|
Chutney RecipesHere is how you can make many chutney recipes. I will keep adding more recipes with time. The word chutney although now is a part of the English dictionary, is actually a 'Hindi' word. It means an eatable which is prepared by grinding or crushing, a few assorted ingredients. In olden times when there were no electric mixers and grinders, chutney was made by grinding the ingredients on a heavy stone slab, with another heavy stone, which was usually in the shape of a semi circle. It is called a silvatta. Sil being the stone slab and vatta being the stone with which you grind. It is different from a pestle and mortar (okhli aur moosal), which is also used to pound ingredients but mostly dry ingredients. I remember my grandmother sitting and grinding wet masalas and chutneys on a silvatta to make many homemade chutney recipes. There are many varieties of chutneys throughout India. In northern India, chutneys are taken along with food for mainly two reasons. To provide that extra zing by enhancing the overall flavor of the food (chutneys are usually very hot and sour). Secondly, to promote food digestion, especially chutneys made with mint and coriander. Mint chutney is eaten in hot weather to beat the heat. In southern India, chutneys like coconut, urad dal, tomato etc are eaten with idli,dosa and uthappam. There are no hard and fast rules as to which chutney to eat when. You can eat chutneys with your main meals or snacks. Eat them with samosas or sandwiches, pakodas or dal rice. Entirely up to you. The western concept of chutneys is to make sweet and sour (not so much hot), preserve of a fruit and put it in a jar for long life. In India chutneys are made by using herbs, vegetables, pulses, lentils and fruits as well. Mostly chutneys are freshly made, usually consumed the same day or refrigerated for a few days. Some, like tamarind chutney, can stay even up to one year, in the refrigerator. So here are some chutneys which you can enjoy. Just one last thing, the measurements mentioned below are only a guideline, please use your own discretion to make the chutney to your taste. Imli Chutney | Tamarind Chutney Nariayl ki Chutney | Coconut Chutney Ingredients * 3 Carrots
Ingredients for Tempering * 2 Tsp oil Method Wash the ivy gourd, snip off the ends and cut into thin round slices. Similarly, peel and thinly slice the carrots. Chop the tomatoes. Add a teaspoon of oil in a frying or kadai. To this add 3-4 curry leaves and a chopped green chili. Add the three vegetables and tamarind paste. Stir fry on a high flame for a while, then add a sip of water and cover with a lid. Cook on a low to medium flame until vegetables are soft. Check in between and give a quick stir to avoid the vegetables getting burnt at the bottom. This should take about 15-20 minutes. Now blend together these cooked vegetables, fresh coriander, fresh garlic and salt. Tip onto a serving bowl. For the tempering, heat oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Next, add the urad dal and cook till light pink in color. Lastly add the red chilies and curry leaves. Cook for a few seconds. Now pour this prepared tempering over the chutney and mix gently. Enjoy this chutney recipe with your meals. Ingredients * 2-3 Tbsp oil Grind Together the following * 1 inch piece of ginger Method Heat the oil in a kadai or any pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Next add the cumin, fenugreek and onion seeds, followed by the red chilies. Saute for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes are mashed and some oil is visible on the sides. Add salt and the ground paste and sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes. Sneak a taste and make any adjustments. The delicious tomato chutney is ready to serve. Ingredients
* 3 Onions (finely chopped) Heat oil in a kadai or pan. Add the mustard seeds, allow to splutter. Now add the fenugreek seeds and urad dal. When the dal turns pink, add the red chilies and curry leaves. After 30 seconds, add the finely chopped onions and saute till soft. Now add the ginger and garlic. Saute further for a minute or so. Next goes the finely chopped tomatoes. Cook till the tomatoes become soft and mushy. When you see the oil oozing out from the sides, your chutney is cooked. Add the salt and sugar to taste. Last step is to put all this in a blender and give a quick zush (no need to make a puree, unless you want). Serve hot or cold. In case you are too lazy (as I sometimes am), you can avoid the blending. Enjoy this chutney on the side of any rice dish or with chapati and subzi, spread it on your sandwich. Even use it as a dip. Ingredients * 100g roasted peanuts Tempering * 2 Tsp oil Method Pot roast or oven roast the peanuts and sesame Seeds. Let it cool. In case of pot roasting, please do not use any oil. When cool, grind the roasted peanuts and sesame seeds into a fine powder. Keep aside. Blend together, yogurt, fresh coriander, green chilies and soy. To this paste add the powdered ingredients. Add salt. Lastly, prepare the tempering by heating oil and adding the urad dal in it, fry till it gets a light pink color. Also add the red chilies and curry leaves. Tip this tempering onto the blended chutney. Mix well and serve. Ingredients * 100g Imli paste (ready made) Method In a heavy bottom pan, add the tamarind paste and water. Bring it to a boil, in this keep adding the jaggery little by little. Keep stirring and when the previous one dissolves add some more. Keep cooking on a slow flame. Stir in between to avoid any sticking. Now add the salt and the rest of the ingredients. Keep stirring and tasting from time to time. In case you think it's too sour add some more jaggery. Cook till the consistency starts becoming thicker. Just remember that it will thicken more when it cools down. Turn off the heat, add the raisins and let it cool down completely. Important - If you are using ordinary jaggery, chances are that it will have some mud particles in it. If you use that your chutney will contain all those mud particles. You can avoid this by dissolving the jagerry in some boiled water and stir. When it dissolves, strain and use this to add in the tamarind paste. In which case no need to add boiled water with tamarind paste. If you don't have tamarind paste, you can wash and soak 200 g tamarind in water for 20 minutes. When it becomes soft, squish and strain the pulp. Proceed with the recipe. In case the chutney is too thick after cooling, add some boiled water and mix. Never use unboiled water. This chutney recipe is primarily used in dahi bhalla and many chaat recipes. It is also very good for digestion. Coriander chutney or also known as dhania chutney is such a versatile chutney. You can eat it along with the food, use as a dip, mix in your vegetable juice or spread on a sandwich. This coriander chutney recipe contains fresh coconut as well for giving an extra body to the chutney. If you happen to have lots and lots of fresh coriander, you can make this recipe without the coconut as well. Just don't use too much water to grind, otherwise the chutney will turn out watery. Ingredients for coriander chutney Method Take the leaves and even the tender stalks of fresh coriander. Blend together with the rest of the ingredients. Use very little water to let all the ingredients come together. Sneak a taste. Make additions of salt or sugar if need be. Give it a quick zush again and tip it on to a serving bowl.
Coconut chutney recipe, also known as nariyal ki chutney or tenga chutney, is almost a mandatory chutney with South Indian food, especially in Tamil Nadu. This chutney goes with dosa, idli, and many other south Indian delights. Ingredients needed to make a coconut chutney are * 1/2 fresh coconut Blend together all the ingredients, using a little hot water for a smooth blend. Add the water slowly, so that the chutney does not get watery. Taste the salt and chili. Make any additions, if required. Dish it out in a serving bowl. Now prepare the following tempering. * 1 Tsp mustard seeds In a small pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. As soon as they splutter, add the rest and turn off the heat. Pour this on top of the chutney, mix gently and serve.
|
creative-cooking-corner.com