Peach Chutney

A few months back, we'd gone peach picking at one of the local orchards and I came back with a whole lot of peaches. I used a couple of peaches to make this chutney. I'd bookmarked a recipe for methamba, a sweet and savory mango relish that I'd seen on Vaishali's Happy Burp, a long time back but never thought of making the relish when mangoes were still in season. I substituted the mango in the recipe with peaches and made a few other changes. In the end, I was not too disappointed with the way the recipe turned out.

Ingredients:

2 large ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp grated ginger

2 green chillies, finely chopped

Red pepper flakes

2 tsp sugar or jaggery (adjust according to taste)

Salt

1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice

For seasoning:

1- 2 Tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of asafoetida

A tiny pinch of fenugreek powder(too much of this will make the chutney bitter)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add temper it with mustard seeds, asafoetida and fenugreek powder.

Add ginger, green chillies and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Stir in the peaches followed by the sugar/jaggery and salt and cook on medium heat till the peach pieces disintegrate and release their juices.

Add some vinegar or lemon juice for tartness at the end.

This chutney would go well with parathas and is great on toast too.

Puli Pottichhathu- a tamarind chutney

I came across a recipe a few weeks back on a relatively new (to me) blog, that instantly took me down memory lane. Memories of the countless summer vacations spent in Kerala came flooding back. Summer was the season when mangoes were aplenty everywhere and it was no different at our ancestral home.
The best part of the Kerala trip for me was undoubtedly the food, especially at my father’s illam. Among other things, I remember eating mangoes, lots of it. A common preparation that was a hit with all the kids there at the time was chopped mangoes slathered with a coarse paste made of crushed shallots, roasted red chillies, coconut oil and salt. It was absolutely heavenly! That has got to be the fondest food memory from my childhood, and this recipe took me there.

The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:
Tamarind (lemon sized ball) - boiled in ¾ - 1 cup water, cooled, strained and juice extracted
4 -5 red chillies, dry roasted
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 pappadums, roasted on an open flame, ideally
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Salt

Method:
With clean hands crush the chopped onions, salt, red chillies and pappadams thereby mixing everything very well. Dissolve the brown sugar in the tamarind extract and add to the crushed mixture. Stir in the coconut oil.

Serve with some hot rice, or do what I did and have it with some chopped mangoes.

Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, Rajani!

This goes to Sig for JFI: Tamarind.

Here's how I like to have to have puli pottichhathu- with chopped mango pieces.

Tomato Oambal

A few days back, I saw this recipe on Arundathi’s blog and wanted to make it right away. The simplicity of the recipe and the fact that it only called for a handful of ingredients was what drew me towards it. I have found that I usually only go for recipes that are quick and easy, and do not have an ingredient list that is a mile long.

I finally got a chance to make tomato oambal today.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds & ¾ tsp red chilli flakes
1 Tbsp raisins
3 medium tomatoes, diced
Jaggery (depending on taste)
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds followed by the red chilli flakes.

Add the raisins, chopped tomatoes and salt and cook till the tomatoes turn to mush.

Add the jaggery and continue cooking on medium heat for a good 20-25 minutes till all the water evaporates and the mixture thickens.

Add some lemon juice at the end of the cooking process.


This was my very first taste of the cuisine of North-East India, and I have to say that I simply loved it! I used the tomato oambal as a sauce for some noodles that I made for dinner tonight.

Off this goes to Nupur for the July edition of the Monthly Blog Patrol. The theme this month is Less is More.

Onion Chutney

Here’s a recipe for a chutney that couldn’t be easier to prepare. It needs just two ingredients-onions and red chillies. This is something I learnt from my mother.
It serves as the perfect accompaniment to idlis and dosas.

Ingredients:
5 medium onions, chopped
7-10 red chillies
2 Tbsp oil
Salt

Method:
Heat oil in a large pan and add the chopped onions followed by salt. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then add the red chillies. Continue to sauté on medium heat till the onions cook down and turn soft and brown. This takes almost 20 minutes.

Cool the mixture and grind to a smooth paste.

Serve with dosas.
This is my entry for Zorra’s Onion Day celebrations.

Tomatillo Chutney

Tomatillo (pronounced toh-MAH-tee-YO) is a relative of the tomato family. Tomatillos are of Mexican origin but are now grown in many other places in the Western hemisphere. The fruit is surrounded by a thin paper-like brownish husk and is ideal for use when it is still green.

Tomatillos are often confused with green, unripe tomatoes but unlike tomatoes, they have a distinctly tart, almost lemony flavor. This gives it an authentic flavor in a variety of Mexican green sauces and salsa. They also taste good fried in olive oil or grilled and seasoned with salt and pepper.
I made a chutney using tomatillos for the first time, over the weekend and just loved it.

Ingredients:
2 tomatillos, chopped
½ medium onion, chopped
5-6 green chillies, chopped finely
½ tsp ginger paste
½ tsp garlic paste
¼ cup roasted peanuts
1 small piece of jaggery
1 Tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the onions, add the ginger-garlic pastes and green chillies followed by the chopped tomatillos and jaggery.

Cook till the tomatillos are done and turn to mush.

Allow the mixture to cool & then blend well along with roasted peanuts to get a thick chutney.

This chutney would be the perfect accompaniment to these instant dosas or even these not-so-instant dosas. It would also make a great tangy dip for baked tortillas or could even serve as a spread on any kind of toasted bread.

I had it with some hot dosas and it was really good. This is one chutney I will definitely be making again.

Instant Dosa with Sambar and Chutney

Instant Dosas

Ingredients for Dosa:
3 cups rice flour
2 ½ cups urad dal flour
1 tsp yeast
Salt to taste

Method:
Mix the rice flour & urad dal flour in a large bowl making sure to break up any lumps.

Add water to this to get the consistency of a batter. This should neither be too watery nor too thick. Mix well.

In a small bowl, add a tsp of yeast & add 2-3 tsp of warm water to this to make a paste.

Add this to the prepared dosa batter. Mix well. Allow it to stand in a warm spot for about an hour or so while the yeast goes about doing its business. (I usually leave this in my oven on the “warm” setting).

After fermentation for an hour, the batter rises significantly. Mix well. Add the required amount of salt, mix again & now you are ready to go ahead and make your dosas!

For step by step pictures and instructions on how to make dosas, please see this.

Serve hot dosas with some sambar & chutney
Tip:
* Keep the vessel containing the batter on a very large plate while it is in the oven so that it does not spill over as it rises. I learnt this the hard way :-(

*Use a cast-iron pan. It gives excellent results when compared to a regular non-stick pan.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients for coconut chutney:
2 cups fresh, grated coconut (I use the frozen one)
3-4 red chillies
1 Tbsp peanuts
2 shallots
¼ tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste

For the seasoning:
1 Tbsp Oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp urad dal
2-3 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida/hing
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind all the ingredients for the chutney to a smooth paste using very little water.

Heat the oil in a small pan & add all the ingredients for seasoning.

Add this to the chutney. Mix well.Heat for a minute or so.
This chutney is not cooked & hence does not last for more than a day or two.

Sambar

Sambar can be made in different ways using a variety of vegetables. This was how I made mine.
Ingredients for Sambar:
1 cup toor dal
1 small onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped in big pieces
4-5 drumsticks (I used the frozen ones & thawed them before use)
½ tsp tamarind paste
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp coriander powder
1 ½ -2 tsp sambar powder
A pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste.

For the seasoning:
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
2-3 red chillies
3-4 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida/hing

Method:
Cook the dal until soft & mushy and keep aside.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the ingredients for seasoning in the order listed above.

Add the chopped onions, sauté for a bit. Add the tomatoes, cook for a minute or two and then add the drumsticks.

Add the chilli, coriander, sambar & turmeric powders & mix well. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes allowing all the flavors to blend in before adding the tamarind paste. Cook for another 2 minutes.

To the vegetable mixture, add the cooked dal and blend well adding the desired amounts of water to get the right consistency.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.

Mint and Walnut Chutney

I saw Anita's Doon Pudna Chatin recipe at http://madteaparty.wordpress.com/ and knew that I just had to make it! I stuck to her recipe for the most part but made a few modifications.

Thanks, Anita!