Pudhina Kadalai Chutney

I remember one day, not too long after marriage, when my husband and I were eating breakfast at my parents' house. We were eating idlis and hubby started talking about "palli chutney." Now, if you speak Tamil, you shouldn't have a problem understanding why I had an absolutely shocked and disgusted expression on my face.

See, palli in Tamil means a gecko... It's one of those little green lizard-like creatures that crawls on the walls and makes noise in India. So, when hubby mentioned "palli chutney", I was inferring that someone must have gotten the brilliant idea to turn these creatures into a chutney. If that wasn't disgusting enough, people would actually eat this stuff??!!

Turns out, he had been exposed to it via an Andhraite friend of his. The name was apparently in Telugu and means peanut chutney! Of course he just sat there and enjoyed the facial contortions from my mother and myself. After taking his sweet time, he finally explained what he meant. First, a sigh of relief and then I spent a while trying to chase him down to smack him. Men!! Anyone else have antics like this going on??

What's all the buildup about? Well, I had some mint lying around in the fridge and wanted to make it into a chutney. So, I thought, why not combine it with peanuts and see how it comes out? It's really good and hubby simply loves it!

Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1/2 cup, roasted
Mint leaves - 1 cup, loosely packed
Garlic - 2 cloves, roughly chopped
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Tamarind - small almond size
Red chillies - 6-8, or to taste
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8 leaves

Method:

1. Heat a little bit of oil in a pan. Once hot, add the red chillies, urad dal, tamarind, and garlic. Fry until the chillies darken slightly and the garlic starts to turn slightly golden at the edges.

2. Now, add the mint leaves and fry until the leaves wilt and shrink down.

3. Cool the mixture and grind to smooth paste along with the roasted peanuts and water as required to achieve a chutney consistency.

4. Heat oil for seasoning. Add the seasoning ingredients, allow to splutter and pour over the prepared chutney. Serve with idli, dosai, etc.



So, what did we think? Well, this is like peanut chutney with a kiss of mint to it. Extremely light and refreshing. We had it with dosai, but it would be great with tiffin items. Enjoy!

Small Onion- Tomato Chutney

My mother would be laughing hysterically on seeing this post. Why, you ask? Well, the thing is she used to make a version of this chutney quite often when I was young. Of course, I'd start throwing a tantrum saying how much I disliked it and refused to eat it. Poor thing... When I think of all she's put up with from me, all I can say is that Amma is a saint!

Like most people, my tastes seem to have changed as I've grown older. So, today, I decided to make this chutney Amma used to make with a few of my own changes. The original recipe is well over 50 years old in my family. It starts with small onions cooked in a base of tomatoes and is seasoned with fennel and chilli powder. Really, that's it. So simple, right? Yet, it's made by my relatives every morning for idli/dosai.

I decided to change it up and add a little bit of garlic. Also, my tomatoes didn't have much flavor, so I wound up adding a touch of tamarind for a hint of sourness. Can I pat myself on the back, here? The chutney came out awesome!! I think Amma would be both proud and royally surprised.

Ingredients:

Small onions/sambar onions/shallots, peeled - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped finely
Tomatoes - 2 plum tomatoes, finely ground (about 1 cup)
Tamarind (only if tomatoes are not sour)- small almond sized piece, ground with the tomatoes
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp, or to taste
Fennel powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 tbsp; recommended: sesame oil (nallenai)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 3/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8 leaves

Method:

1. Heat oil. When hot, add the seasoning ingredients. Allow to splutter and the dal to turn golden brown.

2. Now, add in the small onions and fry until slightly softened. It's ok if they turn a little brown at the edges. In fact, it tastes better that way!

3. At this point, add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Don't brown it or the garlic will become bitter!

4. Pour the pureed tamarind and tomatoes into the pot along with chilli powder, fennel powder and required salt.

5. Add about 1/2 cup of water, cover and let cook on medium low until slightly thickened. The raw tomato smell should have gone and the onions should be fully cooked.

6. Next? Turn the stove off and enjoy with idlis or dosai!

Chow Chow Chutney and a Meme

This chutney came to life when I was rummaging through my fridge one day and found a chayote (chow chow). I was thinking of what to do with it when the idea of chutney popped into my head. It was the first time that I'd made chutney using this vegetable and it was fabulous!!

I made it similarly to the ridgegourd peel chutney I'd previously posted. I fried the chow chow, added coriander seeds to give it a special flavor, and a good amount of urad dal for body. The slight sweetness of the chow chow balanced by the tart tamarind, the spicy chillies, and the earthy coriander was truly a winning combination! All in all, I will definitely be making this one again and again!!

Ingredients:

Chayote/Chow Chow - 1 medium, coarsely chopped
Red chillies - 15-20, or to taste
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 (optional)
Tamarind - key lime size
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 6-8

Method:

1. Heat oil. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Fry until the dal turns golden brown and the red chillies have darkened. Remove to a mixer jar.

2. In the same pan, add a little more oil, if required, and fry the chayote along with coconut until the vegetable is cooked. The coconut shouldn't develop color during this step, so don't put the heat under the pan too high. Or, just add the coconut to the mixer jar (without frying).

3. Once the chayote has cooked, turn the heat off and allow to cool. Add to the contents in the mixer jar along with salt and tamarind and grind to a slightly coarse paste.

4. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the seasoning, stir and serve with any tiffin item. Enjoy!




Sorry, sorry! I was tagged to do a meme by Dhivya of Dhivya's Cuisine, Divya Vikram of Dil Se, and Namratha of Finger Licking Food. Lazy me had not gotten around to doing it until now! Ok, here goes:

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?
English - Iron Man (awesome!)
Tamil - Santosh Subramaniam (nice family film)

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING??
Do cookbooks count? Sad to say, I'm not reading a real book at the moment!

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?
Life, Monopoly, Checkers

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?
I love reading the covers of cheesy gossip mags while at the check-out counter of the grocery store. Sad, but true.

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Roses, jasmine flowers (I miss them so!), garlic-ginger sauteeing, biryani, anything cooking in mom's kitchen!

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?
Gentle waterfalls, tamil folk music (dappanguthu rules!), tabla, mrindangam, sound of salangai when dancing (the heavy Indian ankle straps loaded with bells) bharatha natyam

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Loneliness

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Do I have to get up already??

9) FAVOURITE FASTFOOD PLACE?
I'm really not into the usual fast food stuff. It's true. I guess I had my fill of all of that stuff a long time ago! If you put a gun to my head, I'd have to say my local pizza place.

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?
Maybe Shanthi for a girl. Still haven't given it lots of thought!

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D’
work on charitable causes to try and make this world a better place, starting with worldwide vaccination against common diseases.

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
Faster than my husband... Does that count?

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
Yes. My husband is my teddy bear. Got a problem with that? *laugh*

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Scary..

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
Nissan Sentra

16) FAVOURITE DRINK?
Cosmopolitan, mango lassi, rose falooda

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
I do have time, but if I had the stamina, I'd love to read more and do volunteerism.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Yes, why not?

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
No thanks! I don't want my hair any color other than my own natural black! :)

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
NJ, Long Island, back to NJ

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Figure skating, gymnastics. What? I'm girly! Ok, I am willing to watch basketball or baseball occasionally!

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Dhivya - expecting a baby and is a sweetheart.
Divya Vikram - nice homey recipes that are delicious.
Namratha - makes such beautiful cakes and doesn't share. Kidding!!

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Probably some dust

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Yes if I were born to the same set of parents!

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Night owl all the way. My husband's a morning person. I don't get it!

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Sunny side up!

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?
The beach... Any state, any country. :)

28) FAVOURITE PIE?
Cherry, apple, peach

29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? chocolate, strawberry, mango

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST? No idea and no pressure!

I know that lots of you have already done this meme, so if you feel like taking it up, please feel free!

Coconut-Onion Chutney (Thengai Vengayam Chutney)

This chutney is one that my cousin's wife made on her first visit to our place. I will admit that I'm not the biggest fan of coconut chutney, but this conconction totally won me over!

Coconut is combined with tamarind, red chillies, and seasoned with the special addition of fried onions. Absolutely a gorgeous mix of flavors and a very versatile chutney. Try it and see what you think!

Ingredients:

Coconut, grated - 1 cup
Fried gram dal (pottu kadalai) - 2 tbsp
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Red chillies - 10, or to taste
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Curry leaves - 8-10 leaves
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Red onion - 1/2 small, chopped or 1 shallot chopped
Asafoetida (perungayam) - pinch
Red chillies - 2, broken

Method:

Grind together coconut, red chillies, salt, tamarind, fried gram dal to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add red chillies, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves. Once everything is roasted and the seeds have spluttered, add the onion. Fry until softened. Add the asafoetida and turn off the heat. Pour the seasoning over the ground chutney and serve with any tiffin items (idli, dosa, uthappam, etc). Enjoy!

Tomato Onion Chutney (Thakkali Vengayam Chutney)

This is another quick and easy chutney that tastes awesome. I've modified this from a recipe that I saw on www.pachakam.com. Tomato is the predominant flavor, which is accented by sweet onion, tangy tamarind, and the unique, earthy flavor of coriander seeds. It's the roasting of the coriander seeds and grinding them into the chutney that truly makes this a special dish!

So, if you've got minimal ingredients around and are in a fix, give this chutney a try. You'll be glad!

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 3 medium plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Onion - 1 medium, coarsely chopped
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Red chillies - 6-8, or to taste
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Asafoetida - large pinch
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves, torn

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add red chillies, fry until they've darkened, and remove.

2. In the same hot oil, add onions, curry leaves, coriander seeds, and fry until the onion is translucent.

3. Now, add the tomatoes and allow to soften slightly. Add asafoetida and turn off the heat.

4. Grind the cooled mixture with tamarind and salt.

5. At this point, do the seasoning with mustard and curry leaves and pour over ground chutney. Mix well and serve.

Enjoy this with idli, dosa, uthappam, or any tiffin items!

Red Bell Pepper Chutney

I had this whole batch of idli maavu sitting in the fridge and was running low on chutney. I was thinking of my options as far as making chutneys and for some reason, I was totally stumped. If it were left up to my husband, he'd want coconut chutney every day. I don't do this mainly for health reasons.

Anyway, I was searching around for recipes, when I came across a recipe for red bell pepper chutney on pachakam.com. I happened to have a red bell pepper in the fridge, so I tried it and it was FANTASTIC! Even my husband liked it, and that's saying a lot. Basically, if it's not coconut chutney, peanut chutney, or mint chutney, he's not thrilled. So, I was pleasantly surpirsed with this one.

It's got the fragrance of bell pepper, and is hot and a little sour from tamarind. Easy, quick, and yummy!!


Ingredients:

Red bell pepper - 1, coarsely chopped
Tomatoes - 1 large or 2 medium, coarsely chopped
Green chillies - 10, or to taste
Garlic - 3 cloves, coarsely chopped
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste

For seasoning:

Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

1. Heat oil in pan until very hot. Add tomatoes and fry on very high heat until they soften a bit on the edges.

2. Add the bell pepper, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and continue to fry on very high until the edges char a bit and the veggies have softened.

3. Cool completely and grind with tamarind and salt to taste. Add a little water if necessary to grind or if you don't want a very thick chutney.

4. Heat oil in pan and season the chutney using mustard and curry leaves. Pour seasoning over the chutney.

Serve with any tiffin item like idli, dosa, uthappam, etc. Enjoy! :)

Ridge Gourd Skin Chutney (Peerkangai Tholu Chutney)

Some of you might be a bit confused at reading the title of this post. Yes, I made chutney with the skins of ridge gourds (peerkangai). Yes, I ate it and it was fabulous! I'd heard about this previously from my mother, who used to make this occasionally. I'd bought the ridge gourd for another use when it occurred to me that I could make chutney with the peels. I love when I do something right!


Here's the yummy (yet simple!) recipe:

Ingredients:

Peels of 2 medium ridge gourds (peerkangai) - about 1 cup of peels
Red chillies - 4, or to taste
Urad dal - 1 tsp (to give the chutney some thickness and body)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coconut - 2 tbsp
Tamarind - small gooseberry size
Salt to taste

For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Urad dal - 1 tsp (optional, for flavor)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal, curry leaves, red chillies. Fry until the dal browns and the chillies darken in color.

2. Then, add the ridge gourd peels and coconut and fry until the peels soften.

3. Cool this mixture and grind in a blender or mixer with tamarind and salt.

4. Do the seasoning and mix into the ground chutney. Serve with idli, dosa, uthappam, etc. Enjoy!

ridge gourd peel chutney

I guess you could say this is a delicious way of "going green." I mean, you are recycling in a way, right? :)

Vengayam Thuvaiyal (Onion Chutney)

So, what is a thuvaiyal and how does it differ from a chutney, you may ask. Well, from my understanding, a thuvaiyal is usually thicker than your typical chutney. Also, the main ingredient is often sauteed and then ground with tamarind and chillies. It's definitely a symphony for your taste buds!

As far as thuvaiyals go, this is definitely my current favorite! Amma has been making a version of this for a long time, but I learned a new version when I visited my cousin last summer. I have to say, that Akka's version is AMAZING!!!! I have been addicted ever since and this has become my go to thuvaiyal when I have no idea what type to make.

Ingredients:

Red onions - 2 medium, coarsely chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves, cut in half
Ginger - 1 tsp, coarsely chopped
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Red chillies - 8, or to taste
Tamarind - small lemon size
Salt, to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add red chillies and fry until well roasted. Remove from pan.

2. To the same pan, add mustard seeds and urad dal amounts listed in ingredients.

3. When they splutter, add the onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, and tamarind. Fry on relatively high heat until the edges of the onions brown slightly. Turn off the heat and cool the mixture.

4. Add salt and grind the cooled mixture somewhat coarsely in the blender or mixie without adding any water. The consistency should be fairly thick.

5. Do the seasoning and pour over the ground mixture.

6. Enjoy with idli, dosa, uthappam, etc. Tell me if you're hooked, too!

I'm so addicted that I'm sending this to Radhi who's hosting February's JFI - onion! For Sailu's version which differs slightly, click here .

Milagai Chutney (Chilli Chutney)

Mmm... Milagai chutney... This one really brings back great memories. Amma has been making this for really as long as I can remember. She always used to tell stories of how it's been made in our family for generations. Our family is originally from a village, so the ingredients were literally picked from the field and ground into chutney. Pretty amazing, right? Can you get any fresher and more delicious?

However, we have no practical choice but to rely on the local market's produce section. Still, this chutney is fantastic. It's very strong, since it includes raw onions. The taste of this chutney, in combination with sambar, is just to die for! Ok, let's get rolling, shall we?

Ingredients:

Red onion - 1 medium, or 2-3 shallots
Tomato - 1 small
Whole dried red chillies - 15 or to taste
Salt

For seasoning:
Sesame oil
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method:

Grind onion, tomato, red chillies with salt to a COARSE paste. (**Note: Something happens to onions if you grind them too much and they taste terrible when raw. So, please don't overgrind.**) Do the seasoning and pour over ground chutney. Spicy chutney is ready to eat with idli and sambar (the BEST combo!).

Of note, I don't think that tomato was in the original recipe. Amma has since added it to mellow the spiciness a little bit. So, feel free to try it without tomato and let me know if you like that version, too! :)

Poondu chutney (Garlic chutney)

So, we went to see my parents this past weekend. Man, oh man! Talk about having feasts! Amma and I made this chutney to eat with idli and sambar. This one is pungent and spicy. Plus, it is soooooo EASY! You will have yummy poondu chutney ready in literally 5 minutes time.

Just so you know... This chutney is not for the faint of heart or those who have immense concerns about having garlic breath. To those I ask this: Isn't getting garlic breath worth it to eat a yummy chutney? Besides, God invented mouthwash and breath mints for a reason! :) Ok, ok. Enough chit-chat. Let's get on with the recipe. Ok?

Ingredients:

Garlic - 3 cloves
Whole red chillies - 15 or to taste
Salt

For seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Sesame oil or any light oil

Method:

People, this is so easy, it's almost embarrassing to write a method section! Just grind the garlic with the red chillies and salt in a mixie. Do the seasoning and pour over the freshly ground chutney. Enjoy spicy garlic chutney with idli, dosa!