Amla-dhaniya chutney/ Gooseberry-coriander chutney

It's the season of gooseberries and they beckon me from every veggie shop. I guiltily avoid them.....I know they are packed with amazing goodness and would do a lot of good to my hair, eyes and skin but I haven't found an easy way to incorporate them in daily cooking. My mom reminds me to eat this wonder fruit all the time (do moms ever give up?!) and she herself makes lots of goodies with it but I never was keen to work too hard. Because of her encouragement (and the fact that she packed dried gooseberry slices) I have started using gooseberry powder in lieu of amchoor (dried mango powder) to season vegetables. But to use fresh gooseberry was still a challenge.

So it was manna from heaven when I stumbled upon this simple chutney recipe at a friend's place. Shruti had invited me for an afternoon where our kids could play together and we could chat over lunch. She served this coriander chutney which I simply loved. What was interesting here was that she had used fresh gooseberry for the required sourness. Now let me tell you that I have a weakness for chutneys.The going-weak-in-the-knees kind of weakness. I love sampling them and why not! Chutneys are perfect accompaniments to many Indian savouries. You can easily elevate a dish from mediocre to excellent on shoulders of a yummy chutney. I am also fascinated with the repertoire of chutney recipes that each Indian household has. So it was natural that I ended up asking the recipe. Soon enough, I made this chutney as an accompaniment to aloo-bada when I invited a friend for tea. She enjoyed them both and complimented profusely. I was bursting to tell her about the gooseberry secret because there's no higher thrill than to make something healthy which is yummy too. Without further ado, let me share the easy recipe here. 

Ingredients:
Coriander leaves - a medium bunch
Mint leaves - a handful
Green chillies - 2
Amla- 4-5
Garlic- 4-5 cloves ( optional)
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste

Way to go:
1.Clean the coriander bunch. Discard the bottom part which has roots, look through for any foreign leaves and soak the coriander in water. I retain all the stems unless they are too thick. Pluck mint leaves and soak along with coriander. I don't use mint stems because they give a bitter taste. Wash thoroughly and rinse under running water. Do the last rinse with potable water because chutneys being uncooked, it's best to be safe.
2. Chop gooseberries roughly.
3. Throw everything together in a mixer and blend till you get a fine paste. If required, you can add a little water while blending.
4. You can pair this chutney with samosas, aloo-badas, parathas, sandwiches etc. etc.
5. Refrigerate and use within a week.

Enjoy this healthy and delicious chutney in winters.