Home-made Chyawanprash

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Indian Gooseberry is the main ingredient of Chyawanprash, along with a number of other herbs, and in India, it is well known for its ability to enhance children’s immunity.
It is a wintertime staple in the majority of Indian homes and has long been utilised as an Ayurveda immunity enhancer. Chyawanprash is typically made with nourishing and beneficial Ayurvedic herbs and Indian gooseberries (Amla).

A strong immune system prepares the body to fight foreign disease-causing pathogens and reduces the risk of infection. Although building immunity is a time taking process and can be achieved by making a constant effort “Chyawanprash” is a great way to supplement this process.

Chyawanprash comes in a variety of varieties these days, but the ingredient list can be perplexing, particularly if you want to give it to your children. So instead of buying the jars and bottles on the store shelves, prepare your own Chyawanprash at home!

Well, it does take some patience, but the outcome is worth it.

It is advised to avoid giving Chyawanprash to babies in summer as the chyawanprash ingredients include herbs which produce heat in the body.

The fact that you can give your child traditional goodness without sugar and preservatives is reason enough to try this recipe!

Ingredients

1/2 kg Indian Gooseberries /Amla
1/3 cup ghee
400 grams jaggery / Gud
Few Saffron strands / Kesar
To be Powdered
1 bay leaf / Tej Patta
1-inch Cinnamon stick / Dalchini
10 grams Dry Ginger / Saunth
10 grams Long Pepper / Pipli
5 grams Saffron
5 grams Nutmeg / Jaiphal
5- 7 pieces green Cardamom / Choti Elaichi
5 grams Clove / Laung
5 grams Black Pepper / Kali Mirch

Instructions

Indian gooseberries should be cleaned.
Put 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker.
Add the gooseberries to it and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
In the meantime, chop the jaggery into small pieces and set aside.
Take all the components under the “ingredients” list except the saffron and grind them to a very fine powder. The ground herbs and spices should be sieved and set aside.
Remove the boiling gooseberries once the pressure has naturally subsided.
Let them cool a bit, then de-seed them.
Put them with very little water used for cooking gooseberries in a grinder jar and produce a smooth lump free puree.
Add ghee to a heated, wide-bottom wok(if possible, use an iron cast wok).
While the ghee melts add the gooseberry puree to it.
Mix very well and cook at low to medium temperatures until the liquid evaporates and the mixture gets thicker.
Now stir in the jaggery thoroughly. Keep cooking and stirring the mixture until the jaggery melts and starts to thicken once more.
The colour of the gooseberry mix would darken following the addition of jaggery.
We can see bubbles coming out from the mix as it cooks. The mixture is very hot, so be cautious. For an additional 5-7 minutes, keep the flame at a low setting and whisk continuously.
Add the spice and herb mixture and stir with a spatula once the mixture is sufficiently thick.
Keep heating the combination for a few more minutes.
Saffron threads are added last, and you quickly stir. Turn off the flame after another 1-2 minutes of cooking.
Let the chyawanprash cool down fully before transferring it to a clean glass container.
Use as necessary.