Tag Archives: Chutney

Recipes: Peanut Tomato Chutney

Posted on by
Reply

I am a huge fan of chutneys, believing that these really add something to your meal. I also believe that chutneys are very versatile, going well with full Indian meals as an accompaniment and you can also slather them on a slice of bread for a quick snack or even use them for lunch box ideas for your children or even yourself!

I usually have some chutney or the other in the fridge and I was looking for ideas to extend my chutney repertoire when I chanced upon the Andhra style Peanut and Tomato chutney. The recipe intrigued me and so I decided to tweak it a bit to make it my own (as I am usually wont to do). It was a surprise hit and a definite keeper. I made it slightly spicier than usual, so do keep that in mind when you make it yourself.

This is also a no-onion, no-garlic recipe, so it’s good for days when you don’t add these ingredients to your food!

Tomato Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 6-7 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup raw peanuts
  • 7-8 fresh red chillies (can substitute with dried red chillies also)
  • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp gingelly oil
  • 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Chop the tomatoes, ginger and red chillies and keep aside
  • If using dried chillies, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, drain and keep aside.
  • Heat gingelly oil in a pan and when warm, add the mustard seeds
  • When the seeds pop, add the fenugreek seeds and the sesame seeds and let them pop.
  • When the seeds pop, add the peanuts and stir till the peanuts start popping and the skin starts to split.
  • Then add the chopped tomatoes, chillies and ginger and season with salt and asafoetida and let them cook until the tomatoes become mushy.
  • Switch off the gas and let it cool completely.
  • Blend into a smooth chutney using as little water as possible.
  • This goes very well with idlis, dosa, adai, rotis and even bread.

Recipes: Ginger Coconut Chutney

Posted on by
Reply

This Chutney came about completely serendipitously! I started off making something else, felt it was not going to be enough, added some coconut and the end result was this yummy Chutney.

Ginger Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup coconut, grated
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • A small lime-sized ball of tamarind
  • 3-4 dried red chillies
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies, ginger and tamarind and stir for a few minutes.
  • Now add the onions and sauté till the onions turn translucent.
  • Switch off the flame and let this cool down.
  • Once cool, blend it together with the coconut, adding water as necessary and make it into a fine paste.
  • Season with salt and serve with any Indian bread like dosas, idlis, rotis. It even goes well with breads.

Recipe: Tomato Bell Pepper Chutney

Posted on by
Reply

TBPC4.1This is a new take on an old, but gold chutney recipe. This chutney is super easy to make and goes very well with any Indian flatbread or even dosai or ildi. My helper even had it with rice and she relished it a lot!

TBPC3.1Tomato Bell Pepper Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 fresh red chillies (can use dried red chillies instead)
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic
  • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tbsp Gingelly oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a blender, blend to a fine paste without using water the tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, ginger, garlic and red chillies.
  • Heat the gingelly oil in a pan and when it warms, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add the fenugreek seeds.
  • Next, add the blended paste and stir occasionally until it becomes thick. Add salt and when it reaches the thickness you want, switch off the gas and let it cool.
  • Serve with an Indian bread of your choice.

TBPC6.1

TBPC5.1

TBPC2.1

TBPC1.1

Recipe: Chow Chow Ginger Chutney

Posted on by
2

Chow chow or Chayote is a very versatile vegetable, one which takes on the flavour of the ingredients that you use to enhance it. I make a chow chow chutney which BB loves, but this time I added some ginger to it, to add some kick to the chutney. This went very well with rava idlis which I made and will go well with other south Indian dishes like idlis and dosai.

Chow Chow Ginger Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 1 chow chow or chayote
  • 1 cup grated coconut
  • 1-2 inch piece of ginger, for peeled
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1 tsp chana dal
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 6-7 dried red chillies
  • 1 small lime sized ball of tamarind
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Peel the chayote and remove the inner seeds. Chop them into small bite-sized pieces and keep aside
  • In a pan heat oil and when warm, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal and chana dal.
  • Add the dried red chillies and let it brown slightly. Add the ginger and let it brown for a few seconds. Add the tamarind and let it cook for a couple of seconds.
  • Now add the chopped chayote and a bit of salt and let it cook till the chayote has completely cooked.
  • Remove from the flame and keep aside and let it cool completely.
  • In a blender, blend the chayote with the coconut and blend well till it becomes a smooth paste. Add salt if needed.
  • Serve with any bread, flatbread or idli, dosai etc.

 

Recipe: Puli Inji aka Sweet Sour Ginger Chilli Sauce/Pickle

Posted on by
Reply

img_6105An essential part of a Tamil brahmin wedding feast, Puli Inji is one of my favourite parts of the fest. Sweet, Sour and also slightly spicy, I love this dish, and always want more, though the servers would only put a small tsp in each banana leaf.

The other day, with a whole bunch of ginger at home, I was wondering what to make which will use the ginger up and then decided to make some puli inji. I make a slight change to the traditional recipe. In the traditional recipe, the chilli and ginger are chopped into tiny pieces, while I blended it up so the end result was more chutney-like than a gravy-like which is how it is usually made. This recipe can be stored for a couple of weeks when refrigerated.

img_6107Puli Inji aka Sweet Sour Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ginger, peeled, chopped and ground into a rough paste
  • 1 cup green chillies, peeled, chopped into a paste
  • 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2-3 tbsps of grated jaggery (more or less depending on the spice intensity of the chilli plus your spice tolerance)
  • Salt to taste

To be ground into a powder

  • 1 tbsp Urad dal (split black gram)
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves

For the seasoning

  • 1-2 tbsps Gingelly oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida

 

Method:

  • Soak the tamarind in hot water and keep aside for 30-45 mins. When it cools, smash it well and extract all the juice. Throw the pulp and reserve the tamarind water. You can also use store-bought tamarind paste and use a couple of tsps for this recipe.
  • In a dry pan, dry-roast the urad dal, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves till they become brown and crisp. Keep aside to cool completely and then grind this into a fine powder.
  • In another pan, add the oil and when it warms up, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Now add the asafoetida and stir for a couple of seconds. Next, add the ginger and let it brown. Now add the chilli and let that cook for a couple of minutes.
  • When the ginger and the chilli are brown, add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, salt and let it come to a rolling boil.
  • Once the mixture is boiling, add the jaggery and the ground powder and let it come to the consistency that you want and switch off the flame.
  • The mixture will thicken as it cools, so do switch off the flame before it reaches the final consistency you want.

img_6106Yummy Puli Inji is ready. This is great as a side to any south Indian dish as well as a chutney for bread. You can also use this as a dip.

If you want a more textured dish, chop the ginger and chillies and then make it as per the recipe.

img_6108