Chettinad Onion Tomato Chutney ~ SpotlightBlog Recipe

Here comes the last recipe from this month's spotlightblog, Shoba's Anubhavti. The  fourth recipe I tried is a creamy, delicious chettinad chutney. I could eat spoonfuls of the chutney all by itself. It was that tempting.With out many ingredients in the list, with just few tomatoes and onions, and urad dal for the texture and red chilly for heat, you get a simple chutney. Don't forget to add the coconut milk which is the star ingredient, that takes this otherwise ordinary chutney to the next level.

 

You need

Onion - 1 no

Ripe tomatoes - 3 nos

Red chillies - 3 nos

Light coconut milk. - 3 tblspn

Salt

Curry Leaves.



Seasoning:

Oil - 2 tspn
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Urad Dhal - 1 tspn
Curry Leaves.

Method

Chop onions and tomatoes and keep it aside. Heat a kadai with the 2 teaspoons of  oil.  When hot add mustard seeds and wait for it to crackle. Add urad dal, red chillies and curry leaves. Saute for few seconds and add onion and suate till they turn pink. Add chopped tomatoes and salt and continue till the tomatoes are well cooked and left with less moisture.  Grind all the ingredients together till smooth. Add coconut milk and blend well.  I mixed half a tablespoon of coconut milk powder in 2 tblspoon of warm water.

The creamy chuntey with a slight hint of sweetness from the coconut milk is an excellent side for dosa/idli. It makes good sandwich spread too.

 

Shoba, I enjoyed the virtual tour of your kitchen, selecting recipes. And from next Monday, its another blog  on the spotlight.

Khaman Dhokla for Indian Cooking Challenge

Its dhokla time today. Khaman dhokla is the recipe selected for the first challenge. Srivalli gave the detailed recipe from a Gujarathi friend of hers, which is indeed a fool-proof recipe. I have made instant versions of dhokla both in my MW and stove top. But it was no way near the perfect, soft,spongy, moist dhoklas I had eaten before. My husband occassionaly used to buy dhoklas from a Gujarathi sweet shop near his office. When Valli mentioned that its a traditional recipe, I was happy to try it out to get the perfect dhoklas. I prepared it carefully following the instructions given in the recipe. When I served them with the mint chutney, my husband said gave a thumps up, which doesn't come, that easily.

I used buttermilk instead of curd and water. Also had to add 2 more tablespoons of the batter to get the right consistency. Rest everything I followed the same.

Recipe makes 20 medium sized pieces

For Batter:
Bengal Gram flour / Besan - 1 & 1/2 cup

Curd - 1/2 cup (not very sour)

Water - 1/2 cup

(I used 1 cup of buttermilk + 2 tblspns of water)
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For seasoning to be mixed to the batter (to be added just before cooking)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Turmeric a pinch

G. Chili paste - 3 nos

Sugar - 1 tsp

Citric acid - quarter tsp ( A big pinch)
Eno - 1 packet (green colour fruit lime) + sprinkle or dust few bits on the plate

For tempering
Sesame seeds , Mustard Seeds,Curry leaves,Grated coconut,Coriander leaves

Little water ( 2 tblspn) + Oil to be topped on dhoklas

Method to prepare:
Mix first 1/2 cup curds with 1/2 water. To this add the besan and mix well to get a lump less batter, the consistency should be of idli batter, more of dropping not pouring consistency. Slowly add more water if needed else, add the soda. Keep it aside to rise for 1 hour.

If you are using a pressure cooker, fill the pan with water, place a plate over which you will have use a plate for steaming the dhoklas. Thali plate can be used for steaming.

To the batter mix in the citric acid, oil, salt, sugar, green chili paste and turmeric powder. Mix well. This has to be done just before pouring to the plate.

Meanwhile have the pan on stove, and let the water start boiling. When the water reaches the rolling stage, you can mix the eno to the batter (Save little of eno for dusting on the plate), mix gently, you will see bubbles coming out.

Dust or sprinkle the plate with eno. Then immediately pour the batter to the plate. Place the plate carefully inside the pressure pan and cover with lid. You need not use the whistle. After covering you will find steam coming out of the outlet, simmer and don't disturb for almost 5 -7 minutes.

After 5 -7 minutes, remove the lid and proof it using toothpick or knife. If the knife comes out clean and does not have any batter sticking, then its done. Cover back and let it remain on flame for 1 min and switch off the gas and allow it for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mix 2 tblspn of water along with a tsp of oilRemove the plate from the pan, pour the water and oil mix over the top.

For seasoning, heat a pan with oil, add curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds and finely chopped green chilies. When mustard starts popping, remove and pour over the dhokla.

Points to note
The batter should be filled to only 1/2 as it will rise up. After adding eno the batter should not rest.

Amount of sugar can be increased on preference.
If you want perfect shaped ones and not the crumbling, cut and handle gently
Dhokla can also be steamed in kadai filled with water and a plated titled over it.

Green chutney
G. chili - 4 nos

Grateed coconut - 1/4 cup

Coriander - bunch

Few mint leaves

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Lime -1 big

Salt to taste

Take all the ingredients except coriander in a food processor. Grind to a smooth paste.
Then add the coriander and again grind. Remove to a bowl, add the remaining lime and serve with Dhoklas.

Paani Puri /Golgappa

During my childhood days, I never knew what a chaat is. No idea of what is bhel/paani pooris are. But later knew about thro friends and my cousins. But never got an opportunity to taste them. During the visit to Chennai after my 10th std, got to taste bhel puri and paani puri. Its only post marriage that I got taste different kinds of chaats on my trip to then Bombay. Blogging has introduced few more street foods, which are speciality to Mumbai like Dabeli,tawa pulao etc. In the place I live, we will have to wait for an exhibition to come up which will have the inevitable chaat and pappad stall. So if I get the craving to gulp down some pani puris, the only option is to make it myself. After repeated trials, I have got the proportion of flour correct for the pooris so that they are crisp and stay puffed for long. I made these the day before and served it for dinner the next day. It retained the puff, which is essential for paani puris.

For the puris

Rava/Semolina – 1/2 cup

Maida/all purpose flour – 1/2 cup

Oil – 1 tblspn

Salt –1/2 tspn

Water as required

Oil to deep fry

Method

Mix all the ingredients except water. Add water little by little to get a soft dough. Leave for 10 minutes. The dough would be tight after the resting time due to the rava present in it. Knead the dough for 5 minutes to soften it. Pinch a lime sized dough and roll into chapathi as thin as possible. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter or the cover of a suitable container. I got around 60 puris.

Heat oil in a wok. When it is moderately hot (not smoking hot), slide 2/3 puris into the oil. It will puff on its own. Gently flip and drain when it is slightly brown. Cool and store in airtight container if you are not using it immediately.

For paani

Green chutney

Coriander leaves – 1 cup

Handful of mint leaves

Green chillies – 3 nos

Cumin/jeera – 1 tspn

Salt

Grind all the ingredients together. Add water to get a smooth paste. I usually freeze this chutney in small portions.

Date and tamarind chutney

Dates seeded – 10 nos

Jaggery – 4 tblspn

Tamarind extract – 2 tblspn

Red chilli powder – 1 tspn

Roasted fennel seeds – 1 tspn

Salt – a pinch

Soak dates in a cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Grind together soaked dates, jaggery, tamarind paste, red chilli powder and salt.

Adjust the consistency by adding water. Heat a kadai and transfer the ground paste. Let it simmer for few minutes till it reaches a saucy consistency. Stir in the roasted fennel seeds.

For filling

There are various options to use as filling – like boiled and mashed potatoes, sprouted moong, onions, tomatoes, boondhis,cooked channa etc…
I have used sprouted black channa and moong, chopped onions and tomatoes. I cooked the sprouted black channa and microwaved moong sprouts for 2 minutes.

Dilute both chutneys with water and keep it in separate bowls or mix them together. Also instead of preparing separate chutneys, you can prepare one chutney with the ingredients ground together.

Take a puri. Make a hole by pressing on the crisp, puffed side. Add the fillings. Dip the filled puri in the desired paani and gulp it down. Enjoy till the puris are finished.

Keerai Molagootal and Nellikkai Archukalakki ~ Lunch Series #1

I have been planning a lunch series featuring the ordinary lunch menu at my home, which most of the time is traditional dishes. I took few pictures also. It ends there. I kept on procastinating the posting part. Finally I have come around to posting stage.I didnot want to stop it after 2/3 posts and leave it there. I wish to feature atleast the most common recipes in this series. Hope I will do minimum justice to it. A normal lunch consists of a gravy/kootan as referred in Palakkad Iyer lingo, upperi/dry curry, rasam(not everyday), mor/buttermilk and pickle. I had not doubt to what will be my first post in this series. What else other than Molagootal, the signature dish of Palakkad Iyers, to kick start the series.

Keerai molagootal (Spinach in dal and coconut gravy)

Arakeerai/Amaranth leaves (the one with small leaves) is the best variety for molagootal. Palak/Spinach is also good. Most of the times I end up buying palak since it is easy clean, where arakeerai takes quite some time to separate the leaves and tender stem.

Roughly chopped keerai - 3 cupssaltturmeric
Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup
Cumin Seeds/Jeers - 1 tspn
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
For roastingUrad dal - 1 tspnRed chilly - 1 no

Seasoning

Oil - 2 tspn

Mustard seeds - 1 tspn

Method
Ccook the spinach leaves in 1 cup of water till the leaves are withered. Alternatively Mw for 3 minutes. Leave it to cool . Pressure cook tuvar dal till soft. Mash the dal well. Roast urad dal and red chilly in a tspn of oil till dal turns light brown.

Pulse the keerai in the mixer for few seconds. It should be pureed but not too smooth.Grind the coconut,roasted dal and chilly and jeera to a fine paste.
Coimbine spinach puree, mashed dal and ground paste. Bring to a boil. Season with mustard seeds.

The preferred sides for molagootal is puli pachadi (tamarind based), thayir pachadi(with yogurt base) thogayals (chutney) or arachukalakki.

Now I am posting the recipe for nellikkai arachukalakki. Arachukalakki literally translates as Ground and Mixed.Here it is grounded gooseberry and coconut with chilly mixed with yogurt. Chenai/yam, kanni manga (salt pickled small mangoes ) are generally used for preparing arachukalakki.

Gooseberries pickled in salt - 10 nos.

(Usually these berries would have turn soft on soaking in salt water. If you find them firm, u can steam cook/MW for few minutes to make them soft. )
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

green chilly - 3 nos

whipped curd - 1/2 cup

Seasoning

oil - 2 tspn

mustard seeds - 1 tspn

red chilly - 1 no

methi seeds - 1/4 tspn
Remove the seeds from the berries. Grind together GB, coconut and green chillies.
Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, followed by red chilly broken into two. Finally add methi seeds. When methi starts turning brown, add to the ground mixture. While the pan is hot, add the whipped curd to the pan and pour over the seasoning. Mix well. Since salt in the gooseberries will be enough, additional salt will not be required. Though check if needed.

Keerai molagootal is going Sunshinemom's FIC: Green

Nellikkai Arachukalakki is my entry for AFAM:Gooseberry hosted by Illatharasi.

Corn meal kozhakkattai

Upma kozhakkattai features in my breakfast menu at least once in 10 days. I usually prepare the required rice rava the previous day. Occasionally, I prepare using the idli rava, when I get supplies from my co-sis at Bangalore. On one such occasion, I decided to prepare using idly rava. Just before the preparation, I found the quantity was not enough to serve four. I didn't have time to change the menu. I had stored both idly rava and corn meal packets in the same box. Needless to say, used the corn meal to make up for the deficient quantity. But I was happy with the result. It turned out well and very tasty too. Later I tried using only cornmeal. It was also good. Refer here for preparing the steamed rice balls.

My amma usually prepares a simple coconut-curd chutney as dip to go with the rice balls. Here is the chutney recipe -
Coconut - 1/2 cup

Green chillies - 3

Beaten curd or thick buttermilk - 1 cup

Salt

Seasoning

oil - 1 tspn

mustard seeds - 1 tspn

hing powder

Grind together coconut, green chillies and salt to a smooth paste. Take a skillet and do the seasonings. Add the seasonings to the ground paste. Pour the buttermilk to the hot skillet and stir into the mixture. Yummy dip is ready.

Vethakozhambu - Palakkad Iyer recipe

Vathakozhambu is a famous dish of Tamilnadu and it is cooked by Iyers of Kerala too. But when it comes to Kerala, it is cooked in a slightly different way from what is followed in TN. Here is the version cooked at most of Palakkad Iyer homes.

Ingredients

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - lemon sized

Red chilly powder - 1 tspn

Hing - 1/4 tspn

Turmeric - 1/4 tspn

Method

Wash and pressure cook tuvar dal with water. Add little turmeric and 1/2 tspn of oil. Adding oil helps cook dal mushy.
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes.

Extract the tamartind juice. Add 1/4 tspn turmeric,1 tspn of red chilly powder, 1/4 tpn of hing and salt.

Let it simmer till the gravy thickens.

Mash the cooked dal and add half cup of water.

Stir in the cooked dal and water to the thickening gravy.

Bring to a boil.

Seasoning

In a pan, add a tablespoon of gingely oil, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add chundakka vathal. When chundakkai is fried, pour the seasonings over the cooked gravy and garnish with curry leaves.

Serve with hot rice with a teaspoon of homemade ghee and roasted papad. Its simply divine. Mezhukkuparatti ( Stir fried vegetable like raw banana and yam) is also an excellent side for vethakozhambu. Another popular side for this is paruppu thogayal.

Paruppu Thogayal

Ingredients

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Grated coconut - less than 1/2 cup

Red chilly - 1

salt as required.

Since Vathakuzhambu is spicy, this thogayal uses only one red chilly for flavor only.

Dry roast tuvar dal till it turn light brown. Roast the red chilly too.

Grind all the ingredients to a coarse paste using less water.

Yummy parippu thogyal is ready.

(I forgot to take the photo of thogayal. Shall update next time when I prepare it)

Chundakkai Vathal

Wheat rava idly from Vcuisine

I was familiar with rava idly but not out of wheat rava. When I saw Viji akka's post on Wheat rava idly, I decided the menu for Sunday breakfast. Usually, Sunday breakfast is puttu/kadala. If for some reasons, I am not making it, then the other option is gothumba rava upuma. So, the same ingredients ( i also add veggies to the upma ), but cooked differently. The addition of crushed pepper corns gives a nice flavor to the idlis. Needless to say, all liked this idli version. I followed Viji akka's recipe to the T except one substituion.I am giving the recipe for the benefit of non-readers of Vcuisine (since it is private) and also for my future referance.

For the batter

Slightly roasted wheat rava (Godumbai Rava) - 2 cups

Urad dal powder - 2 tblspn

Salt

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Baking soda - 1/2 tspn

If you don't have urad dal powder handy, soak 2 tblspn of dal for 30 minutes or so and grind to a smooth paste. Mix urad dal powder in 1/2 cup water without forming any lumps. Add the remaining water and stir in the wheat rava and salt. Mix well and ferment it for 6 hrs or leave it overnight.

Seasoning

oil+ghee - 2 tbspn

grated ginger - 1 tspn

hing powder - 1/2 tspn

coarsely crusheed pepper corns and jeera - 1 tspn

curry leaves

Veggies that can be used - Peas (fresh ones tastes good), diced carrot, capsicum, fresh maize. I used only fresh peas and carrot.

Before preparing the idlis, do the seasoning.

Take a skillet and add oil+ghee. Add the seasoning as given. Finally add the chopped veggies and cook for a minute.

Stir the seasoned veggies to the idli batter. Add 1/2 tspn of baking soda to the batter. (The original recipe says Eno fruit salt)

Spoon the batter into greased idli moulds. Steam cook for 10-15 mts. Serve with any chutney of your choice.

Tomato Ginger Thokku

I adapted tomato ginger thokku also from Viji akka's recipe. Since I was lazy to extract the juice from ginger, I grinded blanched tomatoes along with chopped ginger and proceeded with her recipe

Take a skillet and do the seasoning. Add sesame oil. Add mustard , curry leaves, hing powder. Add the tomato-ginger puree and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the spices - 1/2 tspn of red chilly powder, fenugreek and mustard powder each. Continue cooking till oil starts floating. Yes its really an easy spicy thokku.

Ulliyum Molakkum - Pearl onion and red chilly chutney


This red hot chutney (both in color and taste) is a must dip for Idlis and dosas in the wayside eateries (thattukada) and teashops (chaaya kada). In Kerala, in the mornings,tiffin is also served in the teashops. During the latter part of the day, only kadi (bajji/bonda/vada) is served with tea. If any of you have had idli/dosa for breakfast in any restaurant in Kerala, this chutney must have adored your plate.
It is such a simple recipe. It tastes better when grinded on the ammikkal (grinding stone). It blends well unlike in the mixer grinder.
Even now if i prepare in small quantities, I use an ammikkal to get the right texture. This time I blended in the mixie.

Pearl Onions (Sambhar Onions) - 15 Nos
Red chilly - 7 Nos
Salt to taste

Just blend all the three to a fine paste. The color of the chutney is very appealing.
Steaming idlis and a cup of hot tea with mulakku chutney as dip, is a deadly combination for breakfast.

No doubt,this goes to RCI-Kerala hosted by Jyothsna of CurryBazaar



Since Onion is the main ingredient, this has to be part of the JFI-Onion, hosted by Radhika of Radhiskitchen

Chena Arachukalakki (Yam coconut chutney)

Arachukalakki is basically a variant of chutney. The basic ingredients for any type of arachukalakki is coconut, green chilly, curd/buttermilk.The vegetable used may vary. Depending on the vegetable,some ingredients are added.

Now coming to chena arachukalakki you require the following ingredients

Chenai/Yam cubed - 100 gms
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Green chilly - 3 Nos
Pepper corn - 5 nos
Tamrind paste - 1 tspn
Ginger - 1 small pcs
Salt

Seasoning

Oil - 1 tspn
Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
Asofeotida - 1/2 tspn
Red chilly - 2nos
Buttermilk/Beaten curd - 1 cup

Grind all the ingredients in a mixer to a caorse paste.
Do seasoning and add to the grinded mixture.
Pour the buttermilk to the pan which is used for seasoning. No need to boil it.
Add the buttermilk to the mixture and mix well. Adding buttermilk to the hot pan enhances the taste.

Arachukalakki can be served as main dish with hot rice and papad. Mostly it is served as side dish with molukkootal as main dish.
Salt pickled mangoes or gooseberry can be used for arachukalakki. In that only the basic ingredients are needed. Salt can be added later if required, since salted mango/gooseberry is used.

Tomato Chutney

I don't usually follow a fixed recipe for tomato and onion chutneys. It keeps changing with my mood and also the availability of raw materials. It is very rare that I repeat the same recipe. There will be some change in the list of ingredients used. Usually I don't give much thought to this. But once I started blogging, I am taking to my mind what all I use while making chutneys. I shall keep posting the variations as and when I make.
The first version goes here -

Urad dal - 1 tb spn
Red chilly - 4 Nos
Onion - 1
Medium Sized Tomato- 2
Curry leaves - 2 strand
Salt
Oil for frying

Take a pan. Add one tablespoon oil.
Add urad dal and red chilly. Fry till urad dal turns brown.
Remove dal and chilly from the pan.
Add chopped onion. Saute till it turns transparent
Add curry leaves.
Add chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are done.
Grind all the ingredients together with salt to a fine paste.
Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the chutney.

Raddish Chutney

Ingredients

Medium sized raddish – 2 Nos
Onion - 1

Coriander seeds – 1 tb spn
Methi seeds – ¼ tspn
Urad dhal – 1 ½ tspn
Red chilli – 2
Jeera – ½ tspn

Prepration

Grate the raddish and fry it with little oil.
Saute onion.
Roast coriander seeds, urad dal, red chilli, methi seeds and jeera with little oil.
While roasting, add jeera and methi towards the end since it might get burnt.
Grind all the ingredients, except onion, to a fine paste.
Then add onion and grind coarsely.

This chutney goes well with dosa and chappathi.

Coriander Chutney

Kothamalli Thokayal


Ingredients

Coriander leaves - 1 cup
curry leaves - 1 strand (optional)
urad dal - 2 tb spn
red chilli - 3 nos
tamarind paste - tbspn
salt

How to prepare
Raost urad dal and red chilli with a teaspoon of oil. When urad dal turns red, remove from fire
Saute coriander and curry leaves for a minute, till they change the color.
Grind all the ingredients to a coarse paste. Thokayals taste good if it is grinded caorsely.

Enjoy with molakootal. This will go with dosa/chappathis also.