Tag Archives: Ginger

Recipes: Plum, Pineapple and Ginger Chutney

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A few weeks back GG asked me if I wanted fruits from the supermarket. On an impulse, I asked her to buy some plums so I could make this plum chutney. On the day I was supposed to make the chutney, I realised we had some fresh pineapple at home which was quite sour and no one wanted to eat it. So I decided to incorporate the pineapples plus some ginger into the chutney and the result was this tangy and slightly sweet pineapple, plum and ginger chutney.

Plum, Pineapple and Ginger Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 8 red/purple plums
  • ½ fresh pineapple
  • 1 cup raisins or dates
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • Salt to taste
  • 1-2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 2 tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp fennel powder
  • Jaggery powder to taste (optional)

Method:

  • Soak the raisins or dates in hot water for 30 minutes, drain and keep aside.
  • Deseed the plums and chop them into small pieces.
  • Blend the pineapple, plums, ginger and raisins into a smooth paste.
  • Strain this paste into a large pan so there are no lumps. At this point, it will be a light pink or red mixture.
  • Heat the pan and let the mixture come to a boil. You can add a bit of water if needed.
  • Add the dry spices – salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder and let the mixture bubble and cook until it thickens.
  • If the mixture is still sour, add some brown sugar or jaggery to balance the taste. 
  • Switch off the gas and let the chutney cool. Once it cools, it becomes a gorgeous purple chutney.

This chutney can be used instead of tamarind chutney and keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks. Remember to use a dry spoon when using it, so there is no contamination.

Recipes: Ginger, Lemon & Honey Drink

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Over the weekend, both GG and I came down with rather bad colds. I was really suffering and the hacking cough made it really difficult to sleep.

Then I remembered a drink I used to make many years back and decided to try to replicate it. It turned out to be this nice soothing gingery and lemony drink which I have been spamming over the past few days. I also make some and give it to GG in a small thermos to take to school. It has really given me a lot of relief and really soothed my throat which was raw from all that coughing.

Ginger, Lemon & Honey Drink

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 inch piece of ginger
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 glasses water

Method:

  • Grate the ginger and add it to the water in a largish utensil. Heat the water.
  • Let the grated ginger and water come to a boil and once it reaches the boiling stage, lower the heat to a medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Remove from the flame and strain into another large bowl.
  • In this bowl, add the lemon juice and honey and stir well.
  • Adjust the honey and lemon juice according to your taste.
  • Store this drink in a thermos and sip throughout the day.

If you find it too strong for your taste, then dilute it with some warm water and drink.

Recipes: Peanut Tomato Chutney

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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

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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: Puli Inji aka Sweet Sour Ginger Chilli Sauce/Pickle

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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.

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