Carrot Chutney

I always seem to have carrots in the refrigerator. You can add it to any curry, sambar, vegetable rice and of course the salad.  But I have never thought of a chutney. Today, however, I had just the carrots and had run out of veggies, and when this post of the carrot chutney popped up on facebook, I checked the link and it led me to Cook,Click and Devour and the dish looked good. I liked the fact that there was no coconut.  We use a lot of coconut at home and I am always on the lookout for coconut-free dishes.  The chutney was simple to prepare and tasted amazing.  A wonderful accompanying side dish for rice, chapatis, dosa or whatever.... it is really good!

Ingredients:

Carrots - 3-4 medium - grated

Bengal gram dal (Chick pea/Channa) - 2 tbsp

Red Chilies - 1-2 

Tamarind paste- 1/2 tsp 

Asafoetida/Hing - A large pinch

Ginger - 1/4"

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Heat the oil in a pan

Add the hing followed by the bengal gram dal

Fry the dal a while. Just as it begins to change a shade of colour and a hint of brown

Add the grated carrot

Toss till the raw taste of carrot disappears

Put it all into a blender

Add salt to taste and the ginger

Blend to a fine paste, with a little water if necessary.

Put the blended chutney into a dish.  

Temper with mustard and curry leaves.  

Try it - it is amazing.

Note - you can substitute the red chilies with green chilies.

Harini of Cook, Click and Devour also adds that you can add onions or fresh grated coconut too.

Beetroot Chutney

While chutney may have originated from the Indian Chatni , in Britan, it is thought of as a very British treat.  While we make most of our chutneys fresh, spicy and consume almost immediately, the British make them more like a preserve.  Fruits and vegetables are simmered with spices, sugar and vinegar and then stored in sterile bottles.  The sweet-sharp taste is relished with meat and cheese.  Little jars are bought well in advance and homemade chutneys are sealed in them and serve as popular Christmas gifts.

The Beet chutney is a Nigela recipe that I found on BBC Foods* and slightly modified with another recipe that I saw on the Good Food** site.  I did not really measure the ingredients but at the end of it I had a fairly interesting product that I have kept away (briefly) so that it absorbs the flavour of the spices.  I may not have it with meat and cheese, but will definitely relish it with a roti.  If you enjoy Mango Chundo, you will surely like this.

Beetroot - 1 large - finely grated ( you can chop the ingredients if you wish)

Apple - 1 medium - finely grated

Orange - 1 - Squeeze the juice and keep

Orange zest - 1tbsp

Onion - 1 medium - chop finely

Fresh ginger - 1"  - chop finely

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup approximately

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1" 

Clove - 1 

Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp

Red wine vinegar ( I used white ! ) - 1-2 tbsp

Coarsely powder clove, cinnamon and coriander seeds

Take a steel container with a lid.

Add all the ingredients and heat on medium

Bring to a simmer and keep it that way till the beetroot is tender and you get a thick consistency

(This may take upto an hour if you are making large quantities)

Switch off heat.

Keep for 10 minutes

Spoon into sterilised jars.

They say it tastes best after a few days.   I made a small quantity as an experiment and I quite like it.  I do not think it will last that long.  However if sealed in sterile bottles, it can last for 4-5 months if stored in a cool place. Once opened it may need to be refrigerated and consumed in a month's time.

The original links are this one and the other.  Check them out and adapt them to suit your taste as I have.

Onion-Tomato Chutney for Dosa

Sunday breakfast is generally dosa.  Any kind. Dosa, Adai, Uttapam, Pesarattu, Rava Dosa.  A tradition from years.  But ever since my sister in law had a bumper crop of coconut, we have had an overdose of it.  So V wanted a chutney without coconut and talked of this tomato chutney that was served in restaurants.  And the google search led to Jeyashri's Kitchen and we had a yummy chutney with nice crisp dosa.

Ingredients:
Onion - 1 large
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Garlic - 3 pods
Puffed chick pea or puttunalu pappu  - 2 tbsp
Red chilies - 4-5
Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves -few
Mustard - for seasoning.
Salt to taste.

Slice the onion.
Chop the tomatoes
Heat a wok, add oil, and first fry the chilies and garlic till it browns slightly
Add sliced onion. Allow it to turn golden brown.
Followed by the chopped tomatoes, till they turn mushy.
Add the puffed chick pea, and switch off the stove.
Also the tamarind paste.
Cool and make to a nice fine paste along with salt.

Add water if you wish as per consistency desired.  ( I kept it slightly thick)

Season with mustard and curry leaves.

The chutney was excellent and was a nice change from the coconut chutney.  We enjoyed it so much that we did not have the spice powder mixed in oil along with the dosa.

Sweet Tomato Pachadi

I love this pahadi/chutney/jam or whatever you call it that they serve at most tamilian weddings.  The guy who serves this generally puts half a teaspoon of this chutney on your leaf and vanishes even before you can think of calling him back for a little more.  And considering the other sweets and  food they serve, you would feel a glutton asking for a second helping.  I was really glad when Jeyashri Suresh gave a link to the article that appeared about her in The Hindu that featured this recipe.  And I made this right away... and had a generous helping, enjoying every bit of it.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 4
Tomato purée - 4 tbsp ( the tomatoes I used where not very juicy)
Sugar - about 1/2 cup - taste for sweetness and add if necessary
Dates - 2-3 deseeded *
Cashew - few
Raisins - few
Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
Take in a pan.  Add 1/4 cup water and sugar and simmer for about 20 mins or more
To speed up the process you could microwave it for a while
I added some purée here.
Make sure the tomatoes really get mushy.  Add more sugar if required.
Bring the mixture to the consistency of a thick chutney.

Take a tablespoon of ghee. Heat.  Add cashew, raisins and dates - separately - and add to the chutney.

I made this at lunch time and it was fabulous with curd rice!
You could have it with puris and rotis too.

Note -
These are approximate measures.  If you want to make it more like jam you would need about 1 1/2 measures of sugar to the tomato pieces.
* I did not have dates, but it still tasted good.

Mango Chunda

This has been a favourite of mine.  A grand uncle married a nice Gujarati lady who introduced Chunda to my family.  When I was expecting my elder one, a bottle of Chunda that was specially sent for me, slipped out of the packet and broke at the doorstep.  I burst into tears.  Everyone thought I was highly emotional because of my 'condition', but I secretly know that even now, 30 years later I would probably react the same way if home made Chunda was denied to me.  I was therefore very happy when I stumbled onto this site ( which sadly is not being updated) and found a microwave variation of the Chunda.  I made it right away.

Traditionally, all the ingredients are mixed, put in a glass jar with a well fitting lid and kept in the sun till the sugar melts and with the natural heat it turns syrupy.  The taste is slightly different, since the ingredients blend and soaks in the syrup slowly.  V said the 'flavour' of the sun was missing.  But it did not matter to me.  I had my Chunda!

Ingredients:
Raw mango - 1 cup - washed, peeled and grated fine
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Red chilie powder - 1 tbsp
Roasted cumin - 1 tsp - crush after roasting
Water - 1 tbsp

Mix the grated mango, salt and turmeric in a microwave safe bowl.  Keep for 5 mins
Add sugar, water - mix well -
Microwave on high heat for 3 minutes ( I kept it for 30 secs more)
The sugar should form a one thread syrup consistency
Remove and cool.
Add the chilie powder and the crushed roasted jeera.  Mix.

And presto!  Mango Chunda is ready.
The Chunda may seem slightly thin when hot, but will thicken as it cools

Peanut Chutney

This recipe was given to me by a friend's mother, who thought we should not be having coconut chutney so often.  This was many years ago and I still think of her when I make it.  Right now she is in her mid 80s and unwell, but is still cheerful whenever we drop in to see her.

( served here with rava idli)

Ingredients:


Groundnuts - 1/2 cup
Green chilies - 2-3 ( depending on size of the chilies and spice tolerance)
Garlic - 1 large pod
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilies - 1
Curry leaves - few

Roast the peanuts dry or with 1/4 tsp of oil - dehusk if you wish, I generally do not for it is too much of a bother
Grind to paste along with green chilies, garlic, cumin seeds, tamarind and salt.
Make to the required consistency with a little water

Season with oil, mustard, and red chilies. When the mustard splutters add the curry leaves.

Add to the chutney

Garlic Chutney

We were having thepla for dinner and I wanted something tangy to eat it with.  And I looked at a few recipes of the chutney - there were many - but this was the simplest.  It tasted good too.

Ingredients:
Onion - 1
Garlic pods - 8-10 ( depending on the garlic flavour that you want and the size of the onion!)
Tomato - 1 medium
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - big pinch
Chili powder - 11/2 tsp ( as per spiciness desired)
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 -3 tsp ( you can be slightly liberal here)
Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Peel onion - cut to medium size pieces
Tomato - chop into four
Peel the garlic pods

Grind the raw ingredients - onion, tomato, garlic with tamarind,salt,chilie  to a fine paste

Take a wok.
Heat oil, add asafoetida, mustard.
Allow the mustard to pop
Add the ground paste.
Mix, sauté 
Simmer on low fire. Cover for a while till the raw taste disappears and the paste comes together
Roughly takes about 10-15 minutes ( but check periodically as it simmers)


It was tangy, spicy, garlicky and yummy.

Ridge Gourd (Beerakaya) Chutney

We belonged to the generation that did not grow up on fast foods. And when we went visiting friends, we looked forward to wholesome home-cooked foods.  At my friend Divi's place, we absolutely loved the Beerakaya Chutney that her mom would make for us.  She shared the recipe with us and it tasted almost as good as what we used to have

                   (PS - Don't click on image to enlarge- the seasoning looks scary! - I had not mixed it)
Ingredients:
Beerakaya - this can be made with the skin of the vegetable only.  But I used the whole vegetable along with some of the skin. Wash it well remove the protruding ridges, lightly scrape the upper surface, remove the two ends. Taste ( I think it is necessary, not too sure) if it is bitter. If yes, discard. Slice the vegetable in the centre lenghtwise and remove the seeds. Cut into medium sized pieces.

Beerakaya - 2 large - must be around 1/2 kg
2-3 green chilies - depending on the pungency
1 small onion - sliced ( optional)
Fresh coconut - this is optional too - I used maybe 25 gms
Tamarind - lime sized ( soak ) or about 1 tbsp of readymade paste
Sugar or jaggery - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - approx 4 tbsp including the amount for seasoning

For dry powder
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp, Coriander seeds (dhaniya) - 1 tbsp, Fenugreek seeds (methi) - few
Dry roast and make a fine powder.

Seasoning
Mustard, red chilies, jeera, curry leaves

Heat oil in a pan.
Fry the sliced onion for a few minutes
Add the green chilies and the ridge gourd pieces
Fry until it softens
Add the tamarind along with the water
Cook till the skin of the ridge gourd is softened
Allow the mix to cool
Blend the cooked vegetable, dry powder, coconut, jaggery, salt till smooth

Season and add.
You can also add some finely minced onion.

YUM!

Parupu Thogayal

Ingredients:

Tuvar Dal - 1 cup

Red chilies - to taste ( atleast 4-5)

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp (optional)

Fresh coconut - 2 tbsp grated

Asafoetida - pinch

Roast the dal, red chilies and cumin in a little oil till the dal turns slightly red. Add the asafoetida.

Grind with coconut and salt and a little water. 

Do not make it too liquidy.

And your chutney is ready.

Tastes good with hot rice.

Some people ( I read on the web) have used Moong dal too.  Will try that sometime.

Recipes with Raw Mango

The mango tree ( neighbour's compound - unfortunately!) is full of mangoes.  Surprising, because the papers say the mango crop is poor. 

Well, here are three recipes made from raw mango -

1. Maanga Pachadi - Made for the Tamil New Year -

( the ingredients are all approximate – will depend on the size of the mango and the sweetness you would like to add – so make accordingly).

Raw Mango – 1 small
Jaggery – 150 gms
Cumin seeds ( jeera) – ½ tsp
Red chillie – 2
Mustard – ½ tsp
Oil for seasoning
Salt – pinch

Cut the mango into small pieces.
Add a little water and microwave for a minute. Just to make it slightly soft. I do not like the mango to be overcooked
In the meantime. Add a little water to the jaggery and make a thick syrup. Strain.
Add the slightly cooked mango to the syrup and simmer till the syrup thickens a little more. ( not to any string consistency, but should not be watery either)
Remove from fire – the mixture will cook a little even after you remove it from the heat.
Season with a little oil, mustard, cumin and red chillie.


2. Mango- Coconut Chutney/Thogayal
( excuse the picture)

Remember the mango is the sour component. Taste the mango and add accordingly. In the regular chutney, tamarind is added. The mango here replaces the tamarind and adds a tangy taste.

Coconut - ½ small
Raw Mango – small pieces – 50 gms ( to taste)
Urad dhal ( black gram dhal) – 2 tbsp
Red chillies – 2
Green chillies – 1
Asafoetida – pinch
Cumin seeds ( jeera ) – ½ tsp
Corriander leaves – ½ bunch ( optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning/ and roasting
Currry leaves/Mustard for seasoning.

Saute the urad dhal, jeera, red chillies in a little oil, till the urad turns slightly red
Grind along with coconut, mango pieces, salt.
Add a little water – this chutney should be slightly thick
Season.
Eat with hot rice / roti

* Recipe from Papukka
 
3. Mango Rice
( no picture for now!)


Cooked rice – the grains should be separate - 2 cups
Grated mango – ½ cup – more or less according to sourness desired
Bengal gram dhal ( channa dhal) – 1 tbsp – soak for a while
Black gram dhal ( urad dhal) – 1 tsp
Salt
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Corriander powder – ¼ tsp
Jeera – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2
Red chillies – 2
Curry leaves for seasoning.
Peanuts / Cashewnuts – sauté to golden brown
Oil – slightly generous – for seasoning

Heat oil in a wok
Add the soaked and drained channa dhal, urad dhal, red chillies, mustard.
When mustard splutters add curry leaves
Add the grated mango.
And the coriander powder ( dhania), turmeric powder, slit green chillies
A little water to cook the mango.
Add salt
When the mixture is semi dry.
Remove and cool.
Add to the rice, the peanut/cashe nut and mix well.

Serve.

Chutney with puffed chick pea ( without coconut)

A nice simple chutney to make without coconut. Courtesy Papu akka.

Ingredients:

Puffed chick pea - Puttanalu/daria dal/bhuna dal - 50 gms

Green chillies - 2

Garlic pod - 1

Coriander leaves - 25 gms

Salt to taste

Lime juice or tamarind paste - 1 tsp lime juice ( I used lime) or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste.

Oil for seasoning

Dry red chillies - 2

Black gram dhal ( urad) - 1/4 tsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Soak the dal for about 1/2 hour before use

Grind with green chillie, garlic, salt and coriander leaves

Place in bowl and mix in the lime juice

Season with black gram, mustard and curry leaves.

Serve with dosa/ uthapam ( shown in pic below)

Mint Chutney

Dip made with the Pudina (Mint) Chutney

Pudina (Mint) - 1 large bunch
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1/4"
Garlic - 3-4 pods
Jeera( cumin seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Coconut - 10 gms
Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Keep the mint leaves ready
Take oil in a wok. Add the urad dal and saute till brown.
Place in a blender along with the mint leaves, ginger, garlic, jeera, tamarind,green chillies, salt, coconut.
Grind to a smooth paste with a little water.
The chutney is ready.
Have with hot rice. Or make sandwiches.

For a dip:
Blend in a little thick yogurt. Cut cucumber or carrot pieces and serve with the dip. In the picture you find mango slices ( raw mango - tothapari variety)

Corriander-Coconut Chutney

Coconut - 1/2 medium
Coriander leaves - 1 large bunch
Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp
Green chili - 1 large ( according to taste)
Salt - to taste.


Grate coconut along with coriander leaves, tamarind paste, salt and green chili to fine paste.
Place in serving dish.
Optional - if being used as a dish to accompany rice, roti, idli or dosa it can be seasoned with oil, mustard, black gram dal and curry leaves.

Use for sandwiches - Take a slice of bread, spread a thin layer of butter, and a thick layer of chutney, keep a slice of tomato and cucumber. Cover with another slice of bread. Yum!

Tomato Chutney

A simple tomato chutney recipe. Courtesy papukka.

Tomatoes - 4 + 1 ( 5) large red tomatoes
Red chillie - 2-3
Green chillie - 1
Garlic-ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 3 pods finely chopped
Salt, chillie powder - to taste.
Tamarind - 1/8 tsp ( optional)
Corriander leaves for garnishing
Methi+ Mustard powder - 1/4 tsp ( acc to taste). To make this powder, dry roast a tbsp each of the two and finely powder, store in bottle for ready use.

Chop one tomato finely, keep aside.
In a wok, add little oil and add the 4 tomatoes, and scald them slightly along with red chillie.
The skin should be scalded and split a little.
Grind with ginger garlic paste, and green chillie
In the same wok add the ground paste, and simmer .
Add the finely chopped tomato and garlic
Add salt, and chillie powder
Before taking off the heat, add pinch of methi, mustard powder.
Season with oil, mustard.
Garnish with corriander leaves.

Very tasty, the chillies to be added accorded to the spice tolerance level.
If you reduce the spice, it will be like a curry. In that case, add boiled eggs and it will be a tasty egg curry.

Vengaya Thogiyal

Editing this on Jan 23, 2012.  I liked this version I found at A Cook@ Heart

Onions - 3large
Red chillies - 4-5 depending on how spicy you would want it
Urad dhal - 2 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp ( increase this if you like it a little tangy)
Ginger - 1/2 "
Methi - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Hing ( asafoetida) - pinch
Oil for sauteeing.

Cut onions into slices
Take a wok add little oil
Add the hing, methi, mustard, dhal, red chilies
As the mustard splutters and the urad dal turns brownish
 add the onion and ginger
Saute till they turn trasparent. Let them start turning brown, but do not let them turn excessively brown
Grind with tamarind and salt.
Serve.

If necessary - temper with mustard and curry leaves ( optional)

I liked this version which was slightly different from the original one here ( addnl ingredients - ginger, methi, hing, mustard)

There seem to be variations for the chutney - I have not tried it. Some add a tomato ( add after sauteing the onion and continue with the tomato for awhile) add a pod of garlic. Maybe you could try that for variation. Others omit the urad dhal when these ingredients are added.

Thenga Thogayil ( Coconut Chutney )

Coconut - 1/2

Red chilies - 4-5 ( depending on the sweetness of coconut)

Urad dhal - 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Hing - pinch

Tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Grate coconut

Roast in little oil the dhal, red chillies and mustard seeds till the dhal turns slightly brown. Remove

Grind with the coconut along with salt, tamarind, hing to fine paste

Serve.

Good with hot rice. And yummy with puris too.