steeped amla in a sauce pan. Boil the syrup for 10 to 15 minutes till it gets syrupy like sugar syrup. Now take it off the heat, add in juice from 3 to 4 lemon and mix well. Cool this completely and transfer to a glass bottle in fridge. When serving, mix some syrup with some cold water and enjoy.
How to Make Amla Candy (Stepwise Pictures)
Pre-preparation
1)Choose fresh large size gooseberry which has a subtle flavour and stays juicy and moist even when dried.
Wash gooseberry really well, pat it dry with a clean cloth and set aside.
Steaming Gooseberry
2)I placed the gooseberry in a sieve and placed inside a pot with boiling water. Steam cook them for 10 to 12 minutes till it is fork tender.
You can steam cook them in a idli steamer or any steamer pot. Steaming helps the gooseberry retain their nutrition and health benefits.
Chop Gooseberry
3)Cut steamed gooseberry into segments, remove the seeds and discard. Allow the gooseberry to cool completely.
Powder Sugar
4)Take 3 cups of refined sugar in a blender and powder till fine. Set aside ½ cup of the powdered sugar separately in a container, we will be using it later to coat the amla.
Marinating Amla in Sugar
5)Take the cooled amla in a large mixing bowl. Add in powdered sugar over the steamed amla.
Make sure you reserve ½ cup of the powdered sugar for coating amla in end.
6)Toss amla with the sugar. The sugar will start to melt as you coat the amla in sugar.
7)I placed the sugar coated amla in a large container. Cover it tight and set aside for 2 to 3 days. Make sure you mix the amla in between.
After 2 days you will find lots of water in the jar.
8)Now strain the soaked amla through a sieve. Let it sit in the sieve for few minutes till it is almost drained.
Using Up Amla Juice
9)The leftover sugar syrup has full of amla flavour. Don't discard it. You can add some lemon juice and more cold water and consume as a juice.
Drying Amla Candy
10)Spread the strained amla in a plate. Sun dry amla for 2 days.
11)this is how it looks after it is dried under sun.
Coating Dried Amla in Sugar
12)Once the amla is died, take it in a bowl. Add in the reserved ½ cup of powdered sugar over it and coat well.
13)Amla candy is coated with sugar. Store in an air tight container. You can consume it daily, it is very healthy and tasty.
Expert Tips
- use large juicy gooseberry for better flavour and taste.
- Instead of steaming gooseberry you can boil them in water as well. Even though it is not preferred.
- Don't soak gooseberry more than 2 days else it may spoil.
- When you are drying gooseberry under sun, sometimes it will dry up sooner. So always check it.
- Amla candy can be stored in fridge longer.
More Gooseberry | Amla Recipes
📖 Recipe Card
Amla Candy Recipe
Equipment
- Steamer
- Steel Plate
Ingredients
- 1 kg Gooseberry / Amla (around 25)
- 700 grams Sugar (31/2 cups)
Instructions
- Wash and steam gooseberry till they are cooked. Separate the segments from the seed and take the gooseberry in a bowl. Take sugar in a blender and powder it fine. Reserve ½ cup powdered sugar separately for coating gooseberry candy in the end.
- Add in powdered sugar to the gooseberry and mix well. Transfer it to a large jar and store this for 2 to 3 days until amla sinks to the bottom of the jar.
- Strain the gooseberry through a sieve. Take the amla in a plate and sundry for 1 to 2 days till it is dried.
- Now take the dried amla in a bowl, add the reserved powdered sugar and mix well. Store this in a dry jar. You can enjoy this daily. This keeps well for a 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- use large juicy gooseberry for better flavour and taste.
- Instead of steaming gooseberry you can boil them in water as well. Even though it is not preferred.
- Don't soak gooseberry more than 2 days else it may spoil.
- When you are drying gooseberry under sun, sometimes it will dry up sooner. So always check it.
- Amla candy can be stored in fridge longer.
Nutrition
If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.
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Unknown
Amlas are to be kept in zip lock bags in freezer for 3days. Then take it out and follow same procedure after amlas are at room temperature. No need of cooking it too. It comes out like market amla candy
GEE THA
I tried this but there was fugus attack on the top layer of amla on the second day. What to do?
Aarthi
you haven't dried it enough. you have to dry it completely.
GEE THA
It happened in the previous step. While storing the amla with sugar for 3 days. I kept it in a air tight container.
Aarthi
you have to keep it in fridge. did you do that
GEE THA
Noo, now I realized my mistake. Will try it out next time. Thanks Aarthi.
Swati
If there is no sunlight how can we dry amlas
Aarthi
U need sunlight for this. Else you can try drying in oven
Anitha
Hi Aarthi, How to steam the amla ( can I use idly cooker for steaming) or any other step need to do.