Amte Kai Huli Recipe

Known by many names like Amte kai in Kannada, Ambade in Tulu, Ambado in Konkani, Ambarella or Hog Plum in English, this fruit is very popular in Asian, American and African countries. In India, it is used in chutney, pickles, soups and curry. Rich source of dietary fibre and Vitamin B complex!

Amte kai huli! I’m sure you have tasted tomato saaru, even majjige huli. Have you tasted ambarella sour curry? It looks like a raw mango and tastes amazing!

Known by many names like Amte kai in Kannada, Ambade in Tulu, Ambado in Konkani, Ambarella or Hog Plum in English, this fruit is very popular in Asian, American and African countries. In India, it is used in chutney, pickles, soups and curry. Rich source of dietary fibre and Vitamin B complex!

Amte Kai Huli or Curry is popularly garnished with an oil tadka. This is unnecessary and does not add any health benefit to the curry. Whole nuts are the best sources of oil. We have used whole coconut, and added it at the end to avoid cooking it, which reduces its health benefits.

This is a famous traditional curry recipe prepared with ambarella, coconut and selected spices for weddings in Coastal Karnataka. Red chili is popularly, used but we are replacing it with pepper, which is less of an irritant to the digestive tract and packs an equally spicy punch! 🙂

Whole Food Plant Based Amte Kai Huli Recipe

Course: Side Dish for Course 3 (Grain Dishes) for Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: Coastal Karnataka Recipe from South India
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 people

INGREDIENTS

5 Ambarella chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds Powder / Dhaniya Powder
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds / Methi
1 tsp Whole Black Urad Dal
1 tsp Bengal Gram Dal / Chana Dal
1/2 cup Coconut grated
1 tsp Black Sesame Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds Powder / Jeera Powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1 tbsp Date Syrup
2 tsp Miso Paste (Healthy Salt Alternative. See Nutrition Science Highlights below)
1 cup Water as required

Tadka / Seasoning / Tempering

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 sprig Curry Leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash, peel and chop ambarella into small pieces. Remove seeds if the fruit is not tender. Whole ambarella with skin removed can also be used.
2. Boil Amte Kai with a little water, turmeric powder, dhaniya powder,
3. Dry roast methi seeds and the two dals separately, stopping when they are slightly brown. Take care not to brown them too much. See Nutrition Science Highlights below for details.
4. Blend roasted methi and dals with coconut, black sesame seeds, jeera powder, black pepper powder, miso paste, and date syrup to a smooth paste.
5. Once ambarella is cooked well, turn off the stove. Add spiced coconut paste and close the lid. Let the coconut mixture absorb the sourness of ambarella.
6. Dry tadka or seasoning can be prepared with mustard seeds and curry leaves, by dry roasting them for a few seconds. Serve with unpolished rice, millet rice or rotis.

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Amte Kai Huli Recipe

1. Slit green chili can be added for more spice!
2. Garnish with coriander leaves if you love them!
3. Amte kai can be replaced with raw mango or gooseberry (nellikai / amla) in case you don't find ambarella at a grocery store near you.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Amte Kai Huli Recipe

1. Why not honey, sugar or jaggery? Sugar and Jaggery are processed foods. Although jaggery is healthier than brown sugar, which, in turn, is healthier than white sugar, all forms of processed foods are unhealthy when compared to whole plant foods. Honey is healthwise as good as jaggery, which isn't saying much. In addition to not being very healthy, honey production kills millions of bees every year, affecting our environment adversely. The best sweetener alternative is a whole fruit or dry fruit. The easiest method of using these is date syrup, as it does not involve peeling or chopping.
2. Why miso paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
3. What's wrong with roasting? The brown color we get on roasting whole grains, tubers, legumes, or nuts is due to the formation of carcinogenic AGE compounds. We can reduce the formation of these compounds by roasting on a low flame, adding spices and herbs, and removing browned portions of rotis / flatbread before serving and enjoying them.
4. Why not tadka? Tadka, thaaLippu, oggaraNe. Tempering spices in oil is quintessential to Indian cuisine. This practice may have started as a compromise when whole nuts were unavailable, and indeed, is more common in inland, drier areas where nuts do not grow easily, all year round. You can enjoy the taste and fragrance, though, by just dry roasting the spices you require, without the oil, or even better, mixing spice powders directly into your dish!
5. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish!