Red coconut chutney ~ For idlis and dosas ~ Tomato Coconut chutney

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Whenever I plan to make chutney to go with dosai and give R a choice of which chutney he would like, I am pretty sure of his response even before I ask the question. The answer for him would be coconut chutney, R always prefers coconut chutney to other kinds of chutney. And I admit that the combination of dosas with coconut chutney is quite awesome and I see why R is so partial to this combination :)

I make a few versions of coconut chutney and am surprised that not even one of them have found their way into this space yet. I feel sometimes that the things I make most often, somehow never appear here, mostly because I keep thinking I would probably take pictures of it the next time I make it and it keeps getting pushed off :)  Anyway I hope to be able to post all the versions in this space in time..... and am making a start with this red coconut chutney.

This red coconut chutney is quick and simple. In addition to the flavor I like the beautiful color and hue of this chutney. This chutney goes well with idlis, dosas or any other South Indian dish like upma, ven pongal or adai.

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Ingredients and method to make red coconut chutney

1 and 1/2 cup grated coconut ( nariyal/ thengai)

1 small tomato cut fine ( tamatar/ thakkali)

3 small dry red chilies ( lal mirch) ( or to taste)

2 tsp roasted gram dal (buna chana/ Daria/ pottu kadalai)

Salt to taste (namak/ uppu)

Seasoning 

1 tsp oil

3/4 tsp mustard seeds ( rai/ kadagu)

3/4 tsp split black gram lentil ( urad dhal/ ulatham parappu)

Pinch of asafetida powder (hing/ perungayam )

Grind together coconut, red chilies , tomato and roasted gram to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste and give it another turn in the blender.

Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, when the seeds splutter add split black gram lentil / udad dhal and stir until the lentils begin to redden. Add a pinch of asafoetida powder, stir once and pour entire seasoning on the chutney.

Serve chutney with dosas/ idlis or any other South Indian tiffin item like ven pongal, adai or upma. 

If you are looking for chutney recipes, here are a few more

Tomato Chutney

Carrot Chutney

Mixed Vegetable chutney

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Tomato Chutney ~ Thakkali chutney for idlis/ dosas.

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The combination of onions and tomatoes in chutney is classic and tastes especially good when made to go with dosa (savory Indian crepes) or idlis (steamed savory cakes) . Something about this combination is just so appealing that trying different variations of chutneys with these two main ingredients never gets old. No wonder than that there are already two other chutneys with this combination that have already made their way into this space :)

This third version is something I make quite often these days. It is super easy, quick and is perfect for when you do not want to spend too much time on the chutney part of breakfast, tiffin or dinner :) It tastes amazing with all kinds of dosa / idli varieties and even as a spread in sandwiches or as a dip for veggies. So if you are looking for a quick, easy and versatile chutney, give this one a try :) 

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Ingredients and Method to make Tomato Chutney
1 medium sized red onion cut fine (pyaaz/vengayam)
3 medium large tomatoes cut fine (tamatar/thakkali)
1 clove garlic cut fine (lehsun/poondu) (optional)
3 dry red chilies (or to taste) (Lal mirch/molaga vathal)
1/2 tsp sugar (shakkar/sakkarai)
salt to taste (namak/uppu)
1 Tbsp oil

Seasoning (optional, see notes)
1 tsp oil
3/4 tsp mustard seeds (sarson/rai/kadagu)
a pinch of asafoetida powder (hing/perungayam)

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed medium sized pan. Add onions and stir until the onions are translucent. Add garlic (if using) and dry red chilies and stir a few times.

Add tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes are cooked, soft and mushy. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Puree/ Grind this mixture in a blender/ mixer until smooth. Add salt to taste, sugar and give it another turn in the mixer. Remove and place chutney in a bowl.

In a small pan, heat oil and  add mustard seeds to it, when the seeds splutter add pinch of asafoetida powder and stir once or twice. Pour entire seasoning on the chutney and mix well.

Serve chutney with dosa/ idli or any other Indian breakfasts/ tiffins or you can use it as a dip for veggies or a spread for sandwiches.

Notes:
The seasoning is not absolutely essential, it tastes good even without it, so if you want to skip it you can.

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Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

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 For the longest while now I have wanted to make my own sun dried pesto. I vaguely remember trying one version a long while back, but I did not note down the recipe that time. Every time I make paninis I think I should make my own pesto, but somehow find some kind of pesto already in my refrigerator and I put it off for another time.

Last week I had planned to make this grilled vegetable paninis one day and thought it would be the perfect time to try out the sun dried tomato pesto that I have been planning for so long. I assembled all the ingredients and a few minutes later, the pesto was ready :) And it tasted just awesome, very fresh and flavorful. This has to be the easiest thing I have ever tried in the kitchen, it made me wonder why I ever buy pesto when making it is so simple :)



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Ingredients and Method to make the Sun-dried Tomato Pesto (Adapted from this recipe)
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (the kind that is packed in oil, drained)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tsp dried basil (or 2 tbsp fresh basil if you have that)
2 garlic cloves (peeled and cut into small pieces) 
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you can reserve the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and use here too)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) 

Assemble all the ingredients. Process in a food processor, mixer/ blender until all the ingredients are ground and  the mixture forms a coarse paste.
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Remove and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The original recipe says this should last a month in the fridge, but I have never kept it that long since mine does not last as long. Will update if I end up storing it for a month :)

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Cilantro Chutney (Coriander leaves chutney)

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Cilantro chutneys are my favorite kind of chutney. There are so many variations of cilantro chutney that work so well in a wide variety of dishes, in everything from chaats to sandwiches to being served along with samosas. I feel a little cilantro chutney makes just about everything a little more interesting :). In the past,  I have already posted a few versions of cilantro chutney in this space, this one with peanuts , this version with mint leaves , and this version with a touch of yogurt and I enjoy making all these versions of cilantro chutneys fairly frequently.

This version is the one that I make whenever I make green chutney for chaats. If you are wondering what chaat is, I explained it briefly in this post. This is a very simple chutney and it tastes great not only in chaats, but also in sandwiches, as a dip for veggies/ chips etc. This time I used it in some yummy sev puri (that I will post shortly) and thoroughly enjoyed this not so frequent treat :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Cilantro Chutney
2 packed cups cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania)
1/2 packed cup mint leaves (pudina )
3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine (or to taste)
1 inch ginger cut into little pieces
1/4 tsp roasted and powdered cumin(jeera powder)
salt to taste (I used approx 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp lemon juice

Roast cumin seeds on low to medium low heat until it emits an aroma. Remove, cool and grind to fine powder. As I mentioned in this post, I usually roast about 1/4 cup of jeera seeds, powder and store in an airtight container and use as required in various recipes. 

Wash and drain the cilantro and mint leaves. Puree the leaves with the green chilies, ginger, adding just as much water as required to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste, cumin powder and lemon juice and give it another turn in the blender.
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Remove and store in an air tight container and use as required in chaats, with samosas or in a sandwich or as a dip with veggies/ chips

Refrigerate the balance if any and use within a couple of days for freshest taste. 

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Dates Sweet Chutney for Chaat ~ Khajur Imli ki Chutney

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Chaats usually refers to a variety of  savory Indian snacks. There are many different dishes that come under the category of chaat, and almost all of them are made with a variety of flavors and ingredients. The resulting mix of flavors, texture and taste is just fantastic. Whether sold from a humble cart or in a large restaurant, these immensely popular snacks are easily available everywhere in India and always seem to draw the largest crowds too :)

Recently I had some serious craving for chaat and decided to make it at home. Almost all chaat have this typical combination a little sweet, a little tart and a little heat from a combination of chutneys. This dates sweet chutney which is an integral part of most chaat items,  provides a lovely combination of sweet and tart and a subtle and intriguing touch of heat from the chili powder. Even though it is typically used in chaat, this chutney can just as easily be used to go with samosas, as a dip for veggies or chips.



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Ingredients and Method to make Dates Sweet Chutney
20 nos Seedless Dates (khajur/ pericham pazham)
Tamarind de-seeded - about a medium lemon sized ball (Imli/ Puli)
1/2 cup grated jaggery (gud/vellam)
1/4 tsp black salt (kala namak)
3/4 tsp roasted cumin powder (jeera powder)
1/2 tsp salt (namak/uppu)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (lal mirch/ molagai podi)

Place dates and tamarind in separate containers and fill each of the container with just enough water to submerge the dates and tamarind. Place both containers in the pressure cooker, covered with lids and cook until soft ( I usually keep mine for about 3 to 4 whistles in my pressure cooker)

Roast cumin seeds on low to medium low heat until it emits an aroma. Remove, cool and grind to fine powder. I usually roast about 1/4 cup of jeera seeds, powder and store in an airtight container and use as required in various recipes.
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When the pressure subsides from the cooker, remove dates and tamarind and puree to a smooth consistency, in batches if required.

Strain this puree. Add the strained puree to the heavy bottomed pan, add grated jaggery, black salt, roasted cumin powder, salt and red chili powder and allow to simmer. Stir frequently, the jaggery will melt and then slowly the mixture will begin to thicken slightly. Remove from heat, cool thoroughly and pour into a clean bottle and store in the refrigerator for upto a week.

Use in any chaat recipe, as a side to somosas, or as a dip with any veggie or chips.

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Carrot Chutney

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Chutneys are such fun aren't they ? Not only does a good chutney add flavor and taste to a meal, I feel like a good chutney can elevate a meal from blah to something fab. And the best part, chutneys are so easy and quick to make that it can be included in any menu quite easily:)

Here is one that somewhat surprised me, I usually make this to go with dosai / adai (Savory Indian crepes) or idlis (savory steamed cakes), this time I thought of using it in a sandwich and I was just so surprised at how good it tasted in the sandwich. I just applied this chutney to the bread and stuffed it with a potato and mung bean curry like mixture that I had made to go in it and it turned out so well. I mean don't get me wrong this chutney tastes awesome in all the traditional pairings too, but I loved to find it out that it works just as well in an unconventional setting too. Give this one a try and tell me what you think about it :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Carrot chutney
1 medium onion cut fine
1 small tomato cut fine
4 medium carrots cut into small pieces (yielded approx 1 and 1/2 cups of cut pieces of carrots)
salt to taste
1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

1 tbsp oil
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
2 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
2 whole dry red chilies (or to taste) 
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Heat oil in a medium sized heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds to it, when the seeds begin to sizzle add onions and stir until the onions are cooked and become transparent. Add ginger and garlic and stir a few times.

Add green chilies and red chilies and stir a few times. Add tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Add carrots, salt to taste and sprinkle a little water, cover with a lid and allow the carrots to cook until soft. Stir a few times in between to ensure even cooking. When the carrots are cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool.
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Puree this mixture until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste and mix well.

Serve this chutney with any kind of Rotis/ chapathis/ phulkas (Indian flat bread) or with any kind of dosai / idli or with some raw veggies or use it in a wrap or a sandwich. This time I used it in a sandwich and was blown away by how awesome it tasted in a sandwich, plan to make it more often to go with my sandwiches:)

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Spinach Chutney (Keerai Thogayal)

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When I was in school I do not remember ever being very impressed with spinach. Its not that I would never eat it, nor that I hated it, just that I never really loved it as I did some of the other veggies my mother prepared at home. I guess I was just indifferent to it. Now though, I have a new appreciation and liking for this super healthy green and never tire of trying it out in a variety of dishes. From raita to dhals to adai/ dosai and curries , I have used spinach in pretty much everything and have enjoyed it so much in all the different forms:)

This time I made thogayal, a kind of chutney from south India with spinach. Earlier I had posted thogayal made with zucchini and one with onion both of which remain favorites in my home. But this one with spinach is a little extra special. It is very flavorful and versatile. I have used it as a traditional chutney along with dosai/idli ,  to mix with rice and create an instant flavored rice and as a dip for veggies and it tasted good every single time :) If spinach is something that you like or like me have developed a new appreciation for, this simple spinach chutney may be for you. 

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Ingredients and Method to make Spinach chutney (thogayal)
4 packed cups tender spinach leaves (or baby spinach) (palak) rinsed and drained
4 tbsp fresh grated coconut (or frozen) (if using frozen thaw to room temperature)
1 tbsp coconut oil (can be substituted with any other oil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal)
one small pinch asafoetida (hing/ perungayam)
3 dry red chilies (or to taste)
salt to taste

Heat oil on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds to it. When the seeds splutter, add black gram lentil and stir until the the lentils turn evenly reddish. Add a pinch of asafoetida powder,  and dry red chilies and stir a few times. Add spinach, stir, close the pan with a lid and allow the spinach to cook until soft. If required a few drops of water may be sprinkled to help cook the spinach leaves.

Cool the cooked spinach and puree the entire mixture of cooked spinach and seasoning, along with the grated coconut in the blender until it turns to a smooth paste. Add salt to taste and give it another turn in the blender.
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Remove and serve as a dip/ chutney or mix with some plain steamed rice to make an instantly flavored rice.

Refrigerate the unused portion in an airtight container and use within a couple of days for freshest taste.

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Sundried Tomato Chutney and some pretty flower pics :-)

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It has been a really strange fall season in our region so far. Usually around this time time we see temperatures in the fifties, instead we are seeing temperatures in the seventies and this is already the third month of fall. Fall is one of the seasons that I really look forward to, especially in the middle of summer when we see temperatures unrelentingly stuck in the nineties and hundred's, just the thought of cooler temperatures is so very appealing.

The only thing I really miss about summer when it is gone, is the sight of beautiful flowers blooming all over the place. Knowing I would miss it, I decided to capture a few pics of some of the flowers that were blooming on my plants so that I could at least enjoy the pictures in the fall and winter when there are hardly any blooms around my area. I am sharing a couple of them here for my readers :-)



Here is one of the blooms from my first hibiscus plant that I got this spring........



Real pretty aren't they? I have to admit, every time I see a bloom on one of my plants, I cannot just go past it without stopping and admiring each bloom for a few seconds at least :-)
Moving on to the main reason for this post, sundried tomato chutney. Ever since I tried using sundried tomatoes in this eggless omelet, I have been wanting to try using sundried tomatoes in more fusion recipes and see how it works out. This chutney/dip/ spread was something I came up with, just because I thought it might taste good:-) ........ And it did, I was surprised at how good this chutney tasted and I kept thinking I should have tried this earlier :-)  And the best part, this chutney turned out to be very versatile, I have used it as a chutney, dip and spread and loved it in all its avatars :-)



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Ingredients and Method to make Sundried Tomato Chutney
Packed 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (10 halves)
1/2 of a large red onion cut very fine (or a small onion )
1 clove garlic peeled and cut fine
2 tbsp oil
2 whole dry red chilies (or to taste)
salt to taste (I used approx 1/2 tsp )
handful of cilantro cut fine

Soak sundried tomatoes in 1/2 cup hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the water to be used later.
Heat oil in a small/ medium heavy bottomed pan. Add onions and saute until it turns transparent. Add garlic and stir a few times.
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Add dry red chilies and stir a couple of times. Add drained sundried tomatoes and stir a few times. Add cilantro and remove from heat.

Cool to room temperature and grind in a blender/ spice grinder/ mixer. This chutney can be ground to a smooth paste, but since I wanted my chutney with a little bite I ground the mixture to a coarse paste.Use the reserved water from earlier as needed to get the blades some movement in your blender and to achieve the correct consistency for the chutney. Add salt to taste and give it a another turn in the blender.

Remove and store in an airtight container.

Serve as a dip with vegetables/pita chips or use as a chutney or use as a spread in a sandwich.

This time, I used this as a spread in a sandwich with this eggless omelet with sundried tomatoes as the stuffing and loved the combination together :-)

My friend Lisa's is hosting  A celebration of Indian food event this month and this sundried chutney is on its way to that event :-)

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Cilantro Mint Chutney version 2.0

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For the last few weeks I have been running around trying to complete a long list of projects that I have taken on. Even though I have completed some,  it seems like it is going to take just a little longer for me to finish up most of them.  These distractions are the main reason that I have not been able to devote enough time to this site. In addition I ended up with a fever last week that set me back another couple of days. I am hoping that from now on I am able to get back to blogging more regularly.........fingers crossed :-)

Moving on, wraps and sandwiches stuffed with a lot of vegetables are my favorite kind of food. Last  week when I was looking for a quick solution to dinner, I decided to make an Indian style veggie wrap.I will post the recipe for the wrap in my next post,  but first here is the chutney I used to add some flavor to the wrap. This chutney is similar to this one that I had posted earlier, but the big difference is the addition of yogurt. The yogurt added a nice creaminess to the chutney that really enhanced its taste and texture. I used this chutney in both sandwiches and wraps and loved it in both, but it can be used in chaats/ with samosas/ or as a dip, pretty much any way that you care to use it :-) 

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Ingredients and Method to make cilantro mint chutney
1 bunch cilantro (coriander leaves/ kothamalli) (yielded approx 1 1/2 packed cups of cilantro leaves)( rinsed clean )
one handful mint leaves (pudina) approx 15 large mint leaves (rinsed clean)
6 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
1 inch ginger cut fine
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 cup plain yogurt (curds/ dahi)
salt to taste

Puree all the ingredients above except salt in a blender until smooth. Add salt to taste and give it another turn in the blender until it mixes well.
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Remove and use as required in sandwiches or wraps/ as a dip, or with samosas or chaat or any other way you want. Refrigerate the balance in an air tight container and use up within a day or two at most. I use this chutneys in both wraps and sandwiches :-)

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Avocado Coconut Chutney

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Ever since I tried this avocado roti (Indian flat bread) for the first time, avocados have a special place in my kitchen.  Now that I have begun to include avocados regularly in our diet, my next challenge has been to try and find more uses for it. My cousin S mentioned that she makes a north Indian style of chutney with avocado to go with parathas. I have yet to try this chutney that she mentioned, but I am sure that before long, I will both try and post that recipe here :-)

In the meanwhile the idea of making a chutney with avocado got stuck in my head. When I wanted to make a chutney to go with this rava dosai (semolina and flax crepe), I decided to try and see how avocado would taste in a south Indian style chutney. The verdict..............it was a huge success. The avocado added a wonderful creamy texture to the chutney. The taste of the avocado did not stand out, instead it blended very well with the other ingredients. If you have tasted the traditional south Indian coconut chutney, then this does not taste very different from it, it tastes like a creamier version with a slight hint of cilantro in it.  If you are in the mood to try something different with avocados, maybe you could give this chutney a try....




Here is a closer look at the chutney......



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Ingredients and Method to make Avocado Coconut chutney
1 1/2 tbsp split yellow chick pea lentil (chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
1 1/2 tbsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
1 ripe avocado pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (yielded 1 cup of cut avocado)
5 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
1 cup grated fresh or frozen coconut (if frozen thaw to room temperature)
one generous handful of cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/kothamalli)
salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

Optional seasoning
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ kadagu)
a pinch of asafoetida powder

Dry roast chick pea lentil and black gram separately on low to medium low heat until reddish and aromatic. Soak them both together in sufficient water for at least an hour.

Grind the coconut, green chilies, avocado along with the soaked and drained lentils in a blender/grinder until it forms a smooth paste. Add salt to taste and lemon juice and give it another turn in the blender to mix well.

If you plan to season this chutney, then heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, when the seeds begin to splutter add asafoetida powder and give it a quick stir. Pour this entire seasoning on the chutney, mix well.
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Serve chutney with dosai/ idli/ vadai or as a side dish to any south Indian themed meal, or use as a dip to serve along with veggies.

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South Indian Style Cranberry Chutney

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Its cranberry season again.......some of you may have noticed these pretty berries are beginning to appear at the groceries. Most of you probably know about the legendary health benefits of cranberries, in case you haven't had a chance to read up on it yet, I mentioned a few of them in this post.  Last year for the first time I used fresh cranberries in this spiced cranberry chutney and I got completely hooked on to it. Since then I have made quite a few varieties of chutneys with cranberry and enjoyed each of them.

Among the different varieties, this south Indian style of cranberry chutney was also one of the varieties I tried last year. Only, I never got around to posting it here. Since then this recipe has undergone some changes and this final version of it is the one that I like the most..... The lentils add a creamy texture to this chutney, the cranberries add a nice touch of tartness and the red chilies lend some heat to balance out the flavors.I served this with some traditional dosai this time and the combination was just perfect :-)




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Ingredients and Method to make south Indian style cranberry chutney

2 tsp split chick pea lentil (chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
2 tsp split black gram lentil (udad/urad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi/mendiyam)

1 tbsp oil
1 onion cut fine
6 dry red chilies (or to taste) (I used byadgi variety)
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
salt to taste

Dry roast chana dhal and udad dhal separately until reddish and aromatic. Roast methi seeds separately until it turns brownish, then soak these three ingredients in sufficient water for at least one hour.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add onions to it and saute until it is transparent, then add dry red chilies (byadgi) and stir a few more times, then add 1/2 cup washed fresh cranberries and stir until the cranberries are cooked and soft.
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Cool to room temperature and grind this along with the soaked and drained lentils to a smooth paste adding water as required to move the blades and achieve required consistency. Add salt to taste and give it another quick turn in the blender/ grinder.

Remove and serve this chutney with dosai (Indian savory crepes) / adai (savory rice and lentil cakes) or idli (steamed rice and lentil or oat cakes) or upma varieties.

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Apple Apricot Chutney

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Apples have some uncommonly rich health benefits,  setting them apart from all other fruits. Apples provide a range of health benefits, everything from support for good heart health to cancer protection to being a good source of antioxidants and fiber. One surprising fact about apples that I came across is that they are also said to lower asthma risk.

I always enjoy apples in their raw form and rarely ever think of using them in my cooking. The only exception is when I manage to get some green tart apples, then I cannot resist using it in this pachadi (chutney). This time around I had regular sweet apples in my fruit basket,  and I was in the mood to make some kind of chutney to go with my phulkas and curry.......... on an impulse I decided to make some apple apricot chutney.

I used some raisins to give this chutney some additional sweetness and balanced it out by adding lemon juice for tartness and red chili powder for heat. I loved how this slightly sweet, slightly tart and slightly spicy chutney turned out, it worked as a delightful side dish to the phulkas and curry :-)



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Ingredients and Method to make Apple Apricot chutney
1/2 apple peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces (any sweet variety of apple works for this chutney) (yielded 3/4 cup of cut pieces)
1/2 cup of dried apricot pieces (cut apricot into 1/4 inch pieces)
1/4 cup dark raisins
1/4 tsp ground ginger (dry ginger/ soonth/sukku)
1/4 tsp salt (namak/ uppu)
2 tsp sugar (shakkar/sakkarai)
1/4 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (mirch/thani molaga podi)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (limbu)
water as required

In a heavy bottomed pan, add apple, apricot and dark raisins. Add ground ginger, salt, sugar, red chili powder and a little water and place on heat and allow to cook until both the apples and apricots get cooked and soft. Add water if required while the apple and apricot pieces are being cooked and stir frequently so that the fruit pieces at the bottom do not burn.

Cook until the fruits are cooked and soft and the mixture begins to thicken a little and most of the water has evaporated. Add lemon juice and simmer for a few more seconds.
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Remove from heat and serve hot or cold as a side dish along with any Indian themed menu or as an accompaniment with phulkas/ rotis.

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Cilantro Mint Chutney, Paneer Curry and Paneer stuffed Sandwiches

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Recently I mentioned how much I admire people who plan  their menus well in advance and how easy it must make their lives in terms of shopping for groceries etc. I still think that, but I learned recently that sometimes spontaneity in the kitchen  is not really that bad. Yes we sometimes find ourselves without some essential ingredient required in our menu, but sometimes that is what causes us to come up with solutions that turn out well right ? Wondering what I am talking about ?

This is what happened this past week, I wanted to make sandwiches, initially the plan was to make Bombay sandwich with cucumber, tomato, potato etc etc. But suddenly I thought it might be a better idea to make a paneer curry to stuff in the sandwich. The only problem I had no paneer on hand and I did not want to make a trip all the way to the Indian grocery just to pick up this one item.



So I decided to make paneer at home, this was my first try making paneer at home. I relied essentially on my cousin S's tips on making paneer and it turned out fabulously. In less time then it would have taken me to go to the store, I was able to make it at home itself, that too without very much effort. R and I could not get over just how fresh and tasty the paneer turned out, I think I might never go back to store bought paneer after this..... I would have never tried making paneer had I not found myself without it in the nth hour, so this one time my lack of menu planning turned out well for me :-)

Updated to add: Since a lot of you asked for it, I have posted about how to make paneer with stepwise pictures here.

Cilantro Mint Chutney

 

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Ingredients and Method to make Cilantro Mint Chutney

1 handful mint leaves (about 15 large mint leaves)
1 bunch cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/ kothamalli) cut fine (yielded 2 packed cups of leaves)
1 thin sliver of ginger (adrak/inji) cut fine
3 thumb sized pieces of tamarind (imli/puli) (optional but recommended, see notes)
3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or according to taste) cut fine
salt to taste (I used approximately 3/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp cumin seed powder (jeera powder) (optional)
2 and 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt (curds/dahi/thayir)

Assemble all the ingredients except salt and lemon, place in a blender and grind until it turns to smooth paste consistency.

Add salt to taste, give it another turn in the blender. Taste test and add lemon juice and give it another turn in the blender
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Remove, keep in a dry airtight container and store in the refrigerator and use in a sandwich or serve with samosas or any other snack or serve as a dip with vegetables. This chutney tastes best within a few days of making it.

Notes:
If you use tart variety of yogurt, you can skip the tamarind. Also if you are avoiding tamarind for any reason and your yogurt is not of the tart kind you can add a little more lemon juice if needed to add a touch of tartness to this chutney

Paneer Curry




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Paneer Curry
Ingredients and Method to make Paneer curry
2 cups of crumbled paneer
1 large onion cut fine
1 large tomato cut fine (optional, see notes)
1 large bell pepper (capsicum) de seeded and into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Tbsp oil
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
salt to taste
2 pinches kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala (or any other curry powder)
a Tbsp of water or milk if required

Heat oil in a medium heavy bottomed pan, add cumin seeds when it sizzles add onions and saute until transparent. Add tomatoes (if using) and saute until soft and mushy. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, kasuri methi if using and garam masala, stir a couple of times.
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Then add bell pepper , stir until it is cooked yet crisp. Add paneer, salt to taste and stir a little until it mixes well and absorbs some of the spices. If you need some moisture add a few tbsp of water or milk ( I did not require any but if you use store bought paneer you might need just a little for a little moisture, especially if you do not use tomatoes)

Remove from heat and use as stuffing in a sandwich or as a side dish for rotis/ phulkas

Notes:
The tomatoes are not necessary in this curry, I have made it with and without and both versions taste good. 

Sandwich




To assemble the sandwiches
Whole wheat bread as many slices as required
Cilantro mint chutney as required
Paneer curry as required
a little butter/  oil/ ghee to apply to the top of the bread

Apply chutney as required to two slices of wheat bread. Place a tbsp or two of the above curry on one slice and close with the other. Eat as is or if using a sandwich maker, apply a little oil/ butter/ ghee to the top sides of the bread and place in sandwich maker/ panini maker until it turns golden. Serve with ketchup or tomato sauce.

This entire quantity of curry yielded about 7 to 8 full sandwiches.

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Mixed Vegetable Chutney

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There are some days when I plan out the menu for dinner, for each evening, at least 3 days in advance. Then there are those days when I literally enter the kitchen with some vague ideas in my mind as to what's for dinner and then just kind of improvise from there.

On one such evening recently when I planned to make sandwiches along with soup for dinner, I found that my stock of cilantro (coriander leaves) was abysmally low. Since that ruled out this chutney, I took stock of the rest of the ingredients and decided to come up with a mixed vegetable chutney.

Sure enough that is just what I did, I made a chutney using onions, carrots, tomatoes and celery. I did not use very strong seasoning or flavorings as I wanted the natural tastes of the vegetables to shine through. Between the sweetness from the onions and carrots, slight tartness from tomatoes, earthy taste of celery and  heat from chillies, this chutney had it all and turned out to have a perfect balance of flavors. It tasted wonderful with some home baked whole wheat bread (will be posting that soon) and also in this sandwich



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Ingredients and Method to make Mixed Vegetable Chutney
1 medium onion cut fine (pyaaz/ vengayam)
1 large carrot cut fine (gajar)
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (tamatar/thakkali)
2 stalks celery ends removed cut fine (can be substituted with one additional large carrot, see notes)

1 Tbsp oil
1 thin sliver ginger cut fine (adrak/inji)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam)
3 Thai or Indian variety green chillies (or to taste) (hara mirch/ pachai molagai)
1 dry red chili (or to taste) ( optional)
salt to taste

approximately 1/2 cup water

Heat oil in a medium sized heavy bottom pan. Add cumin seeds to it, when cumin seeds begin to splutter, add green chillies and dry red chili (if using).

Then add onions and saute until onions become transparent.

Then add ginger, stir a couple of times and add tomatoes and saute until tomatoes turn soft and mushy.

Now add carrots and celery, salt to taste and water and keep the pan covered, stir occasionally  until the vegetables become soft and cook.

Remove from heat and keep aside until the vegetables cool down to room temperature

Using a blender/ mixer grind this mixture until it forms a smooth paste.

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Serve along with dosai/ idli or use as a spread in a sandwich or as a dip for vegetables or chips

Serves approximately 2 to 3

Refrigerate the balance in an air tight container and use within a couple of days.

Notes :
If you cannot find or do not have celery you can use an additional large carrot in place of celery and proceed with the rest of the recipe in the same manner.

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Dried Apricot Pachadi (chutney)

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Pachadi is a sweet tart type of chutney originating from Southern India. The ones made with raw mangoes are an absolute favorite of mine,but since we do not get raw mangoes here all the time, I have switched to making pachadi with green apples The green apple pachadi is so similar in taste to the raw mango ones that I don't miss the raw mangoes any more.

Last week I wanted to make pachadi with dried fruits for a change from the usual fresh fruit ones. I thought of trying it with dried apricots because dried apricots that I find here are a little tart and I thought it would work well in a pachadi. I threw in a handful of dried and fresh cranberries too into the pachadi. The end effect was a delicious tart sweet pachadi with the taste of apricots shining through.



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Ingredients and Method to make Apricot pachadi

1 1/2 cup dried apricots cut in half
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup fresh cranberries washed and drained (about 20)
one handful of dried sweetened cranberries (I used Craisins) (Optional)
3/4 cup crushed, grated or cut into fine pieces jaggery

In a sauce pan, add apricots, cranberries both fresh and dried, salt, turmeric powder and water and place on heat.

Keep stirring frequently until the apricots begin to become soft and mushy.

Add the crushed/ grated jaggery and keep stirring while the jaggery melts.

After the jaggery melts, allow the mixture to simmer until it starts to thicken.

Remove from heat and serve along with a south Indian meal as a side dish or as a side dish for Indian flat bread (chappathis)

I skipped the seasoning in this pachadi, but if you would like to season it, then refer to my recipe on green apple pachadi and season this one in the same manner and same proportions

Refrigerate unused portion of the pachadi and use within 3 to 4 days.

Notes
You can skip the cranberries both fresh and dried entirely, but if you do you may need to reduce the amount of jaggery by a few teaspoons.

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Indian Style Cranberry Chutney

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After my previous attempt at making a spiced cranberry chutney, I was very keen to make an Indian style cranberry chutney. Since fresh cranberries are not available all year long I did not want to put off trying this chutney as I would have had a pretty long wait if the cranberry season ended and I had to wait for the next one. In addition every time I went grocery shopping I have been eying these delightful treats thinking up various ways to use them. I scouted around a little for a good recipe and finally decided on this one.

I found in the process of making this chutney that the tartness from cranberries seem to completely absorb the spice from the chillies and a great many green chillies were required to make the chutney mildly spicy. Either that or the current batch of green chillies I have are even more bland than the usual ones I get, but I do not think that is the case.The cumin flavor shines through in the chutney and I thought this chutney would have tasted great with samosas. I used this chutney as a spread in a sandwich along with a spicier version of this curry as filling and totally enjoyed the resulting sandwich.



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Ingredients and Method to make Indian style Cranberry chutney

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (1/2 of a 12 oz packet) (washed and drained)
9 Thai or Indian variety green chillies (or according to taste) cut into small pieces
1 1/2 inch piece ginger (or according to taste) (minced fine)
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) (see notes)
1 dry red chilli (optional) cut into small pieces
3 tbsp jaggery or brown sugar (or even regular white sugar) I used jaggery
1/2 a bunch of cilantro (coriander leaves) washed, drained and cut fine
salt according to taste
water as required

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds to it.

When cumin seeds crackle add green chillies to it and stir frequently. When green chillies start to turn color, add red chilli and minced ginger, stir a couple of times

Add cranberries,salt to taste and allow the cranberries to cook on a medium heat.

When cranberries begin to soften add sugar and continue to cook.
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When the cranberries turn very soft, add the cilantro stir once or twice and remove from heat.


Allow this to cool thoroughly.

Grind this mixture with water if required into a smooth paste.

Serve this chutney to go with chappattis or dosas or use it as a spread in a sandwich or as a dip for vegetables or chips.

Refrigerate the balance of the chutney and use up within 4 days or so.

Notes
If you do not like a very strong cumin flavor you can scale down the cumin seeds to 1 tsp instead of 2 tsp.

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Spiced Cranberry Chutney

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Cranberries are not just pretty berries or just a visual treat. These berries, that are cousins to blueberries, are also known for their abundant health benefits . You may have already heard that cranberries are valued for their ability to prevent and treat urinary tract infection. But did you also know that cranberries have recently been recognized for their ability to prevent formation of kidney stones and their ability to lower LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and increase HDL cholesterol (the good one). That was something that surprised me when I first read it....

The good thing is dried cranberries have always been a staple in my pantry. In addition to snacking on these dried cranberries regularly, I also use them in my bakes as I did in my Orange flavored cranberry oatmeal bar. Fresh cranberries sadly, have never caught my attention or interest until this time. Available only around Thanksgiving, these tart, healthy and pretty cranberries suddenly caught my interest recently and I could not wait to try some chutney with it.

Although I used the reference of this chutney when I started out, I modified the recipe quite a bit to suit our palate. While making the chutney I tasted a little of it when it was almost ready and it seemed to be begging for some heat from red chilli powder to balance out the tart and the sweet flavors. I loved the subtle flavors of this chutney, the spices are mild and toned down and there is just a hint of heat from the chilli powder, overall this chutney reminded me a little of the south Indian apple pachadi / chutney .





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Ingredients and Method to make Spiced Cranberry Chutney

1 12 oz packet of fresh cranberries which yielded about 3 cups of cranberries (washed well and drained)
1 red sweet apple skinned, cored and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup of dried apricots cut into small pieces
1/2 cup of dark raisins
1/2 cup sugar + 4 tbsp sugar
1 cup water
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (increase to 1 tsp if you like more cinnamon flavor )
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder (or according to taste) (optional)

In a large heavy bottomed pan, assemble all the ingredients mentioned above, place on heat and allow it to come to a boil.

Lower heat and let it simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly. (Total time it took me from start to finish was about 25 mins)

When the mixture starts to thicken it is done.

Cool and place in glass jar or glass dish and serve

Refrigerate the unused portion and use within a week or so.

Notes

Please do not use a plastic container, dish or jar to keep or store the cranberry as I have heard that the cranberry reacts with the plastic. Safely use a glass or steel container for storage and serving of cranberry chutney

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Cilantro Peanut Chutney and a hearty potato sandwich....

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Peanuts, I read recently, are not really nuts and actually belong to the family of legumes and are related to peas, lentils and chickpeas. I was quite amazed to read that they were not really nuts, who would have thought it.Anyway, peanuts in addition to being extremely versatile and tasty also pack a nutritional punch and are a good source of monounsaturated fats that are good for heart health. They are also good sources of Vitamin E, Niacin, Folate , Protein and Manganese.

My cousin S and I look for inspiration when planning our menus by asking the other what she is making for dinner/lunch. One such conversation led to a discussion of recipes which led my cousin S to mention that she regularly uses roasted peanuts in her cilantro chutney to lend some creaminess to it. I loved the idea and have since been regularly making this chutney, slightly varying the ingredients until it has evolved into this, what I call more or less a final version of the chutney. I love how this chutney works with pretty much everything but especially love it when I used them in veggie sandwiches.

As I mentioned in my post on Potato curry with flax and quinoa, this time I used the curry as a filling and this chutney as a spread to further flavor my sandwich. Needless to say the sandwich was such an enjoyable and fantastic treat for lunch that I am looking forward to making this combination soon again...





Here is a picture of the sandwich....




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For the Chutney

Ingredients and Method to make cilantro (coriander leaves) peanut chutney

1 cup packed cut cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 inch piece ginger cut fine
5 green chillies or according to taste cut into small pieces
1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 tsp salt or according to taste
1 tsp lemon juice


Wash and drain cilantro well, cut it fine and keep aside.

Depending on your blender jar add a little cilantro or all of it along with ginger, green chillies and dry roasted peanuts and grind together until it forms a smooth paste.

Add salt according to taste ( I needed abotu 1/2 tsp salt) and lemon juice and give it another turn in the blender.

Remove and use as required either as a dip, spread or to go with Indian flat bread or Indian crepes/ dosai etc
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You can keep any balance of the chutney in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days.

For the sandwich

Ingredients and Method to make Potato Sandwich

2 slices of any type of bread ( I used light honey wheat sandwich bread)
Chutney as required
Potato curry as required
Smart balance butter (or any other vegan butter or any butter )

Spread the chutney on one side of each slice of bread.

Add some potato curry to one slice of bread.

Close with the other one.

Heat your sandwich maker and when hot add a few drops of vegan butter to it and place this sandwich on it and close the sandwich maker.

Wait until it browns sufficiently or the green light comes on.

In case you do not have a sandwich maker, toast the bread with butter/vegan butter on a flat pan/ griddle / tawa, apply chutney and fill with potato curry as required.

Serve hot with ketchup or tamarind chutney

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Zucchini Chutney (Thogayal)

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I am sure that every body will agree that vacations are wonderful times. A stress free time when you can recharge and re energize and a great break from the daily grind. These are also times when I can get quite carried away with picture taking and take pictures of almost everything that looks interesting. Later when I take prints and place them in albums, I always think that at some future point, I will go through the albums and enjoy and recapture the mood or euphoria I felt when I was taking the picture. 

But the reality is that when I actually go through the albums I find myself skimming the pictures, especially the landscape only pictures,  and find myself focusing only on those pictures where there is someone I know in the picture. Does that happen to you too? do you find yourself taking pictures of random buildings or trees and plants and flowers because it feels so special but skim over them when these pictures are placed in your album and focus only on the ones with family members and friends. Do share your thoughts on your vacations and your special observations about them , I would love to hear from you and find out your thoughts on vacations and especially vacation pictures :-)

Moving on from vacations to foods I love to have when I get back from a vacation. All the outside food and hearty eating during vacations makes me crave something light, nutritious and tasty.This zucchini thogayal  definitely qualifies on all points, its light, fast to make, nutritious, low fat and extremely tasty. What more can we ask for from our foods? Did I mention it is also very versatile, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for all the possible combinations this chutney / thogayal can be paired with, although these are by no way limited to the ones mentioned below and I am sure there are many more ways to use this chutney.

I made this chutney on a whim and was heartened at how successful it turned out to be at my place, my father and R both kept asking for seconds and my father who has never tasted zucchini before, and does not take very well to experimenting with food, was surprised at the taste and quite impressed that some unknown vegetable (at least to him) could taste this good.

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Ingredients and Method to make Zucchini Thogayal (Chutney)

2 Medium zucchini (ends cut off and cut into little pieces along with the skin)

2 tbsp chana dhal

4 tbsp udad dhal

4 dry whole red chillies

sprig of curry leaves (about 8-10 leaves) optional

1 tsp coconut oil

4 tbsp grated coconut (either fresh or frozen is fine)(see notes)

salt to taste ( I used approx about 3/4 tsp salt for this quantity)

2 thumb sized little pieces of tamarind (or according to taste)

salt according to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan, dry roast chana dhal and udad dhal on medium heat SEPARATELY until they turn reddish. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Add a drop of coconut oil to the same pan and add whole dry red chillies and curry leaves to it. Roast on medium heat until the red chillies change color, remove from heat and keep aside.

Add balance of coconut oil and add the grated coconut and roast until the coconut becomes slightly reddish. To this add cut pieces of zucchini and little pieces of tamarind and saute for a minute or two. On low heat, keeping the pan closed allow the zucchini to cook for a few minutes. There is no need to add any water. When the zucchini is cooked but not mushy, remove from heat and keep aside to cool slightly.

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Grind the entire mixture adding water if and as required until the mixture is ground to a smooth paste.


If you prefer, you can powder the lentils+ red chilies to a fine powder, then add cooked zucchini and tamarind and grind to a smooth paste

Add salt to taste and give the mixture another turn in the blender/ spice grinder.

Serve along with parathas/ rotis  or idlis / dosai  or rice and poricha kozhambu  or just mix a little of this chutney/ thogayal with a little cooked brown or white rice, add a few drops of sesame oil or clarified butter/ ghee to it and you have instant flavored rice.

Notes

If you plan to use frozen coconut, thaw it to room temperature and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Refrigerate the balance of unused chutney / thogayal and use within a day or two at most.

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Oat Coconut Chutney

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Having tried using oats in dosai / crepes and instant oat idlis/ steamed cakes successfully I wanted to try using it in chutney. On a busy morning, at the spur of the moment as I was getting ready to prepare a more traditional style coconut chutney as an accompaniment for dosai , this idea of using oats in chutney got into my head. Once the idea struck me I could not resist it and did not even want to wait to try it out, I immediately set out in trying the chutney with oats. 

Having made the chutney I was nervous while serving it to my father. I watched my father taste it with a great deal of anticipation. I was so glad that he was not able to detect the difference at all and thought the chutney tasted just like traditional coconut chutney that I normally prepare. I mentioned that I added oats to the chutney only after he was done having the chutney and he was a little surprised to know that he had something with oats and that it was not discernible at all. 

If you want to add a little more fiber to your breakfast or to anytime food,or you are trying to find new ways to include oats in your diet, try this chutney especially if you have picky eaters at home, it is a simple and tasty way to sneak in oats in your family's diet.

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Ingredients and Method to make oat coconut chutney

2 tbsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal)

2 tbsp split yellow chick pea (chana dhal)

1/2 cup 1 min oats ( I used Quaker)

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated coconut either fresh or frozen ( if you are using frozen use after thawing it to room temperature)

4 green chillies (small Indian or thai varieties) (cut into small pieces) (or according to taste)

10 curry leaves (optional)

salt according to taste

Dry roast the split black gram lentil and yellow chick pea separately in a heavy bottomed pan until reddish and keep aside. 

In the same pan, dry roast the 1 minute oats until it gets slightly brownish and keep aside.

Dry roast the curry leaves in the same pan if using and keep aside.

In a spice grinder coarsely powder the oats, lentils and curry leaves until it resembles bread crumbs.

To this add  the grated coconut and green chillies and grind adding water as required until the mixture is ground to a reasonably fine paste. Use lukewarm water if you are using frozen, thawed to room temperature grated coconut.

Add salt according and mix well.

Adjust water to achieve required consistency

Serve with dosai / crepes or instant oat idlis/ steamed cakes.

For something unique try this chutney in sandwiches or wraps or as an accompaniment for upma or pretty much any other dish.

Use immediately or refrigerate the balance and use within a day of making, as this chutney does not keep very long. 

Suggested Variations

Add two handfuls of cilantro/ coriander leaves chopped well to the mixture, skip the curry leaves and grind as well for a slightly different flavor to the chutney.

You can also add a little yogurt instead of water to achieve a more creamier and slightly tart flavor to the chutney

Since this chutney got created entirely in my kitchen this chutney is off to the Original Recipe Event being hosted by Lore

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