Paruppu Thogayal, Lentil Chutney

          As I had mentioned in my last post, today's dish is the simple and tasty Paruppu Thogayal or Lentil Chutney. When I say Paruppu/Lentils, I mean tuvar dal or arhar dal or split pigeon pea and the thogayal needs just 3 more ingredients along with the dal. An easy and flavorful chutney that makes a perfect combination with the Sundakkai Vathal kuzhambu, serve it with some hot white rice, drizzled with ghee or sesame oil and some sutta appalam ( pappads ) for a simple and delicious lunch..

Need To Have

• Tuvar Dal/Split Pigeon Pea - 1/4 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat a little oil ( about 1/2 teaspoon ), add the tuvar dal and red chillies and roast them till the dal turns golden. Remove, cool and grind it with the coconut, asafoetida and salt, adding as little water as possible. Remove and serve.

Note
Thogayal should be thick and slightly coarse, not a smooth paste.

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Puli Chutney, Tomato-Tamarind Chutney

          As I had mentioned in my previous post ' Vendiya Paniyarams ', this is the chutney that I served them with. Those paniyarams would go well even with coconut chutney, but I personally felt that this chutney was the best combination with them. As we add some tamarind to the chutney, it's more tangy and the coriander and cumin seeds give a nice flavor too and of course, this chutney would go well with idlis and dosas too..


Need To Have

• Onion - 1 big, chopped
• Tomato - 1 big, chopped
• Tamarind - 1 small grape size
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 15
• Salt to taste

Method

          Chop the onion and tomato, grind them along with the tamarind, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt and keep, you can add some water while grinding.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering add the asafoetida and curry leaves followed by the ground tomato mixture. Saute this on medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and serve it with idlis, dosas or with the Vendiya Paniyarams.

Note
The ground mixture need not be too smooth, just see that it does not not have big chunks.
The final consistency is like a thokku or jam.

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Peanut Tomato Chutney, Verkadalai Thakkali Chutney

          It's almost every other day or at least 3 times a week that I make some kind of chutney at home, mostly to go with idlis, dosas and adais and sometimes, to be mixed with plain rice. Since the tomato onion chutney is the family's favorite, I make it more times than the other chutneys. Today's post is Peanut Tomato Chutney, already, I have a simple peanut chutney in my blog using just peanuts and a little tamarind, but this one, as the name itself says, has peanuts, tomatoes, onions and garlic. It's kind of a mixture of peanut and tomato chutney and it goes very well with all the South Indian tiffin varieties (idlis, dosas, adais, vadais)..

Need To Have

• Dried Raw Peanuts - 4 tablespoons
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Husked Urad Dal/Black Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Curry Leaves - 6 - 8
• Salt to taste

Method

          Roast the peanuts, cool, remove the skin and keep. Slightly roast the red chillies in a little oil, remove and keep.

           Heat some oil, add the onions and 3 cloves garlic ( chopped ) and saute till the onions turn pink and translucent, then add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes turn soft, remove and cool.

          Grind the onion-tomato mixture along with the peanuts, red chillies and salt and remove into a bowl.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and urad dal, when it starts spluttering, add the remaining 3 cloves garlic ( chopped ) and curry leaves, saute for a minute, till the garlic pieces turn golden, add to the chutney, mix and serve.

Note
Don't grind the chutney into a smooth paste, it should have a slight coarse texture.
If you grind everything very coarsely into a thick thogayal/chutney, it can be had with rice too.

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Karpuravalli/Doddapatre/Ajwain Leaves Thogayal ( Chutney )

          Ever since I made Tambli/ Raitha with Ajwain Leaves/Karpuravalli/Doddapatre, I wanted to try out something else with it, I made the Moru/Buttermilk with it, which was extremely refreshing and then I made this Thogayal/Chutney. I just added a few other ingredients that we usually add for making a chutney to the ajwain leaves, the thogayal turned out to be really good. The thogayal is not only very tasty but very healthy also ( I am not going to repeat the medicinal values of this herb, the web has more than enough information ). We had it, mixed with some white rice along with a teaspoon of sesame oil or ghee and it was very delicious..

Need To Have

• Ajwain Leaves - 20, medium sized, torn into pieces
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Dried Red Chilly - 1
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoon
• Tamarind - small grape size
• Asafoetida- 1/8 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat about 1/4 teaspoon of oil, roast the urad dal and red chilly, remove and keep. To the same pan, add another 1/2 teaspoon of oil, add the ajwain leaves and saute till the leaves wilt and there is no moisture in the pan, add the asafoetida, mix for a few seconds and remove.

          Cool the leaves and grind it along with roasted urad dal, chilly, coconut, tamarind, salt and a little water, Remove and serve it with some hot rice and ghee/sesame oil.

Note
The chillies that I have are very hot, add more chillies according to your spice level.
Soak the tamarind in a little hot water ( about 2 tablespoons ) and add it while grinding along with the water, the tamarind becomes soft and it's easier to grind.
You can serve this same chutney for idlis and dosas too, add a little more water to get a pouring consistency. Heat some oil, add 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon urad dal, when it starts spluttering, add 5 curry leaves, mix and add it to the chutney and serve.

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Kadala Paruppu Chutney, Chana Dal ( Bengal Gram ) Chutney

          We have idlis and dosas at least 2 or 3 times in a week, either with sambar or chutneys, the most common ones being the tomato and coconut chutneys. But we also make other chutnies with coriander, mint, onions and even with other vegetables like carrots, cabbage and chayote. Today's chutney is made with chana dal/ kadala paruppu/ bengal gram along with some coconut and onions and spiced up with some dried red chillies. This is a very easy one and goes very well with both idlis and dosas and adais too..

Need To Have

• Kadala Paruppu/ Chana Dal - 3 tablespoons
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Tamarind - small marble size
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 6

Method

          Heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil and roast the chana dal and red chillies, remove and keep. Add some more oil, add the onions and saute till pink and remove.

          Grind the roasted chana dal, red chillies, onions along with the coconut and tamarind, salt and water to a coarse paste.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard and urad dal, when it starts spluttering add the asafoetida and curry leaves, mix for a few seconds, remove and add to the ground chutney.

Note
You can increase the tamarind a little more and have this chutney mixed with some rice too.
The red chillies that I had were too spicy, if not we can add more chillies and the chutney gets a nice orange color.

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Tomato Chutney, Thakkali Chutney

          How many times have I made this tomato chutney, but it never got a chance to be posted here. I have mentioned it so many times, this is the favorite chutney at home, ask my daughter any day, she would say, idlis and tomato chutney is the best combination. Every time I made it, I would think, okay, the next time I would click pictures and post it and finally last week I did it. It's an easy and delicious chutney to go with idlis, dosas and adais..

Need To Have

• Tomatoes - 3 medium, chopped
• Onion - 3 medium, chopped
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Curry Leaves - 15
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, first saute the chillies for a minute and remove, then add the onions and saute till it turns translucent.

          Add the tomatoes, a little salt and saute till it breaks down and becomes mushy. Finally add the curry leaves and mix for a few seconds, remove and let it cool down.

         Grind the onion-tomato mixture along with the red chillies and some water.

         Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, mix and add this to the ground chutney and serve.

Note
If the tomatoes are too sour ( like the naatu thakkali in India ), then reduce the tomatoes to 2, otherwise, the chutney will taste very tangy.
Using sesame oil for everything gives a nice flavor to the chutney.
I grind the curry leaves along with the tomatoes, so that we don't pick out them and throw it, if you want, you can add some along with the mustard seeds and urad dal and add it to the chutney.
Don't make the chutney to a fine taste, grind it a little coarsely.
Can add a couple of garlic cloves along with the onions, in that case, leave out the asafoetida.

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Peanut Chutney, Verkadalai Chutney

          Peanut Chutney, this is another easy chutney that I make regularly to go with idlis and dosas. Roasting and peeling the peanuts is the only work in this, but if you get the already peeled ones, then it's even more easier. The peeled peanuts are just roasted and ground along with the chillies and other ingredients. There are a couple of ways we can do this chutney, using either green chillies or dried red chillies, for today's version, I have used dried red chillies and some garlic, this goes very well with the cucumber idlis that I have already posted..

Need To Have

• Peanuts - 1/2 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 5
• Garlic - 2 small cloves
• Tamarind - small marble size
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 6
• Salt to taste

Method

          Roast the peanuts well, once cool, peel the skin and keep. Take the peanuts along with the tamarind, garlic, red chillies and salt and grind it.Remove the chutney, add a little water, it's individual preference, how thick or thin you want the chutney.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and add it to the chutney.

Note
If the tamarind is too dry, soak in some hot water and then add and grind it along with the peanuts.
If you don't like garlic, leave it and add little asafoetida while seasoning with the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
The red chillies that I have now are less spicy, so I added 5, add more or less according to your taste.

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Guacamole (Avocado/ Butter Fruit) With Cumin And Garlic

          After moving to India, getting my hands on a good avocado or butter fruit as they call it here was a big problem, the couple of times that I bought this while staying in Chennai, it always turned out bad and then I stopped buying it. But now in Bangalore, I am able to buy good avocados, they are in fact huge ones, almost double the size of the Hass avocados, that we get back in the US. My family loves guacamole, we have it as a spread on our sandwiches. Till date I only knew that they used the fruit for making guacamole, in milk shakes and ice creams, only recently, while reading about Coorg, I came to know, avocado is a staple there and they enjoy it simply with some honey, I have to try this yet. Coming to today's post, I have already posted a recipe for gaucamole in my blog, this is a slightly different version and it's more flavorful with the addition of garlic and cumin..

Need To Have

• Ripe Avocado - 1
• Onion - 1 small, chopped
• Tomato - 1 big, chopped
• Garlic - 1 clove grated
• Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Salt to taste

Method

          Slice the avocado in half, remove the seed, scoop out the flesh and keep. To this add the lemon juice and salt and mash it nicely.

          Now add the chilly powder, cumin powder, mix it, then add the chopped tomatoes, onions and grated garlic and mix it well. Finally mix in the chopped coriander and serve it with tortilla chips or as a spread on bread.

Note
When had as a spread on bread you don't get the garlic and cumin flavors that much, but when scooped onto a chip, the flavor is there.
Another variation, you can leave out both onions and garlic and add some chopped cucumber.

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Pottukadalai, Dalia, Roasted Gram Chutney

          Though I haven't posted yet, the tomato chutney is one that I do most often as a side for idlis and dosas, since it's a favorite for both my husband and daughter. But sometimes, when I run out of tomatoes or I am running short of time, then it's this pottukadalai/ dalia or roasted gram chutney. No previous roasting or sauteing is required and you can do a couple of versions with it. Usually I do a combo of green chillies, ginger, roasted gram and a little coconut or dried red chillies, garlic, roasted gram and coconut. But for today's chutney I have used red chillies with ginger and have also added a couple of shallots. This chutney goes well with almost everything, both as a side to idlis and dosas and would also taste good if mixed with rice too..

Need To Have

• Roasted Gram - 4 tablespoons
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Shallots - 4
• Tamarind - a small marble size
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5
• Salt to taste

Method

          Take the roasted gram, coconut, red chillies, ginger, shallots and tamarind and grind it all together along with the salt and some water, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida and curry leaves, mix for a couple of seconds, remove and add it to the ground roasted gram dal.

Note
You can add equal amounts of roasted gram and coconut, but I use less coconut to keep it healthy.
If you don't have shallots, use one small onion instead.
More or less chillies according to your tolerance level and also if you don't want, you can leave out the coconut completely.

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Kathrikkai Masial/ Mashed Eggplant

          For most of the dishes using eggplants/ brinjals I use only the baby eggplants, there are very few dishes that I make with the big eggplant. Today's kathrikkai masial/ mashed eggplant is one of them, it's very easy to prepare and both my husband and daughter love this. It goes very well as part of a South Indian Thali ( rice + sambar + vegetable ) or as a side dish with rotis/ chappatis and also with akki rotis/ flatbreads made with rice flour. The smoked flavor from roasting the eggplants and the tamarind juice added gives a unique taste to this dish..

Need To Have

• Big Eggplant - 1
• Thick Tamarind Extract - 2 tablespoons
• Urad Dal/ Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Onion - 1 small, chopped
• Green Chilly - 1, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5 - 10
• Salt - to taste

Method 

          Wash the eggplant and roast it on direct fire till the skin is completely charred. 

          Cool it, remove the skin and mash it ( I got 1 cup of pulp), add the tamarind extract and salt and mix it. 

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds and urad dal, when it starts spluttering, add the chopped onions, green chillies, asafoetida, ginger and curry leaves. 

          Saute it till the onions turn light pink in color, remove and add it to the mashed eggplant and give it a mix.

Note

You can use the Italian eggplants for doing this.

You can toast the eggplant in the oven ( cut into half and bake or grill ) if you don't like the smoked flavor.

If you can't find tamarind, you can add a big chopped tomato ( sauteed), though tamarind gives a different taste.

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Coconut Onion Chutney

          Once again it's been a busy weekend, so it's going to be a simple dish, a chutney. Most of the South Indian tiffins like idlis, dosas, vadais, adais, almost everything is served with some chutney, the most common being the coconut and tomato chutney. This Coconut Onion chutney is a slight variation from the regular one, I have used shallots ( sambar onions) and it tastes very good with almost everything..

Need To Have

• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Chopped Shallots - 3 tablespoons
• Chana Dal/ Bengal Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Tamarind - small grape size
• Curry Leaves - 15
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Heat a little oil, roast the chana dal, when it's half roasted, add the red chillies, saute and remove the chillies. Then add the chopped shallots and saute till they turn pink, add the curry leaves, mix for a minute and remove. Cool and grind it with the coconut, tamarind, salt, asafoetida and a little water. Remove and serve.

Note
You can also use regular big onions instead of shallots, but shallots are always more tastier.
I haven't seasoned this chutney, but you can season it with some mustard seeds and urad dal.

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Coriander Chutney/ Green Chutney

          Chat Dishes are very popular in Indian Cuisine, it has it's origin in the northern states, but now popular throughout India and almost everywhere in the world. If you can find a Indian restaurant in your area, I am sure you'll find some kind of a chat in the menu. It's mostly served as a snack or an appetizer. Most often they are served with some chutneys, one of them is today's Coriander Chutney, this is also served as a side to the plain pappads. Can also use as a spread on sandwiches and keeps good for one week in the refrigerator..

Need To Have

• Chopped Coriander - 1 cup
• Chopped Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 1
• Capsicum Pieces - 1 tab
• Lemon Juice - 11/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Take all the ingredients in a blender and grind it adding a little water, well that's it.

Note
The lemon juice is added not only for tartness, but also to retain the rich green color, also I read that you can add a little oil to keep the color.
My friend makes it in bulk, stores in small containers in the freezer, the right amount for a meal, this way the chutney stays green and fresh.
For the above quantity, I got 1 small ramekin of chutney, which was more than enough for three of us for a meal.
Again the capsicum pieces is added for nice color, a tip from my friend.

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