Kitchen-Kollections

This is one of the chutney which can eaten along with pongal or hot dosas. I did not know that it was that simple to make This is my entry to the click event.

Ingredients

1 cup groundnuts
3 slit green chillies
lemon size tamarind(soaked in warm water)
1/4 cup putnalu pappu or roasted gram dal
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

• Roast groundnuts and green chillies in 1tbs of oil. Add putnalu pappu and roast. Grind to a powder in a grinder.
• Add salt and tamarind juice and mix well.
  Chutney is ready!!

Today’s special recipe is brinjal or vankai pacchadi. I remember whenever my mom used to make this chutney in the kitchen..i could recognize the smell from the distance..and i used to just pick a plate..put some rice and thats it..wait wait till the chutney is complete. :) Best thing about this chutney is the lemon flavour and that tantilising taste of roasted brinjal. Well…here is the recipe and try it out for yourself.

Ingredients:

Big oval shaped brinjal [2 small ones or 1 medium to big size]
3 green chillies
3 dry red chillies
1/2 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera or fennel seeds
2-3 methi seeds or fenugreek seeds
3 pinches of inguva (hing)
A Pinch of turmeric
Juice of 1 full lemon

Equipments needed for this recipe

1. Small pan

2. Grinder

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Method :

Roasted brinjal

The chutnery..is ready!!

Brinjal Chutney

1. Apply 2 drops of oil and spread it evenly on the entire surface of vankai. It should be shiny once you are done  applying the oil.

2. Place the brinjal on the smallest burner / ring on your stove top, keep the heat level to medium. This is the roasting process . Although one can roast the brinjal in oven too..but this seems more simple and easy. If the brinjal is tender then it should take about 20 mins to roast. You might want to turn the brinjal to different sides [like we do when we grill] so all the skin is roasted. You can tell that brinjal is roasted when you can see the skin falling off and the brinjal is reduced to 1/3 of its size.

3. Shut the stove and put the brinjals on a plate so they can cool. Once they cool, remove the skin and separate out the flesh of brinjal. This is what will be used in chutney.  While the brinjals are roasting, you can do the popu/tadka part.

4. In a pan , take about 1.5 tbsp of vegetable oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, jeera, 2-3 menthulu, 3 dried red chillies, 3 green chillies , 3 pinches of inguva , curry leaves. Once they start spluttering and seeds are turning brown, remove from heat and add a pinch of turmeric. Let it cool,

5. The final step is to mix the roasted flesh of brinjal to the popu , squeeze juice of one lemon on it and give a rough grind so you can still see the popu seeds and thats it..vankai pacchadi is done!!!

Note : You can also roast brinjal in a preheated oven (350 degrees). for 1 hour. 

This is a great recipe , goes well with rice, parathas, chapattis, fulkas or even bread.

Ingredients

1 cup ginger pieces
5 slit green chillies
small lemon size ball or 2 tbs- tamarind
1/4th cup jaggery or 2 blocks of jaggery

Popu or tadka

3 tbs urad dal
3 tbs gram dal
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds
5 red chillies
4 fenugreek seeds
4 pinches asafoetida
Salt to taste.

Method

Add a tsp oil and add urad dal, gram dal, jeera, mustard seeds, red chillies, fenugreek and asafoetida and fry till golden brown. Add green chillies and ginger pieces. Add salt and let it cook.
After it is properly cooked, add tamarind and jaggery and mix it well. If you add jaggery well before, then ginger pieces will not cook properly.
Now grind the mixture into smooth paste once it is completely cooled off. Enjoy your chutney with hot idlis, dosas or bondas!

Dhaniya Pudina or Coriander Mint Chutney or spread
Ingredients

1 bunch mint leaves
1 bunch coriander leaves
half cup curry leaves
lemon sized tamarind, soaked in water
1 clove garlic
1 inch garlic
2 tbsp groundnuts
2 inch piece of coconut

Tadka or Popu

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
3/4 tsp jeera
3-4 pinches of asefotida
3 dried red chillies
3 green chillies
2-3 menthulu
5 tsp of oil
salt to taste

Method

Pour some oil in a pan and, fry ginger, garlic, curry leaves. Fry until the leaves turn crisp. Remove and keep aside

In the same oil, fry mint leaves. once they are cooked properly or become soft  remove them and keep aside. In the same manner fry coriander leaves and keep them aside. In the remaining oil and add all ingredients for tadka and fry for a while.

Now the grinding part. In the grinder, add the fried leaves, ginger, garlic, coconut pieces, groundnuts, soaked tamarind and tadka and grind well. Add little water so that paste like consistency is reached. Add salt to taste and your chutney is ready. This chutney is an excellent appetizer and is often used as spreads for making tasty sandwiches.

Note: This chutney will stay good for 2 days if stored in a refrigerator.

Coriander Powder

Ingredients

1/2 cup (Red Dried Chillies)
1 Tbsp. Oil
3 Tbsp. Coriander seeds
1 Tbsp. Tamarind (seedless)
Salt to taste
5  Garlic pods
1 Tbsp. Cumin seeds

Method

Take a pan and add oil and chillies. Stir the chillies until they are fried. Then add whole coriander seeds and fry them for a while.Add tamarind and salt with all the above ingredients and blend them. Add small pieces of garlic pods and cumin seeds to the above mixure and blend them again. Dhaniya powder is ready! You can transfer the powder into a tight container. This powder tastes very well with hot hot idlis.

Sweet and sour Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

Tomato – 2 cups
Tamarind – 250gms
Red Chillies – 3
Fenugreek seeds – 3
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
Oil – 200gms
red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – pinch
Jaggery – 1/2 tsp

Method

Take a pan and pour some oil. Add urad dal, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and fry for a while. Add the cut tomatoes and cook for a while. Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric and mix well. Add the tamaring juice and jaggery, cook for while and turn off the stove. Let it cool off and then grind it into a smooth paste. This chutney goes well with rice.