Gooseberry Jam/ Amla Chawanprash/Amla Jam/Nellikai Jam – Quick, homemade, preservatives free, pectin free jam recipe with Indian gooseberries! Gooseberries are one of the super food for kids but sadly many kids dont prefer to eat them because of its sour taste.
This gooseberry jam is a good option to include the healthy gooseberries in kids diet as it tastes good and the sour taste is well balanced with sweet taste. It is very quick to make in minutes and can be enjoyed with whole wheat bread, idli, dosa, roti or even as such. This gooseberry jam is ideal for kids above one year after introducing gooseberry separate, one tsp a day should be perfect.
Do check out other gooseberry recipes for kids : Gooseberry Rice, Gooseberry Juice. Read more below on when and how to introduce gooseberries to kids and how to select them.
Health benefits of gooseberries for kids:
- Good for improving immunity and fight diseases
- Increase appetite in children
- Remove toxins from body as its rich in antioxidants
- Treats constipation as its rich in fiber
- Prevents anemia as its an excellent source of iron
When to introduce gooseberries for babies:
Gooseberries are high in Vitamin C and acidic in nature, hence it is recommended to introduce after one year once the baby is introduced to variety of foods. You should watch for allergies after introducing gooseberry. If the baby shows any allergic reaction like rashes or tummy upset, stop feeding them. When you introduce, you can offer little amount of amla juice/amla jam/tiny cut cooked amla pieces and gradually increase the quantity based on the tolerance level.
How to select and store Gooseberry:
Gooseberries are widely available in autumn & winter season and its the good time to consume them. Choose gooseberries with deep green color without dull skins or blemishes. After buying them, store it in a kitchen counter or refrigerator. Also wash the gooseberries thoroughly before use with salt water to remove dirt or residues.
- Indian Gooseberries - 6 big ones
- Water - 2 tbsp
- Jaggery/Brown Sugar/White Sugar - ¼ cup + 2 tbsp
- Cinnamon powder/cardamom powder - ⅛ tsp
- Lemon Juice - ½ tsp
- Keep Sugar/jaggery/brown sugar & lemon juice ready. Wash the gooseberries in running water thoroughly with little bit salt. If you are making larger quantity, pressure cook the gooseberries first and proceed with the remaining steps. Then place them in cutting board and chop them into pieces. Discard the seeds and take the chopped pieces in a blender. I have taken the whole washed gooseberries.
- Give a run and discard the seeds (skip this step if you chopped the gooseberries and discard the seeds already). Then grind them into a slightly coarse or smooth paste. Add little water while grinding.
- Transfer the pureed gooseberries into a thick bottomed pan and add sugar/jaggery powder,cinnamon powder/cardamom powder along with lemon juice. Mix well. Keep stirring it in low medium flame and make sure to not to burn the bottom.
- The mix will start to bubble up nicely, keep stirring. When the jam like consistency is reached, switch off the flame.
Method:
- Gooseberry jam becomes thick when cooled down. Hence switch off the fame accordingly.
- Adding a dash of cinnamon powder or cardamom powder ensures digestion.
- Adding lemon juice increase shelf life. Don’t skip it.
- Make sure your kid is not allergic to gooseberries before you try this gooseberry jam.
- If you are making larger quantity, pressure cook the gooseberries first and proceed with the remaining steps.
- Use a clean jar to store the jam. If preparing the jam in large quantities, I would suggest to sterilize the glass jars.
- Check the jam consistency by place a spoonful of jam in a plate and cool it down. After cooling down, if no water separated then its the correct consistency for a jam.
- To make it more healthy, I recommend brown sugar or jaggery for making this jam. I ran out of stock so used white sugar this time.
- Keep it refrigerated and consume with in a couple of weeks. But it keeps well for a month if handled properly.
- Always check with your pediatrician before introducing any new food.
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