3 Desi pickles that can secretly boost your immunity

Pickles can add soul to our bland meals, the spicy-tangy flavours of pickle can take your experience to a different level altogether,but did you know your choice of pickles can make a whole lot of difference. Not only does it give your indulgence a healthy twist, but at the same time it also boosts your immunity. This is one of the reasons, why these traditional recipes were passed on to generations, not only because of their taste, but also for the health enriching and immunity boosting properties. Here are three interesting desi pickle variants from Grandma’s kitchen that you will love to relish anytime and anywhere!

Amla or Indian gooseberry is one of the most popular immunity boosting fruits. Right from helping in digestion to purifying blood to building resistance against seasonal ailments to being the best food for yor skin and hair, amla has umpteen health benefits. But what makes it a great immunity booster is it nutrient rich composition and a health mix of antioxidants. This is what makes it a great immunity booster, this simple pickle will not only add a punch of sweet, tangy and spicy flavour to your indulgence,but will also strengthen your immune system.

Wash the amlas well under cold running water. Prick them deeply using a fork. Then soak them in 3 cups of water and 2 tsp salt for about 1 hour.

Now, take a pan and heat oil in it over a high flame. Once the oil is sufficiently hot, turn off the flame. Now add whole spices - fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds. Wait for a minute or so.

Then add turmeric and mix the ingredients well. Now add amlas. Heat the pan again and stir fry for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add remaining 2 tsp of salt and red chili powder. Mix well and remove from fire. Transfer the pickle to a jar. Keep in the sun for 5-6 days.

Serve this delicious pickle recipe as a side dish with parathas or enjoy it with Indian snacks like mathi and papad. This tangy pickle recipe will add a different touch to your normal food. Try it and enjoy!

This lemon ginger pickle is a perfect amalgamation of tangy and spicy flavours. Made with a unique mix of spices that not only improve digestion, but also help in building a strong metabolism in the long run. The presence of turmeric further amps up the health quotient by inducing the goodness of curcumin in every bite. So, here a few simple steps you can follow to make this easy dish.

To prepare this easy pickle recipe, wash and dry a glass jar in which the pickle is to be preserved. Then wash the green chillies, lemon and ginger.

Next, finely chop the green chillies and dice the ginger and slice the lemons. Then take a large bowl and add the lemon juice with the ginger, salt, carom seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, green chillies and mix well.

Next, pour this mixture over the sliced lemons and mix well. Add this lemon mixture to the clean jar and seal it. Keep this jar in the sun for 8-10 days until the lemons become tender. Make sure you keep it in the sun for some time every day.

Dates are known for their unique sweet taste so much so that they have been a quintessential element of many world cuisines and even in India most of our desserts, syrup and dishes are made with this little ingredient. But did you know that dates are not only preferred for their unique taste but also for being a great source of iron, fiber, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and zinc, which help in boosting immunity. Here’s is a delicious pickle recipe that will add taste to your bland dishes and will boost your immune system at the same time.

To start with, take a bowl and soak dates in it for 15 minutes in water. Next, remove the seeds from the dates and then strain them.

Then take a pan over medium flame and add oil in it. Heat the oil and then add garlic, ginger, red chili powder and salt.

Stir the mixture and then add the dates to the pan and cook for 10 minutes. After cooking, remove the pan from heat and let the achar cool down. Your date pickle is ready to serve.