Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients: (measuring cup used = 240ml)

1. 2 - 3 large nellikai (amla or Gooseberry)
2. 1/4 cup grated coconut
3. 2 tsp toor dal
4. 1 tsp urad dal
5. 2 tsp coriander seeds
6. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
7. Few black pepper
8. Pinch of methi seeds
9. Pinch of mustard seeds
10. 2 - 4 green chillies
11. 5 - 6 curry leaves
12. 1/4 tsp tuurmeric powder
13. 1.5 tsp salt (or as per your taste)
14. 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
15. 1 tsp cooking oil

Ingredients for tempering:

1. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2. 1 red chilli
3. A big pinch of asafoetida
4. 5 - 6 curry leaves
5. 1 tbsp cooking oil

Instructions for making nellikai saaru or amla rasam:

1. Rinse the nellikai, chop into pieces and discard the seeds.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add in toor dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, methi seeds and cumin seeds.
3. Roast until dals are slightly brown and until you get nice aroma under low medium flame.
4. Take chopped nellikai and grated coconut in a mixie jar.
5. Add in fried ingredients and grind it into a fine paste by adding required water.
6. Transfer it into a container.
7. Add in required water (around 2 cups) and keeo it for boiling.
8. Add in requuired salt.
9. Add in the turmeric powder.
10. Bring it to rolling boil.
11. Add in chopped coriander leaves and switch off the stove.
12. Prepare tempering with oil, red chili, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida. Serve it with hot steaming rice.

Dear reader, We have a Kannada version of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.