Peanut chaat

Marina beach, the crowds, mallipoo (jasmine) sellers, Kwality ice cream carts, roaring waves......these sights, sounds and smells will be indelibly etched in your mind if you visit this beach even once. I love the raw mango, neatly sliced and sold with red chilli powder and salt that is commonplace in this area. Peanut chaat is another popular favourite that is sold along the beach. Boiled peanuts, raw onions, tomatoes, a dash of lime and salt - what's not to love about this simple dish?

What you need :
Peanuts - 1 cup
Onion - 1 small, finely chopped
Tomato - 1 small, finely chopped
Green chilli - 1, minced
Carrot - 1/2, grated
Juice of half a lemon
Salt
Corriander/cilantro - a little, for garnishing

Soak the peanuts in hot water for 2 to 3 hours. Drain, add half a cup of water, a pinch of salt and cook in the pressure cooker until three whistles. Remove and drain water completely. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Enjoy.
This is my post for Blogging Marathon # 45 under the theme healthy tea time snacks. It also goes to Valli's Kids' Delight event featuring nuts and legumes in a lunch box friendly avatar.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#45
 

Roasted peanuts

There is no person who does not wish to relive childhood, to go back to that golden age where everything was fun and frolic. What makes childhood so special, irrespective of the circumstances that you grew up in? I believe that memories have a large part to play in this. There are so many pleasures of childhood that we forget as we grow up.........we no longer have time to just be - to 'stand and stare'.

 
I was just transferring a newly bought packet of peanuts into a jar when I suddenly remembered the kappalandikkaran (literally translates into peanut man) who used to be eagerly awaited every evening. He was a wizened old man who came on the dot at five every evening, pushing his peanut cart. A bell on the cart, rung every now and then would alert all the kids in the households that he was on his way. The cart was set up with everything that he needed to supply freshly roasted peanuts to eager, shiny eyed kids. There was a stove on the end closest to him. On top of it was a large, broad pan filled with sand. On top of the sand was a thick, heavy iron kadai on which he tossed and turned peanuts with a little bit of salt sprinkled on top. Next to the stove was a bunch of old newspapers cut into neat squares. These would be deftly rolled out into cones even as the kids looked on with glee, and filled with hot, sand-roasted peanuts. All this for 50 paise. Time went on and the old man couldn't be seen on the streets anymore. He probably fell ill or passed away. I had all but forgotten about this simple eat that had given me so much happiness as a child.

Luckily, at some point, I started thinking about all this and even told my daughter about this treat that my grandfather would buy for me every evening. And then, while she watched, I put my kadai on the gas stove, threw in a handful of peanuts, sprinkled some salt over it and toasted them over a slow fire for 12-15 minutes until they were well browned. Then, she rolled some old newspaper into cones and I filled them with hot peanuts for her.

As I type this, she is munching on those peanuts.....and making happy memories.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other marathoners doing BM#16.
This post goes to Smitha who is hosting Kids' Delight this month 

Tomato-peanut chutney

For the final day of Blogging Marathon #6, I was paired with Pavani of Cook's Hideout, to cook something from her blog. The marathon finished a while back, but it is only now that I am getting down to posting what I made from her blog. This chutney is quick and easy to make, tastes good as soon as it is made and tastes even better the next day. Thank you, Pavani for the recipe.

What you need:
Tomato - 2
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 3
Tamarind extract - from a gooseberry sized ball of tamarind
Salt
For tempering:
Oil - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 3/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Take the tomatoes in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and microwave for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes turn mushy. Let it cool.
Toss the peanuts and red chillies in 1/4 tsp of oil and microwave for 2 minutes. Let it cool.
Add salt,tamarind extract and grind the tomatoes, peanuts and red chillies to a smooth.
Heat the tempering ingredients. Once the mustard seeds pop, pour it over the chutney.
Serve with idli/dosa.
Don't forget to leave your comment on this post for a chance to win a copy of Cooking at home with Pedatha, an award winning cookbook.

Peanut chutney

Peanuts (called Verkadalai in Tamil and kappalandi in Malayalam) are a store house of protein.
This chutney using peanuts is very simple and quick to put together. It requires only 4 ingredients including salt and is thick, creamy and mild tasting. It goes really well with dosa/idli.

What you need:
Peanuts/groundnuts - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 3 (adjust to taste)
Curry leaves - a few
Salt

Either dry roast or roast in half a teaspoon of oil,the red chillies and curry leaves. Then reduce the flame and fry groundnuts until they are well roasted. Let it cool. Add salt and blend until smooth.
This, along with adai was our dinner tonight.
Check out the Blogging Marathoners doing BM#5 along with me  Curry in a hurry under 30 min: Aarthi, Divya, Me, Kaveri, Pavani,Seven Days of Indian Sweets:Gayathri, Priya Suresh,Seven Days of Microwave Meals: Monika,Seven Days of Regional Specials:Harini, Vaishali, Suma, PJ Seven Days of Colorful Dishes Kid's Special: KalyaniSummer Coolers: Jayasree, Kamalika, Srivalli