GREEN CHUTNEY & COCONUT CHUTNEY

                                   

Green chutney is a versatile item which is an accompaniment to many a dish - be it the ubiquitous sandwich or dhokla sandwich / misal-pav / bhelpuri .... or all varieties of parathas. 

Coconut chutney is a great accompaniment to South Indian breakfast items. It tastes great only the same day - it becomes rancid - even if stored in the fridge. Storing in the freezer is a better option.

Green Chutney

Makes 3/4 cup of Green Chutney

Ingredients

1. Coconut - 1 tbsp
2. Green chilli - 2-3 (according to your spice level)
3. Mint leaves - 1/2 cup (tightly packed)
4. Chopped coriander leaves (chopped) - 11/2 cups (tightly packed)
5. Chopped onion - 1 tsp
6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
7. Sugar - 1/4 tsp
8. Salt (to taste) - 1/4 tsp
9. Lemon juice - 2 tsp (use 1/2 a lemon)

Method

1. Add all the ingredients except lemon juice in a mixer and grind till you get a smooth paste (adding a tbsp of water - if required). 
2. Add about 2 tsp of lemon juice.
3. Check its taste. 
4. Add salt / lemon juice if required.
5. Prepare the chutney as per the required consistency.

Tips

1. This chutney can be prepared even without coconut. 
2. Instead of lemon juice, raw mangoes can be used to impart sourness. This will increase the quantity of chutney you get. If the mangoes are sour, use only 3-4 small pieces. If less sour ones are used, you can use up to 1/2 cup of cut mangoes.
3. If the chutney turns out too sour / salty, add a little more coriander and mint leaves / 1/2 tbsp coconut and grind again.
4. The proportion of mint and coriander leaves used for the chutney is approximately 1:2.

Coconut Chutney

Coconut chutney goes well with all South Indian breakfast items like Dosa, Idli, Vada, Pongal etc. For the recipe, click on -

Coconut chutney

 © Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

CARROT THOGIAL (CHAMMANDHI)

  'Thogial' is a thick, tangy chutney variety prepared in South Indian homes. It is also known as 'Chammandhi' in Kerala. The tangy taste is due to the use of tamarind / raw mango.
Here is the recipe for 'Carrot thogial', a modern and healthier variation of the traditional 'thogial 'and is usually made when carrots are in season - as a side-dish for curd rice or simply as an accompaniment to rice (along with pappadam) or to idli / dosa too!

Ingredients 

1. Urad dal – 3 tbsp
2. Red chilli – 2 - 3
3. Asafetida – 1-2 pinches
4. Fresh grated coconut – 2 tbsp
5. Grated carrots - 6 - 7tbsp
6. Chopped fresh coriander – 2 tbsp
7. Tamarind – marble sized – soaked in a little water
8. Salt to taste
9. Jaggery – ½ tsp (optional)
10. Curry leaves – 12

Method 

1. Fry the carrots in a pan lightly till the raw smell is gone and set aside.
2. Dry roast the urad dal till light brown. Add the red chillies and roast for a minute.
3. Remove from fire. Sprinkle asafetida.
4. Cool a bit and coarsely powder in a mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients except curry leaves and grind coarsely. Towards the end, add curry leaves and blend once.
5. Roll into a ball and transfer to a serving dish.

Tips

1. If you are using the reddish variety of carrots which are a bit sweet, don't add jaggery. 
2. You need not add  coconut if you are cholesterol-conscious!

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

GOOSEBERRY (AMLA) PICKLE

Gooseberry (amla) is a rich source of vitamin C. It can be bought during the season and stored in brine for months if kept in the fridge.

Amla (in brine) – During the amla season, buy 1 kg, wash well and dry them. Boil about 4-5 cups of water with ½ tsp turmeric powder and 4-5 tsp of salt. Turn off the heat and cool a bit. Then add the amla to the water. Cool. Store in clean, dry bottles. After 4-5 days, keep them in the fridge. Use as and when required to make ‘arachukalakki’ or pickle.

Instant pickle

Within a week of preparing amla in brine, you will be able to make this pickle. And continue to do so for a couple of months – as long as the gooseberries are firm. Once they turn soft, you can use them to make arachukalakki.

This pickle tastes good when it is fresh. It has a short shelf life (2-3 days - when refrigerated) – so it’s better to make this pickle with 2 or 3 gooseberries.

Ingredients

1. Gooseberry – 3 ( cut in small pieces)
2. Red chilli powder – 2 - 3tsp (I use Kashmirilal variety - for less spice and more color!)
3. Mustard powder – ½ tsp
4. Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
5. Asafetida – a pinch
6. Oil – 1 tsp
7. Salt water (brine) – 6-8 tbsp

Method

1. Take out 3 gooseberries from the brine, making sure that they are firm (but not rock-hard).
2. Cut them into small pieces.
3. Add 6-8 tbsp of the salt water from the amla bottle to the cut gooseberries.
4. Add red chilli powder and mustard powder.
5. Stir well and check the salt.
6. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and asafetida.
7. When they splutter, add it to the gooseberry pickle and stir.
8. Serve with curd rice or with dosas.

Tips

1. Yellow mustard (halved) is available in stores. Just powder it coarsely and use.
2. If you don’t have the patience to wait for a couple of days, you can cut the 3 hard gooseberries and stir them in a tbsp of oil and cook covered without water with a pinch of turmeric powder and required salt till they are tender. Then add red chilli powder and mustard powder. Add seasoning of mustard seeds and asafetida.

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

TOMATO-ONION CHUTNEY

A tangy, healthy cholesterol-free chutney that goes well with any South Indian / North Indian breakfast item - I got this recipe from my niece Shanthi.

Ingredients

1. Tomato (ripe) – 3 big
2. Pearl onion – 1 cup
3. Coriander leaves – 1/2  cup
4. Curry leaves – 1 tbsp
5. Tamarind – 1 small marble-sized
6. Sambar powder – 2 tsp.
7. Whole red chilli – 2
8. Oil – 2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Asafetida – a pinch
11. Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp
12. Whole red chilli – 1

Method –

1. Heat ¾ tbsp oil in a kadhai.
2. Add whole red chillies, peeled pearl onions and sauté till translucent.
3. Add diced tomatoes and fry for a minute.
4. Add curry leaves and coriander leaves and stir for another minute.
5. Add sambar powder, salt and tamarind.
6. Cool the stuff and grind it well in a mixer.
7. Heat ¼ tbsp oil in the same kadhai and add mustard seeds and whole red chilli pieces.
8. When they splutter, add the chutney in the kadhai and stir for 20 seconds and turn off the heat.
9. Serve with dosa / idli / paratha / puri …..

                                           

Tips

1. Use coriander powder (11/2 tsp) and red chilli powder (1/2 – 1 tsp), if sambar powder is not available at home.
2. Use regular onion if you don’t have pearl onions.

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.