AMCHUR

AMCHUR is whole or ground unripe dried mango fruits, thus it is often referred to as mango powder. The spice is either whole or ground and sometimes seasoned with turmeric. Finely ground amchur powder has a slightly fibrous texture and is beige in color. Amchur has sour-sweet, warm and slightly resinous bouquet and tastes
 somewhat sweet and acidic.
 Amchur is used chiefly in Indian cookery, where it is used as an acid flavoring in curries, soups, chutneys, marinades and as a condiment. It is particularly useful as an ingredient in marinades, having the same tenderizing qualities as lemon or lime juice. However, one teaspoon of amchur will be as potent as three teaspoons of lemon or lime juice. Chicken and fish are improved by amchur and grilled fish on skewers, machli kabab, is highly recommended. 


PINCH OF WISDOM: Many tough relationships are improved with a tenderizing moment. Most people respond to kindness. A sweet smile, a tender word. or a soft touch calms and renews various circumstances. As amchur powder can be used for its tenderizing qualities, so a little tenderness can make all the difference in response to a cross word or bad attitude. Tenderness is a potent weapon in handling tough relationships.

TASTE OF SCRIPTURE: If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, have the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:1-8

RECIPE Amchur Fish Kebabs (Machli kebab) Please note: I have not tried this recipe. 2 lb fish, white fish. Choose fish that is firm enough for skewering, such as cod, snapper, etc. Makes 8 skewers, 4-5 pieces per skewer.

Marinade:
1 tsp amchur powder
• 1 tsp besan (chick pea flour)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cloves, ground
• 3 tsp coriander, ground
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ginger, ground
• 1 tsp pepper, black, ground
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup yogurt
•

4 oz (115 g) ghee or clarified butter (See note below. I found this interesting.) Wash and skin fish. Cut into skewerable pieces, about 40 mm (1 1/2”) across.Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Add more yogurt if too thick. Gently immerse fish pieces in the marinade so that each piece is completely covered. Leave for up to one hour.Melt the ghee. (Skewer fish pieces and coat with melted ghee.Grill under medium heat until a nice brown, basting constantly with juices and marinade remnants. Serve with plain rice.

Ghee: Ghee is a Indian clarified butter without any solid milk particles or water. Ghee is used in India and throughout the South Asia in daily cooking. A good quality ghee adds a great aroma, flavor and taste to the food.Ghee can be great assets for people who are on low fat diet since even a lower quantity of ghee can add lot of flavor to the food than any other oil or fat products. According to the ancient Ayurveda, a moderate amount of ghee is the best cooking oil.Traditionally, ghee is made from from butter churned out of Indian yogurt (curd). It is boiled and constantly stirred until the all the water is evaporated. Then, further heated to get a pleasant flavor, slightly cooled and filtered through muslin to remove sediment.Cow ghee is yellow in color, and buffalo ghee has off-white cream color. Ghee made from other animal milks, such as sheep milk, mare milk, are valued for their unique health benefits.