Tag Archives: Chutney

Recipe: Peanut, Ginger & Sesame Chutney

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IMG_6059Most Thursdays we cook without onions and garlic as this is S does not eat these as part of his religious belief. Most Thursdays, lunch is not a problem, but dinner takes some thinking. We usually make idlis or dosas for dinner, but chutneys without coconut which do not have onions or garlic is a bit tricky.

This week, I also ran out of some coconut, and found I had just a few tablespoons of peanuts, so I came up with this chutney which incorporates ingredients I found in my pantry.

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Peanut, Ginger and Sesame Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsps raw peanuts
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 2 tbsps white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsps ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 5-6 dried red chillies
  • 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to blend the chutney

Method:

  • In a dry pan, dry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside.
  • Put ½ tsp oil in the same pan and when the oil heats, fry the chana dal and the peanuts until the chana dal becomes slightly brown and the peanuts crisp. Remove and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, dried red chillies and the tamarind and fry until the curry leaves becomes crisp.
  • Let everything cool down completely and blend until smooth in a blender or mixer. Add water to help you blend.
  • Salt the chutney according to taste and serve with idlis, dosas or even as a dip.

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Recipe: Carrot and Peanut Chutney

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My Chutney series continues….

Carrot Chutney 1Last week, while making dosa, a rice-based pancake, we wanted to have a chutney, but were tired of having the usual coconut and tomato chutneys which I usually make. So I decided to experiment and see if I could tweak something we usually make and come up with something else. I decided to tweak my carrot thuvaiyal recipe. It was a hit, with the sweetness of the carrots balanced with the spiciness of the chillies and the tartness of the tamarind.

Carrot and Peanut Chutney

Carrot Chutney 2Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • ¼ cup peanuts (soak them in hot water for 20 mins so they soften. Then drain and keep aside)
  • 5-6 fresh red chillies (you can use dried red chillies as well as change the amount depending on the intensity of the chillies and your tolerance levels)
  • 2 medium sized onions, chopped
  • 5-6 pods of garlic
  • ½ inch piece of ginger
  • 1 small marble-sized ball of tamarind (or 1 tsp of tamarind paste)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • Method:
    Heat oil in a pan and when warm, put the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds one by one, stirring it for a couple of seconds each before the next one is put in the pan.
  • Fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds each and then add the onions and let it soften and brown
  • Add the chillies and fry till it starts to soften and wilt. Then add the drained peanuts and fry for a minute.
  • Add the carrots, stir well and add a pinch of salt to help cook faster. Cover and cook until the carrots are well-cooked.
  • Once the carrots are completely cooked, remove the pan from the fire and let it cool completely.
  • Blend this mixture in a blender or mixture until it becomes the consistency you like. I prefer chutneys to be very fine, but others like a more coarser texture, it’s completely your preference.
  • Check for salt and add if needed. Transfer to a bowl and use for idlis, dosas, rotis and even bread!

Carrot Chutney 3

 

Recipes: Red Chilli Chutney

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I love having chutneys in the house and will have one or more lying around at any point in time.

A couple of weeks back, while making veggie burgers with my Mixed Veg Kofta recipe, I played with this recipe and found one that suits me! Don’t be fooled with the name, though its made from red chillies, it’s not as fiery as the name suggests.

This chutney is made from fresh, largish red chillies which are not spicy. I suspect they will be very nice with red peppers also, though I’ve not yet tried them with them.

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Fresh red chillies

Fresh Red Chili Chutney

IMG_5357Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh red chilies, chopped into large chunks
  • 2 onions, chopped into large pieces
  • 10-12 cloves of garlic
  • 1 large handful of raisins, soaked in warm water for a while
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 tbsps lemon juice

Method:

  • In a blender, using the water used to soak the raisins, blend all the ingredients except the salt and lemon juice.
  • Use water sparingly to keep the chutney thick.
  • Add salt and lemon juice and blend till you get the consistency you want.

This chutney is amazing with bread and also goes very well with chats and and any fried food like samosa, pakoras etc. The chutney was not very spicy and the raisins helped cut the spice factor even more. If you can take a lot more spiciness, you can reduce the amount of raisins, or increase the chili amount.

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Recipes: Green Coriander Chutney

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An extremely versatile chutney, this green coriander chutney is also sometimes referred to as Bombay Sandwich chutney as this one is found almost everywhere where you have the roadside sandwich sellers (super yums👍). I’ve been making this chutney for ages and I remember friends telling me to make this when they come over for a meal when we were in college. And now, both BB & GG also love it, especially as a spread for sandwiches..

Green Coriander Chutney

IMG_4554[1]Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch fresh green coriander leaves, chopped, washed and drained of water
  • 1 large onion or 2 small onions, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 pods of garlic (optional)
  • 4-5 green chillies ( more or less depending on your spice tolerance)
  • 1 tsp sugar or sweetener
  • 1-2 tsps lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Method:

This is very easy. Just put all the ingredients except sugar, salt and lemon juice in a blender and  blend till it’s a smooth purée. Add water a bit by bit, just to get the blender going. Avoid adding too much water to make it thicker. Add the lemon juice, sugar and salt to taste and blend till you achieve the right consistency. Remove and put in a bowl with a lid and refrigerate. This should keep for a week (if it lasts that long that is)

NOTE: Refrigerating the chutney will cut down the spiciness a bit, so if you like it a bit spicy, adjust the green chillies accordingly.

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Receipes: Plum Chutney

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I first made this plum chutney on a whim last week. S loved it so much that today he brought loads of Plums for me to recreate it. That’s when I knew it was a winner. This recipe is inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor’s Aloo Bhukare ki Chutney, which I then tweaked to make it my own! This is a super easy recipe with just a handful of ingredients, so read on and enjoy!!

Plum Chutney

IMG_4542[1]Ingredients:

  • 4 red/purple plums
  • 1 small cup raisins
  • 2 tsps cumin seed powder
  • Red chilli powder to taste
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a small bowl, soak the raisins in water for while till they plump up and soften. Using hot water may speed this up.
  • Next chop and deseed the plums and blend the plums and raisins together untill they become a smooth purée.
  • Next take a thick bottomed pan and pour this purée in it. Add salt and red chilli powder and let it start boiling.
  • Once it reaches a rolling boil, and cumin seed powder and stir well.  Let it boil for a while till it thickens.
  • At this point, the colour was slightly brownish with a glaze to the mixture. Once it has thickened to your satisfaction, remove from heat and cool. Once cool, it becomes this rich purple colour.
  • Transfer to a covered dish and refrigerate. This should keep well for upto a week in the fridge.

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This chutney tastes sweet, salty and a bit spicy. If you need to make it more spicy, just increase the chilli while cooking it. It goes well with most Indian food and I also loved having it with bread as a sandwich spread.