How to make Chawanprash at home

How to make Chawanprash at home
Winter is nothing without Chawanprash, the sticky paste which was given to us daily in cold winter months, without fail brings a wave a nostalgia. This Ayurvedic health and immunity booster has been an integral part of everyone's lives and is a staple in every household. Chawanprash is made with Indian gooseberries, commonly known as amla and lots of Ayurvedic herbs.This combination of herbs and spices is loaded with health benefits and protect us from both bacterial and viral infections. Apart from all this it nourishes the mucous membrane and clears the respiratory passage.
In recent years, there has been a surge of demands for Chawanprash, which again raises the question about the quality of the product. Whatever you purchase from the market is bound to have artificial ingredients and preservatives to increase its shelf life. So, why opt for such things when you can easily prepare it at home. This simple recipe has all the natural ingredients which you can find at your home.
Ingredients
½ kg Indian Gooseberries /Amla
⅓ cup ghee
400 grams jaggery / Gud
Few Saffron strands / Kesar
Dry ingredients:
2 dry bay leaves / Tej Patta
5-6 grams Dry Ginger / Saunth
2 Cinnamon sticks / Dalchini
10 grams Bamboo manna / Vanshalochan
7-8 Long Pepper / Pipli
5 grams Saffron
1 Nutmeg / Jaiphal
8 green Cardamom / Choti Elaichi
8-10 Clove / Laung
10 Black Pepper / Kali Mirch
Method
Take all the dry ingredients and grind them into very fine powder. Sieve the powder into a bowl and keep it aside.Take jaggery and break it into small pieces.
Prepare the Gooseberry paste
First wash all the berries properly and pierce them with a fork. Now, take a pressure cooker and fill it with 2 cups of water. Add berries and pressure cook for two whistles. Let the pressure subside and then remove the soft berries from the cooker. Wait for them to cool down a bit and remove the seeds. Grind the berries till there are no lumps left in the puree.

Cook the paste
In a non-stick pan, add ghee to it. Now, add the prepared puree to pan and cook it for some time on the low flame. The mixture will thicken up a bit and lose its excessive water. Add the jaggery to it and combine them well. It will thicken again and the color of the mixture will get a brownish hue. Stir it for 5-7 constantly.

Spices
After sometime, you will notice that the mixture will start leaving the sides, at this point, add the powdered spices in it and mix well. Add saffron strands and stir it again. Let it cook for another 2 minutes and remove from the flame. Now, keep it aside for cooling and then transfer the Chawanprash to a clean jar
This can be consumed as it or you can add it to milk as well. Don’t use it in summers as it contains many herbs which can overheat the body. You can also give this to babies who are older than two years in small quantities.