Coconut chutney for Iddli and dosa varieties

There cannot be a simpler recipe than the fresh coconut chutney. No cooking involved except the seasoning. It's a typical south Indian condiment for all iddli and dosa varieties. When I googled for coconut chutney, I saw innumerable ways to prepare. I was surprised to see few recipes with dhahi/curd or even lime juice. A variation like this or even adding onions is good for a change, but nothing can beat the real taste of the typical south Indian coconut chutney. Here is a simple recipe that my mom used to do. I, hailing from south (TN), as far as I know, this is the only recipe that my family, friends and relatives in my place do. Try it and you will love it.

Ingredients:

Shredded fresh coconut - 2 cups

Note: I used 1 packet of frozen shredded coconut which is 12 oz. I thawed it for 3 hrs, until it reached the room temperature

Roasted gram or pottu kadala - 2 tablespoons

Fresh ginger - 1 inch - minced

Green chillis - 3 number

Salt as required - approx. 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - half teaspoon

Oil for seasoning - approx. 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Fresh curry leaves - 1 sprig - chopped

Red chillis - 1

Method:

Grind the following together:

Roasted gram, green chillis and ginger.

Now, add fresh coconut, asafoetida powder, salt and three fourth cup water and grind it to a thick consistancy. You may add or reduce the amout of water as per the consistency you desire.

Transfer the content to a bowl.

For seasoning, heat a teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds, when it pops, add the urud dal, when it turns light brown, add the slit red chilli and the chopped curry leaves. 

Now, add this sesoning to the coconut chutney. Mix well.

Serve for any iddli or dosa variety.

You can adjust the spice and as well as the consistency as per your taste. Adding roasted gram is optional. Also, grinding the curry leaves with the chutney is a good idea.

Sprouted Methi pickle / Menthya thokku / Vendhaya thokku

Spicy, tangy, bitter and yet sweet = 'sprouted methi thokku', an authentic family recipe that my mother in law and her mom and her elder sister shared with me. They have taught me many many authentic recipes and this is one among them. Thank you avva, dodamma and amma. Thank you for passing on the tradition to us. Will keep posting many more family recipes.

Fenugreek - Health benefits : The fenugreek seeds are primarily used as a culinary spice across many cultures, while herbalists had used them for many centuries for the many health benefits it offers. The fenugreek seeds or fenugreek extract possess a powerful ability in aiding the digestive process, which is one of the many benefits of fenugreek (more here)

Methi is widely used in Indian cuisine in the form of kasuri methi, fresh methi leaves, methi seeds.

Sprouting methi seeds: Sprouting the methi seeds is simple. Take half a cup of dry methi/fenugreek seeds. Wash well and soak in water for at least 24 to 36 hours. Drain water completely and transfer the content to a colander. Cover with wet cloth. I used a wet kitchen towel. Keep it aside undisturbed. Make sure you keep the cover moist at all times. Within a day or two, you will notice small sprouts shooting out. I left it for two days until the sprouts were 1 cm long.

This delicious recipe is definitely an acquired taste. Once you have acquired the taste, resist temptation and take only in moderation. A must try for people who love the taste of methi. Here's the recipe. 

Ingredients:

Dry methi seeds- half cup  or Sprouted methi seeds- 2 cups

Tamarind - 1 tablespoon if using concentrate

alternatively, if using raw tamarind, extract the juice from 1 medium size tamarind ball.

Gingily oil / Nallennai / Olla enna / Sesame oil - half cup

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Water - Three fourths to one cup

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - quarter teaspoon

Salt as required

Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Jaggery / Gur / Bella - one and half to two tablespoons as per your taste

Method:

Sprout dry methi seeds. Half cup of dry methi will yield approximately two cups of sprouted methi. I used only half cup dry methi.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it pops, add the sprouted methi seeds.

Give a quick stir and add curry leaves.

Stir for a minute and add tamarind mixed with water and allow it to cook in low to medium heat partially covered. Stir occasionally.

While the content is boiling add the turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.

After 15 to 20 minutes, you will notice that the content is reduced, water is absorbed/evaporated and the oil starts leaving in the sides.

Keep stirring and cook for 5 more minutes after you see oil in the sides. At this time the sprouted methi should have cooked well and the raw tamarind smell should have gone.

Add the red chilli powder, salt and jaggery and mix well. The thokku will be in paste consistency or like chitra anna gojju consistency. 

Remove from heat. and keep it aside uncovered.

Use this thokku for rice, iddli or dosa. Use in moderation.

Can be stored in fridge after it is cooled down completely. Make sure to use an airtight container before you keep it in fridge.

This recipe is my entry to 'Think Spice - Think Fenugreek event'.
Also, this recipe is my entry to 'Let's sprout'- a new event in Priya's easy and tasty recipes.

Sorakkai thogayal / Bottle gourd chutney

The recipe for bottle gourd or dudhi/dhoodhi chutney is more or less the same as the chow chow chutney that I posted a few days ago.  As for the bottle gourd, the cooked vegetable is cooling, diuretic, sedative and anti bilious. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: 

Bottle gourd - 1 large

(The different names for bottle gourd are  sorekayi, Sorakkai, Dudhi, Dhoodhi, opo)

Water - half cup

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Tamarind - a pinch (if using concentrate, take a drop or two)

Salt as required

green chillis - 2 to 3 (adjust the number as per your taste)

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Urud dal - 2 tables spoons

Curry leaves - handful

Method:

Peel the bottle gourd skin and chop the vegetable into chunks. Discard big seeds.

alternatively, use the grater disc in the food processor.

In a saucepan, allow the grated vegetable to boil in half cup or three fourths cup water.

Add salt as it boils. Allow it to cook and turn off when the vegetable is cooked and all the water disappears.

Allow it to cool down.

Meanwhile, roast the urud dal with curry leaves in low heat using very little oil until the urud dal is golden color.

When the roasted dal cools down, reserve a few roasted dal and a couple of roasted curry leaves for garnish and grind the following using a mixer. Cooked vegetable, red chillis, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, tamarind and the remaining roasted dal and curry leaves. Seasoning with mustard seeds is optional.

The thogayal/chutney is ready. Garnish with urud dal and curry leaves. Serve it with rice or dosa. You can also grind a bunch of coriander leaves if you are using this chutney for dosa. Also, adding a spoon of sugar while grinding enhances the taste. A mustard seeds seasoning can be done after it is ground.

Chayote chutney / Chow chow thogayal

The chayote or chow chow (as we call it), is a pear shaped squash, that can be used to prepare kootu, sambar, palya(curry or salad), raitha. For the first time, my kitchen has seen this versatile vegetable in the form of thogayal or othewise chutney. We loved this healthy chutney with rice. I had prepared a spicy dry okra curry to go with it. Though the dinner menu was simple, it was a feast. I used my Cuisinart 11 cup food processor to grate the vegetable. This 'no onion, no coconut' chutney will go well for dosa too. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: 

Big chayote/chow chow - 3

Water - half cup

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Tamarind - a pinch (if using concentrate, take a drop or two)

Salt as required

Dry red chillis - 3 or 4 count

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Urud dal - 2 tables spoons

Curry leaves - handful

Method:

Peel the chayote skin and chop the vegetable into chunks avoiding the seed in the center.

Using the grater disc in the food processor, grate the chayote chunks.

In a saucepan, allow the grated vegetable to boil in half cup or three fourths cup water.

Add salt as it boils. Allow it to cook and turn off when the choyote is cooked and all the water disappears.

Allow it to cool down.

Meanwhile, roast the urud dal with curry leaves in low heat using very little oil until the urud dal is golden color.

When the roasted dal cools down, reserve a few roasted dal and a couple of roasted curry leaves for garnish and grind the following using a mixer. Cooked vegetable, red chillis, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, tamarind and the remaining roasted dal and curry leaves. Seasoning with mustard seeds is optional.

The thogayal/chutney is ready. Garnish with urud dal and curry leaves. Serve it with rice or dosa. 

I used CUISINART CUSTOM PRO 11 CUP FOOD PROCESSOR, that I got from Macy's. It is also available in Amazon. My best kitchen companion or grating, chopping and grinding. 

This is my entry to 'My food find event' hosted by Srimathi of Few minute wonders.

Kadle bele or Gram dal chutney for rice

I used kadle bele (otherwise called gram dal or chana dal) to make a quick and tasty chutney. Rice with this chutney and some javarisi vadam is heaven. I sometimes side this rice with curd if the chutney is too spicy.

Ingredients:

Gram dal / kadle bele - 1 cup

Grated fresh coconut - 2 tablespoons (frozen fresh coconut shredded/sliced can be substituted. Thaw it before use) - increase or decrease the quantity to your taste.

Ginger - 1 inch - peeled and chopped

Red chillies - 2

Green chilli - 1

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Tamarind concentrate - half teaspoon or raw tamarind a pich or two

Salt as required

Oil - a teaspoon for roasting dal

Curry leaves - a sprig (optional)

Oil - a teaspoon for seasoning

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Water - half cup or as required

Method:

Using a teaspoon of oil roast the dal until it is golden brown. Keep stirring as you roast.

Once done, reduce the heat and add ginger, curry leaves (if using) and red chillies. Turn off the heat. Allow the content to cool down.

When it is cooled down completely, grind the content with coconut, green chilli, tamarind, asafoetida powder, little salt and water. Just enough water to grind. Do not add too much water.

Note: use less salt as the final quantity will be very less.

Transfer it to a bowl.

Now, heat a teaspoon of oil and pop the mustard seeds. Also add urud dal and wait until it turns golden brown and then pour the seasoning over the chutney and stir.

Serve this with white rice. Add a dab of ghee with this chutney rice for extra flavor.

This chutney is my entry to three wonderful events chutney/dip mania hosted in mane adige, Lentils mela hosted in Ashwini's spicy cuisine and My legume love affair - eighth helping hosted in The well seasoned cook. Waiting to see all the roundups.

Grilled mango chutney

Grilling the fruits caramelizes the natural sugars in them. Grilled fruits and vegetables are a healthy choice that seduces the tastebuds. I had very ripe mangoes and I grilled them in my electric grill to make chutney using very few ingredients. My electric grill has non stick surface. Here is how I prepared.

Ingredients:

Ripe mangoes - 2 large

Ginger - quarter teaspoon grated

Green chillis or jalapeño - finely chopped - half teapoon

Salt as required

Lemon juice - half teaspoon (use only if the fruit is very sweet)

Oil spray

Method:

Peel the skin of the mangeos. Slice and discard the seed.

Heat the grill until the surface is very hot.

Spray oil on the surface.

Place the mango slices on grill.

Cook for apporximately 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned with grill marks.

Remove mango from grill. Chop them finely and transfer it to a bowl.

Add the ginger, chillies, salt and lemon juice if required.

Stir and use as a spread for bread or use as a side for chapathi.

I did not use lemon juice since the fruit was already a little sour.

Suggestions:

You may choose to grill firm ripe mangoes since it will retain its shape and it is less messy.

If using the firm ripe mangoes, chop the grilled mangoes into small cubes, add other ingredients along with finely chopped red onions to make a tropical salsa.

This is my entry to Monthly Mingle - Grill It!

Ridge gourd peppercorn chutney / heerekai menusu chutney

This tasty spicy chutney is 100% my husband's creation. Just loved it. The minute I tasted this chutney, I wanted to share it with everyone and got it clicked. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd / Heerekai - long - 6

Oil for seasoning

Red chillies - 4

5 to 6 Peppercorns

Few curry leaves

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida Powder

Turmeric Powder

Salt as required

Tamarind Concentrate - less than 1/4 teaspoon

(If not using concentrate, use a pinch of tamarind)

Method:

Peel the ridge gourd and chop into small pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai and add urud dal, red chillies, peppercorns, curry leaves and asafoetida powder.

Fry for a minute and add the chopped ridge gourd.

When the content is heated, add the turmeric powder and salt. Let it cook for some more time. Stir occasionally. Do not add water.

When the vegetable is cooked, turn off the heat and wait until it cools down.

Add tamarind and grind the content without adding water, and the chutney is ready. Serve with steaming white rice with a dash of ghee.

If you prefer not to have it too spicy, remove a couple of chillis before grinding.

Tomato / Thakkali Thokku

Here is one recipe that is an all rounder side dish for Dosa, Iddli, Chapathi, Rice and Bread. Kids love it. This is my sister B's recipe and is also photographed by her. She used Naatu Thakkali, which is by nature a little sour. If trying this recipe with the Roma Tomatoes (The fleshy tomatoes that are not sour), add a little Tamarind to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 10 (around 2 kgs)

Fenugreek powder - 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder - 2-3 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar - 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Asafotida Powder

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Sesame Oil(Idhayam) - 2 tablespoons

Method:

Puree the Tomatoes without adding water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and add Mustard seeds. When it sputters, add the Asafoetida Seeds. Add the Tomato Puree. Boil the content for 1/2 an hour in low heat. Stir occasionally.

Add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, Salt and Sugar.When it becomes half the quantity (smooth paste), add fenugreek powder and allow it to boil for 5 more minutes. Cool and bottle it. best for Idli, dosa, chappathi, curd rice, tomato rice, sandwich etc., Store in refrigerator.

Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu

Curry Leaves, called Karuvepilai which literally means Black Neem Leaf, are aromatic leaves that are extensively used in Asian Cooking especially in the South Indian Cuisine.

I found a wonderful article about curry leaves, in buzzle.com, written by Kanika Goswami. She says, Apart from cooking, the curry leaf has a number of medicinal uses also. It is an essential ingredient of almost all traditional medicine systems of peninsular India, sometimes with amazingly good results. Unani, Ayurveda and other systems use it to cure ailments such as piles, to allay heat of the body and are useful in leucoderma and blood disorders, and this has been proven by experts of western medicine also. In India, the curry leaf is used to prevent conditions such as nausea and stomach upsets. It is also used in treating skin irritations and poisonous bites. Its oils are invaluable as repellants and to cure skin disorders common to the tropics. More...

Also, Here's a post about the Curry leaves by Prabudesai in Benifits of Indian food.

The Jihva for Ingredients for the Month of May is 'GREENS' and is hosted by the event creator Mahanandhi. Thankyou Indira for hosting this event. I chose Curry Leaf and my contribution for the JFI event for Greens is 'Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu'. We call it Karuvepilla Kudhi Menusu at home. Its a wonderful recipe that is very good for digestion, particularly prepared the day after a heavy Dinner to cleanse the digestive tract. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 Cups

Ginger - 1 inch

Peppercorns - 8 to 10

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

(Sesame) Gingily Oil - 1 or 2 teaspoons

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Asfoetida powder

Tamarind - very little

Method:

Wash Curry Leaves and Drain Water. Toss in a heated Pan for a couple of minutes. When its almost room temperature, grind the leaves with Ginger, Tamarind and Peppercorns using water little by little. Do not use more water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and tamper the Mustard Seeds. Add the Asafoetida powder and then add the ground paste. Add Salt and Fry until all the moisture is absorbed.

Serve a teaspoon of this with a cup of hot steaming rice and a spoon of ghee. Mix well and enjoy the delight.

Tomato Coriander Leaves Chutney

Ingredients:

Red Ripe Tomatoes - 4 to 5 ( Chopped )

1 small bunches Coriander Leaves (Remove Stem as much as possible and chop the leaves)

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard Sseeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud Dal - 1 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds - 2 teaspoons

Asafoetida powder

Turmeric Powder

Red Chilli Powder

Dhania Powder - 1 teaspoon

salt

No water required while frying or while grinding. The juice from tomato is enough.

Method:

Heat oil in a Kadai and add the Mustard Seeds, when it sputters, add the Urud Dal, Cumin Seeds.

Add the Chopped Tomatoes. Fry for a couple of minutes and add Turmeric Powder, Dhania powder, Asafoetida powder, Red Chilli Powder and salt. Fry until the Tomatoes become tender.

Add the Chopped Coriander Leaves and fry for 4 to 5 minutes.

Cool down and grind to chutney consistency. Sauteing the Ground Chutney is optional. The taste is enhanced when the chutney is sauted again for 5 minutes.

Serve with Iddli/Dosa or Rice. Tastes really good with curd rice.

Heerekai Chutney / Ridge Gourd Chutney

Ingredients:

2 Long Ridge Gourds – The skin should not be shrunk too much between the ridges.
2 Green Chillis slit three forth vertically
Asafoetida
Salt
Tamarind Concentrate – very little, may be less than ¼ of a small spoon
Curry Leaves – 1 stalk

Method:

Peel off the Ridge Gourd Skin and Cut both the ends. Taste for Bitterness. Do not use Bitter Ridge Gourds. Dice the Ridge Gourd.

Heat the Diced Gourd along with the Green Chillis in low Heat. Do not add water. The Gourd itself will let out some Water. Stir occasionally and Cook for a while until all the water is evaporated. Let it cool down.

Take out only one Green Chilli and Grind the Cooked Gourd (with one green chilli) along with Asafoetida, Salt, Tamarind Concentrate and Curry leaves. Grind to a smooth Paste. Season if you want to. Serve this Chutney with Steaming Rice.

Rajma Chutney / Red Kidney Beans Chutney

Ingredients:

Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) – ¾ cup Soaked overnight
Ripe Juicy Tomatoes – 4 – Chop the tomatoes finely

Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Urud Dal – 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Grated Ginger – ½ teaspoon (optional)
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Turmeric Powder
Dhania Powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves – 1 tablespoon – finely chopped

Method:

Cook Rajma in Pressure cooker and keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a Pressure Pan or Kadai, Add Mustard Seeds, when it sputters, add the Urud Dal and Cumin Seeds, then add the chopped Tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes are cooked. While it is boiling, add Asafoetida, Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Dhania and Salt. Add little water if needed. The consistency should not be too thick or too loose. Let it cool down.

Grind the Rajma along with the Tomato Gravy to a smooth Paste.

Mix in the chopped Coriander leaves.

This chutney can be served as a side for Chapathis or can be Mixed with Rice. This can also be used as a Spread for Toasted Bread for a high Protein Breakfast.

Tomato Mint Chutney

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomatoes – 5
A small bunch of Mint leaves
Cumin – 1 ½ teaspoon
Mustard Seeds – ½ teaspoon
Urud Dal – 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder
Asafoetida
Salt
Oil – 1 tablespoon

Method:

Chop Tomatoes finely.

Heat oil in a Kadai and add mustard seeds, when it sputters, add Cumin and Urud Dal. Then add the chopped Tomatoes. Fry until the Tomatoes are cooked. When it is boiling, add Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida, Red Chilli Powder and Salt. Fry for sometime and let the spices blend well with the Tomatoes. Now, add the Mint leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat completely. Let the content Cool. Grind it to a smooth paste. Do not add water. Tasty Chutney is ready for Dosa or Idli.

Pomegranate Mint Chutney

I had a small bunch of Mint and a ripe Pomegranate in my pantry. A wild idea struck me. Why not combine the two to make a Chutney that I have never tasted before. A Chutney for the Dosa that I was planning for the night. The idea worked and the result was a delicious sweetie, minty chutney. My husband and my little daughter loved it. Try this recipe. (The yield for the recipe below is very little. You can increase the Measurements Proportionately, if you want more chutney.)

Ingredients:


1 large ripe Pomegranate.
1 Small bunch of Mint
½ Green Chilli (if it’s too hot)
1 teaspoon Cummin (Jeera)
Salt to taste



Method:

Grind the Pomegranate Seeds with Cummin Seeds, Green Chilli and Salt, to a smooth paste. Do not add water as the fruit has enough juice to grind. (The Paste will be a little Coarse due to the seeds and that’s okay.) Now add the mint and grind again until the mint is ground to a paste. Chutney is ready in Seconds. No seasoning required. It’s a low Calorie and no Oil recipe for Dosa or Chapathi.