Chutneys With Lentils-4

Andhra cuisine is known for its pickles, chutneys and spicy powders. Especially during some seasons like the hot summer and early rainy season, when it is difficult to buy vegetables, these come in handy. These can be used as dips by making them a little more thinner by adding water. So some more recipes here for you....

My previous posts on this topic are here :

These are Recipes on Chutneys
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Chutneys

These are Recipes on Lentil Chutneys
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Lentil%20Chutneys

Chick Pea-split and de husked.

1. Chick Pea Chutney

Chick Pea is also known as Bengal Gram. It is very tasty, nutritious and good for health. But excessive in take will cause indigestion. This chutney will be good with cooked rice or  any fried snacks.  For the recipes given below use split and cleaned (de husked) gram which is known as Chana Dal (चना दल) in Hindi and Senaga Pappu (శనగ పప్పు) in Telugu, which looks as in the picture above.

Ingredients:
Chick Pea   150Gms
Red Chillies dried    3-4
Cumin seeds     1 tsp
Tamarind pulp thick    1 Tbsp
Salt   to taste
Jaggery grated     2 tsp
Oil 1-2 Tbsp
Coriander Greens chopped fine 1 tbsp

For Tempering:
Oil   2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/4th tsp
Mustard seeds   1 tsp
Split and de husked black gram  1 tsp
Cumin seeds  1 tsp
Asafoetida    1/4th tsp
Curry leaves   2 sprigs

Method :

• Heat oil in a pan and roast the lentil till golden brown in colour and gives off nice smell
• Cool it.
• Take lentil, tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt and red chillies and grind to a paste adding water little at a time.
• The paste should be a little coarse and very thick.
• To make it more tastier- Heat oil to smoking point,lower the heat, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, black gram and fry for two minutes, then add cumin, let them splutter, add  asafoetida and  curry leaves. Add this to the chutney mix well and serve.
• Garnish with coriander greens. Serve with rice or snacks.

NOTE:

• Adjust the quantity of chillies according to your preference, as it will be very spicy.
• Add 2-3 pods of garlic(sliced) to the chutney after frying it in oil along with the tempering or separately. It can also be ground (after frying) along with the ingredients of chutney.

2. Soaked Chick Pea Chutney

Ingredients:

Chick Pea 150Gms

Green Chillies 1-2
Onions (medium) 1
Ginger grated 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 Tbsp
Salt to taste
Jaggery grated 2 tsp
Coriander Greens Chopped fine 1 tbsp

For Tempering:
Oil 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/4th tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Split and de husked black gram 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Dried Red Chillies 1
Asafoetida 1/4th tsp
Curry leaves 2 sprigs

Method :

• Wash and soak the lentil in enough (two to three cups) water for 2-3 hours till well soaked. Drain the water and keep aside. 
• Take lentil, jaggery, salt, lemon juice, ginger and green chillies and grind to a paste adding little water if necessary. Actually since it is soaked, it does not require additional water. 
• The paste should be a little coarse and very thick. 
• Chop onions very finely, add to the chutney and mix. Alternately just chop them into very big pieces and add while grinding 
• Heat oil to a smoking point, lower the heat, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds fry for a minute or two. Add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and pieces of red chili. After they start spluttering, remove from fire, add to the chutney paste and mix well. 
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander greens and serve. 

NOTE:

• Adjust the quantity of chillies according to your taste if you are using, both green and red chillies. The above quantity will make it very spicy.
• You can add garlic raw or fried sliced or ground to paste.

Try these and let me know please......

Chutneys with Lentils-3

Please go through my previous posts on this topic if you are new to this cuisine.

Here are some more recipes for Chutneys With lentils...We have to use, de-husked (cleaned), split lentils for this and not the whole one. Split and de-husked Green Gram is known as Moong Daal in Hindi and Pesara Pappu in Telugu.

1. Green Gram Chutney-Roasted

Ingredients:

Lentil         150Gms

Ghee (clarified butter) or oil   1 Tbsp

Red Chillies(dried)        2-3

Cumin Seeds      1/2 Tbsp

Garlic Pods  2-3

Grated Jaggery -1tsp

Method:

• Heat ghee or oil in a pan and roast the lentil until it gives of a nice roasted smell. Cool it.
• Roast dried chillies just for a minute and keep aside.
• Peel and slightly roast the garlic.
• Take all the ingredients and grind to a paste by adding water little at a time. 
• Adjust the quantity of the Red Chillies as this will be very spicy for those who are not used to eating spicy food.
• The consistency of the chutney should be a very thick paste if used as an accompaniment to rice and thinner if used with Idly Upma or Dosa.
• Garlic is optional and sugar can be used in place of jaggery.

2. Green Gram Chutney-Soaked.

Ingredients:

Lentil         150Gms

Red Chillies(dried)        1

Grren chillies  1

Cumin Seeds      1/2 Tbsp

Garlic Pods  2-3

Grated Jaggery-1 tsp

Method:

• Wash and soak the lentil for 2-3 hours. Usually this lentil gets soaked easily. If not soak it till it is done. Remove the excess water.
• Roast dried chillies just for a minute and keep aside.
• Peel and slightly roast the garlic.
• Take all the ingredients and grind to a paste. Add a little water if required. 
• Adjust the quantity of the Red Chillies as this will be very spicy for those who are not used to eating spicy food.
• The consistency of the chutney should be a very thick paste if used as an accompaniment to rice and thinner if used with Idly Upma or Dosa.
• Garlic is optional and sugar can be used in place of jaggery.

Tempering or Seasoning:

For the above two recipes if tempering as follows is added it tastes good:

Ingredients:

Bengal gram split and de-husked  1 tsp

Black gram split and de-husked  1tsp

Fenugreek Seeds     1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds   1tsp

Cumin seeds   1tsp

Asafoetida   1/4 tsp

Curry leaves   2 sprigs

Coriander greens  finely chopped 2 tbsp

• Heat 1-2 tsp of ghee or oil to a smoking point and lower the heat.
• Add 1 tsp each of split and de-husked Bengal gram and black gram, fry for a minute
• Add 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds. Fry for two minutes
• Add 1 tsp of mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
• Now add 1 tsp of cumin, one red chilli broken into pieces(avoid this if you don't like spicy food).
• Add 1/4th tsp of Asafoetida, curry leaves (two sprigs).
• Mix it with the chutney and serve garnished with finely chopped coriander greens.

These chutneys will have to be consumed within a day. But it is easy to make.

Curd Chutneys-4

My previous posts in this section are here:

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Curd%20Chutney

1. Tomato-Onion-Green Peas Curd Chutney


Chopped Tomato

Chopped Onions

Peas

For Tempering


Ingredients:
Curd 1 Cup (each cup is 250 ml)
Tomatoes (medium) 2
Onion (medium) 1
Green peas fresh or frozen: 100 gms
Salt To taste
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies 1
Coriander greens finely chopped 1 tbsp
Oil 2 tsps

For Tempering:
Oil- 2 tsps
Split chick pea 1tsp
Split Black gram 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Dried red Chillies 2 pieces
Asafoetida Powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric a pinch
Curry Leaves few

Method:

• Clean the tomatoes and chop them finely. Similarly peel and chop the onion, green chillies (finely) separately and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, fry onions till they turn pink, add tomatoes and green peas. Add salt and sugar, Fry for some time.
• Heat oil in another small pan to a smoking point, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix well and remove from fire.
• In a bowl take the curd, add the tomatoes mixture, tempering and mix well. Garnish with coriander and serve. 

Note: You can first follow Step 3 and to that add the onions and tomatoes and peas too, instead of frying separately.

2.Okra Curd Chutney

Sliced Okra
Ingredients:
Curd 1 Cup (a cup is 250 ml)
Okra (Ladies Fingers) 100 gms
Salt To taste
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies 1
Coriander greens finely chopped 1 tbsp
Oil 1 Tbsp

For Tempering:
Oil- 2 tsps
Split chick pea 1tsp
Split Black gram 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Dried red Chillies 2 pieces
Asafoetida Powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric a pinch
Curry Leaves few

Method:

• Cut the Okra into thick slices.
• Heat oil in a pan, fry these till they are crispy
• Heat oil in another small pan to a smoking point, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves. Mix well.
• In a bowl take the curd, add the Okra, tempering, salt, sugar and mix well. Garnish with coriander and serve.

Chutneys with Lentils-2

My first post on this section is here...

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2010/06/chutneys-with-lentils-1.html

Here are the ingredients used for the recipes in this post:

This is the roasted lentil

Garlic, chopped.

Raw mangoes

Coriander Greens

Jaggery. Sugar can also be used instead of this.

2. Pigeon Pea and Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea: 1 cup

Fresh Coconut (grated): 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Dried Red chillies: 4-5

Cumin Seeds: 2 tsp

Tamarind pulp: 1 Tbsp

Jaggery(grated): 1 Tbsp

Salt: To taste

Garlic (optional): 4-5 pods

Coriander Greens (chopped fine): 1Tbsp

Method:

• Roast, the lentil till golden brown and keep aside till it cools down. 
• Roast the red chillies separately for one or two minutes. 
• Grind together all the ingredients, adding little water to make a very thick paste or to the required consistency. 
• Garnish with Coriander Greens and serve with hot steamed/boiled rice. 

3. Pigeon Pea and Raw Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea : 1 Cup

Raw Mango: 1 (small sized)

Red Cillies-4-5

Cumin seeds; 2 tsps

Jagerry (grated): 1 Tbsp

Garlic (optional): 4-5 pods

Coriander Greens (chopped fine): 1 Tbsp

Salt: to taste

Method:

• Roast, the lentil till golden brown and keep aside till it cools down. 
• Roast the red chillies separately for one or two minutes. 
• Peel and grate Mango 
• Grind together all the ingredients, adding little water to make a very thick paste or to the required consistency. You can add the grated mango in the last and just grind it for a minute. 
• Garnish with Coriander Greens and serve with hot steamed/boiled rice. 

4. Pigeon Pea, Coconut and Raw Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea : 1 Cup

Grated fresh Coconut: 1/2 cup

Raw Mango (peeled and grated): 1/2 cup

Dried Red Chillies: 4-5

Cumin seeds; 2 tsps

Jagerry (grated): 1 Tbsp

Garlic (optional): 4-5 pods

Coriander Greens (chopped fine): 1 Tbsp

Salt: to taste

Method:

• Roast, the lentil till golden brown and keep aside till it cools down. 
• Roast the red chillies separately for one or two minutes. 
• Grind together all the ingredients with a little water, to a thick paste or required consistency. 
• Garnish with Coriander Greens and serve with hot steamed/boiled rice. 

Note:

1. If you want it to be more tasty, you can use 1Tbsp of Ghee(clarified butter) for roasting the lentil. Adjust the quantities of Chillies and Mango according to your taste. 
2. The de-husked, split and cleaned lentil is pale yellow in colour. We use this for making the chutney.

Chutneys with Lentils-1

There are certain seasons when we do not get vegetables properly. In India, during the hot summer months and the early part of the wet rainy season, there is not much availability of vegetables in the market- at least not at the prices which a common man can afford. Very few vegetables are available and that too at such prices that we don't feel like buying them at all. At that time we try to replace them or substitute them with other things like the  preserved vegetables-pickles, purees, sun dried pieces of vegetables or lentils etc.

The chutneys made with lentils are very tasty, easy to make, nutritious, healthy and almost oil free recipes. They are rich in proteins. So here are some recipes from the Traditional Andhra Kitchen....

Please adjust the quantity of chillies according to your taste. We in Andhra eat it very spicy. I have given you the reduced quantity. Still it can be spicy.

1. Pigeon Pea Chutney (तुवर दाल की चटनी- కంది పచ్చడి)

Pigeon Pea or Red Gram is known as Tuar Dal (तुवर दाल  ) in Hindi and Kandi Pappu( కంది పప్పు )  in Telugu. It is an important pulse crop in India and especially in Indian Vegetarian Kitchens this is most widely used. In South India this is consumed almost daily in one form or the other as this is tasty and nutritious. Its outer cover or husk is red in colour.

The de-husked, split and cleaned lentil is pale yellow in colour. We use this for making the chutney.

Roasted lentil.

This is the chutney which is one of the popular dishes of Andhra.

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea:   150 gms

Red chillies(dried): 4-5

Cumin seeds: 2tsp

Garlic pods: 3-4 optional

Salt:  To taste

Jaggery (grated): 1 tsp
Coriander greens(chopped finely): 1Tbsp

Method:

• Roast the lentil, till it turns light brown in colour and gives off nice smell. Add red chillies and roast for a  minute or two.
• You can roast it in 1 tbsp of Ghee (clarified butter) for more taste.
• Cool it and along with all other ingredients and a little water, grind it to a very thick paste. Garnish with Coriander greens.
• Serve with steamed/boiled rice and ghee. Make it more liquidy by adding more water to serve with rotis or chapattis. This keeps only for a day, unless refrigerated. Anyway it is best to eat it fresh.

Keep watching for other recipes in this section....

Curd Chutneys-3

1. Tomato Curd Chutney-2

 

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Tomatoes small   3-4   

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Turmeric  a pinch  

 

Method:

1. Clean the tomatoes and chop them finely.
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves. Mix well.
3. Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry on medium heat for a few minutes. Add salt, and sugar mix well cover and cook it till done. If needed add a little water. Let it cool completely.
4. In a bowl take the curd, add the tomatoes,  mix well. Garnish with coriander and serve. 

2. Tomato Curd Chutney-3

 

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Tomatoes small   3-4

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp or Jaggery grated   1tsp

Green Chillies    1 

Red Chilly Powder     1/2 tsp

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Oil   1 Tbsp

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Clean the tomatoes and wipe them dry.
2. Heat oil in a pan in  put the tomatoes in it. Turn them well so that they are coated with oil all over. Cover and cook on low heat. Turn them every few minutes, so that they are cooked form all sides. Cool, peel and mash them well.
3. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric, red chilly powder and curry leaves. Mix well. Remove from fire and cool.
   
4. In a bowl take the curd, add the tomatoes, salt, sugar or Jaggery and tempering mix well. Garnish with coriander and serve. 

3. Tomato -Ginger Curd Chutney

 

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Tomatoes Big  2

Ginger  A small piece

Green Chillies    1 

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Chick pea flour  1 Tbsp

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Oil   1 Tbsp

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Clean the tomatoes and wipe them dry. Chop them into pieces.
2. Clean and peel ginger and chop into pieces.
3. Grind green chillies and ginger to a coarse paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan in, add chilly ginger paste fry well. Add chopped tomatoes mixwell. Cover and cook on low fire till it is well cooked.
5. In a pan roast the chick pea flour. Cool it.
6. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric, red chilly powder and curry leaves. Mix well. Remove from fire and cool.
   
7. In a bowl take the curd, add the roasted chickpea flour and mix well. Now add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and tempering mix well. Garnish with coriander and serve. 

Hope you like these. Please leave your suggestions and comments....Keep watching my blog....

Curd Chutneys-2

Now here we go for  I am posting some more recipes. I am sorry that I am unable to post much visuals. Any way all the Curd Chutneys look the same when photographed.

1. Raw Onion Curd Chutney

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Onion medium    1

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  (optional)

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Here we are using raw onions. For this, it is better to use Onion which is white (the outer skin) in colour instead of the pink ones. The white one is less pungent and keeps the body cool. White onion is preferred in salads. 
2. Peel and chop onions into very small pieces.
3. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
4. In a bowl take the curd, salt,  sugar,  tempering,  mix well,. Add  chopped Onion and mix it lightly, garnish with coriander and serve. It is better to let this chutney to stand for some time say half an hour, so that the raw onion absorbs all the flavours.

2. Onion Curd Chutney -Another way

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Onion medium    1

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Peel and chop onions into very small pieces. Heat 1-2 tsp of oil in a pan and fry onions till they turn slightly pink in colour. Add a pinch of sugar while frying, it makes the onion translucent and shiny. 
   
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, salt,  sugar,  tempering,  mix well,. Add  the Onion and mix it lightly, garnish with coriander and serve.

3. Raw Onion -Tomato Curd Chutney

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Onion  medium    1

Tomato medium 1

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Peel and chop onions into very small pieces. Similarly, wash the tomato and shop into fine pieces.
   
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, salt,  sugar,  tempering,  mix well,. Add  chopped Onion and tomato and mix it lightly, garnish with coriander and serve.

4. Carrot Curd Chutney:

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Carrots Big  2

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Peel and grate Carrots.
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, salt,  sugar,  tempering,  mix well,. Add  grated Carrots and mix it lightly, garnish with coriander and serve.

Alternatively

• Some don't like raw carrots. If that's the case. Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a non stick pan. Lightly fry the grated Carrots till they loose the raw taste and then use it. The rest of the procedure is the same.

5. Raw Tomato Curd Chutney

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Tomatoes small   3-4   or medium  2

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Here we are using raw tomatoes.Tomatoes can be of salad variety or locally available juicy one. The salad variety are firm. The other variety is slightly sour and hence tastier. Clean them and chop them finely.
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, salt,  sugar,  tempering,  mix well. Add  chopped tomatoes on and mix it lightly, garnish with coriander and serve.

Curd Chutneys- 1

Friends since this is Summer time here in India and its hot, I am going to start with Curd Chutneys. Chutneys made from curd are very, tasty, nutritious and keep the body cool. That is why they are popular not only in Summers but through out the year.

Curd or rather Curds are essentially a dairy product. It is got by curdling milk with a little curd and left for some hours to sour. In India Curd is treated as "vegetarian". It is usually made of Buffalo milk, since it is more thicker or creamier. In India Curd is widely used, as it is mixed with rice. Inf act South Indians, eat curd rice  as the last course before finishing off their, lunch or dinner. Curd is also used for making, chutneys, soups etc. 

How To Make Curd:

Heat half liter of Buffalo Milk on low heat, until it raises. Let it cool for five minutes or so. It should be warm. but not too hot for curd setting.  Then add one Tablespoon of Curds to it. Cover it and keep aside. It takes 5-6 hours for it to set. It sets quickly during the hot summer months. It should be then stored in the refrigerator or else it turns sour. If it turns too sour it becomes too acidic . But during winter or in cold countries, it takes long periods and does not set properly. So it should be kept warm at around 35 to 40 degrees Centigrade. 

Now for the chutneys...Curd chutney is known as Raitha in Hindi and Perugu Pachhadi in Telugu.  The  major difference between the North and South Indian Curd chutneys is that in South, tempering is used. 

The curds which are used for chutneys should be thick, creamy and slightly sour. That way it tastes better. Whisk  it well before making the chutney. Never add anything very hot to curds. Cool it well before adding, or else it gets curdled. 

I have used the measurement  for Curds as one cup. Which is around 200 to 250 milliliters. It will serve 2-3 people. But you can use a cup smaller or bigger than this one according to your requirement and adjust quantities of ingredients according to your taste. Similarly some people like more vegetables (quantity wise) in the chutney. If that is so, increase the quantity according to your liking.

I am starting with Andhra Chutneys......Here  we go..........

 For Tempering

1. Simple Chutney

Ingredients:

Curd      1 Cup

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch (optional)

For Tempering: (see Before Making The Chutneys...Part-II)

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Chop the green chilly or if you want it less hot, just put a slit length wise and use it.
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, add salt and sugar, whisk well. Add the tempering mix, garnish with coriander and refrigerate it for an hour or so(optional). Serve with Rice or Chapati or any breads.

2. Mustard Curd Chutney (Ava Perugu Pachhadi)

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Mustard Seeds  2-3 tsp

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  (optional)

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

 Method:

1. Heat a pan and slightly roast mustard seeds, grind to powder.
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, add salt,  sugar,  mustard powder,  tempering,  mix well, garnish with coriander and refrigerate (optional). Serve.

3. Potato Curd Chutney

Boiled and Peeled Potatoes

Ingredients:

Curd  1 Cup

Potato (big)    1

Salt  To taste

Sugar  1/2 tsp

Green Chillies    1

Coriander greens finely chopped  1-2 tsps

Curry Leaves  few 

Turmeric  a pinch  

For Tempering: 

Oil- 2-3 tsps

Split chick pea  1tsp

Split Black gram  2 tsp

Mustard seeds  1tsp

Cumin seeds  1 tsp

Dried red Chillies  2 pieces

Asafoetida Powder     1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and clean Potato well. Quarter it and boil it in enough water until it is cooked. Cool it. Peel and break it into pieces with your finger. This way it gets slightly mashed. You can also cut into pieces using a knife. But some how to me the first one tastes better.
2. Heat oil in a small pan until its smoking, lower the heat to minimum. Add chick pea, fry for two minutes. Add black gram, after a minute or two, add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering, add cumin, dried chilly, green chilly, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Mix and after a minute remove from fire and keep aside. You can use green chilly with out frying. Let it cool completely.
3. In a bowl take the curd, salt,  sugar,  tempering,  mix well. Add Potato and mix it lightly, garnish with coriander and serve.

 I prefer to eat Curd chutneys as a snack too in the after noon during Summer. Its cool,  filling, healthy and nutritious. Hope You like them. Please try them out and let me know....

Before Making The Chutneys...Part-II

Continuation from the previous post....

3. Other Ingredients:  

• Spices like, Cumin , Coriander seeds, Mustard seeds (Avalu or Rai), Fenugreek seeds,( Mentulu or Methi) dried ginger (Sounth or Sonthi), Pepper,  Carom seeds (Vaamu or Ajwain), Crdamoms, cloves, Cinnamon , Black Peppers, Red Peppers(dried), Turmeric....
• Souring agents like pulp of Tamarind, Lemon Juice, Kokum, Citric acid, Vinegar, Tomatoes, some types of  Cucumbers(like Dosa Kaya).etc. Sour Curds also adds taste and is nutritious.
• Sweeteners like, Jaggery, Sugar, Dates, Raisins etc can be added . This balances and blends all the tastes like salty, sour, spicy etc.
• Bitterness: Fenugreek seeds, fenugreek leaves, Neem flowers, Rind of lemons, etc but very little quantities for health.
• Hot and Spicy...Green Chillies, Red Chillies- dried or raw, Black Pepper, Carom seeds Ginger Garlic, Garam Masala or other combination of Masalas (Spices)depending on the region and cuisine ...

4. Tempering : Tempering is known Tadka, Tarka, Chhaunk in Hindi, Bhagaar in Urdu and Poopu or Tallimpu or Tiragamotha in Telugu. This is the "SOUL OF ANDHRA CUISINE " and also to some extent in other Indian cuisines. This enhances the flavors and makes a dish tasty. It is important to get this right. Though this looks easy, one can only master this with experience. Adding or avoiding one or some of the ingredients will change the taste entirely. The oil used and ingredients used for tempering give the flavor which is unique to that cuisine. 

Well,  usually while making chutneys, we need to prepare the tempering first, cool it and grind it before adding the other ingredients. There are also some recipes where you add the tempering in the end, that is no grinding of it is required. In some cases we have to use both.

So here is how to do the tempering in most of the dishes:

 Ingredients:

 This is the Masala Box or Popula Pette which every kitchen in Andhra has one. I have more than one to store small quantities of various spices for easy use while cooking.

• Oil 1-2 Tbsps
• Chickpea split and with out its outer coat (chana dal or Senaga Pappu)  1Tbsp
• Slit Black gram  split and with out its outer coat (urad daal or Mina pappu) 11/2 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds  1/2 tbsp
• Cumin  1/2 tbsp
• Fenugreek (Methi dane or Menthulu) 1-2 tsp
• Dried Red Chillies 5-6 broken into pieces
• Curry leaves  2-3 Sprigs
• Asafoetida  1/2 tsp

In some recipes we may have to use coriander seeds. You can add garlic according to taste. 

For tempering, heat oil in a small pan to smoking point, reduce heat and add Chick peas fry for a minute or two. Add the Black gram mix and fry for a minute. Now add the Fenugreek and mustard seeds. After a minute or two the seeds start spluttering. Now add cumin, dried red chillies and Asafoetida, Turmeric and lastly curry leaves. Stir it to save from getting burned. Remove and keep aside.

Asafoetida is available in powdered and slab forms. Powdered one is good for daily use and when we have to cook  fast. Otherwise, the slab is good. Its actually raw and needs to be broken into pieces and fried in hot oil. and then grounded to powder as and when required. This is so good that a very less quantity as compared to the powder gives a good taste.

For a healthy diet, quantity of oil can be reduced.

5. Garnishing: Chutneys are garnished with finely chopped Coriander greens and Curry leaves. Sometimes we can garnish them with fried green chillies or finely chopped onions etc depending upon the recipe.

Note:

1. Small kadais (Deep frying Pans) made of steel, copper bottomed, even non stick ones are available for this. The one with a handle is quite convenient.
2. Please adjust the quantity of spices especially, chillies, pepper etc according to your taste. We in Andhra eat very spicy and hot food. When I say 4-5 chillies, just use one and see. 
3. Sometimes there is already some natural salty or sour taste in the ingredients being used. Depending upon that, the quantity of salt and souring agents should be adjusted. For example Onions are a bit salty. Cucumbers, tomatoes, curd, lemons etc are very sour. So we need not add any extra souring agent. 
4. Turmeric should be put in last and fried in oil while preparing the tempering. Most people dont like to eat it raw as it gives a bitter taste. But it gets easily burned in hot oil. There fore it must be added just before removing from the fire or even after it.
5. Frying dried red chillies in oil while tempering reduced its spiciness and is easier on the stomach. The taste is different if roasted ones are used.
6. Some of the chutneys are cooked well to remove the moisture content and also more oil is used. Such ones can be kept for more than a day or two. Other wise generally chutneys should only be consumed with in the day. One can keep them in the refrigerator for some more days. But fresh ones are best. So it is always better to make the required quantity only.
7. One can use some of the vegetables with their peels. Some of the chutneys are made with left over peels alone there by avoiding wastage and  are also nutrients.
8. Always use fresh ingredients. Vegetables, fruits or leafy vegetables etc should be fresh and crispy. They should be cleaned thoroughly in water and then dried with a cloth and aired to remove any moisture content. This is very important for those which are kept for more than a day. Or else the chutney gets spoiled.
9. If chutneys are cooked during preparation, it should be cooled well before covering with a lid. Or else it gets spoiled quickly.
10. Always use the seasonally available ingredients as much as possible. For example during summer season we get raw mangoes. So Tamarind, Lemons etc can be substituted with mangoes.

I hope this is informative. Please leave your suggestions and do ask if you have any questions. I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge...Keep watching my blog for many yummy recipes on chutneys....

Before Making The Chutneys...Part-I

Every one of you may know what I am going to say now, but for those who are new to cooking ,  it will be a guidance and those who already know this, it will be a sort of recollection. For making a very tasty chutney, let us see some of the tips and tricks. 

For making a chutney, we use many ingredients. It is important we know these basics thoroughly to make a tasty chutney. it may be boring for you to read such long and lengthy passages, but its better to know all these before hand than turn out a dish which is not tasty. Here we go....

1. Basic ingredient of which we are making the chutney. Most of the vegetables, fruits, nuts etc can be used for making chutneys either singly or in combination

This is Wood Apple-used raw and when ripened -for chutneys

• Vegetables: Carrot, Cabbage, Gourd family (bottle, bitter, ribbed etc), Tomatoes, Onions, Brinjal (Eggplant), Lady's fingers(Okra), Cucumbers, Beet root, Ginger, Garlic, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green Chillies, Red Chillies.... the list long...you can use almost any vegetable.
• Leafy vegetables: Mint (Pudina), Coriander greens (Kothmeer), Curry Leaves (Kadi Patta or Karvepaku)Spinach (Palak), Gongura(Ambade ki Bhaji-a sour tasting leaf) leaves of Drum Stick Tree, Tender leaves of Tamarind tree (Chinta Chiguru) Greens of Radish, leaves of Flax Tree (Avisa).....
• Nuts, Seeds and Dry Fruits:  Peanuts (Ground nuts), Walnuts, Dried grapes or Raisins, Prunes, Dates (Khajooramu or Khajoor)), Sesame (Nuvvulu or Til) seeds of Pumpkin, Bottle Gourd ....
• Fruits: Coconuts, Mangoes, Citrus Fruits like Lemons, Lime, Oranges.., Apples, Wood Apple, Bananas, Papaya, Indian Cherries (Vakkaya), Cherries, Plums (Aloo Bukhara), Grapes, Pineapple, Berries like Indian plum or Ber or Regi Pandu, Goose Berries, Guava, Jack Fruits, Tamarind .....
•  Lentils: Pigeon Peas (Kandi pappu or Tuvar Daal), Green Gram (Pesara Pappu or Moong Daal), Black Gram (Minapappu or Urad Daal).....
•  Curd: Curd chutneys are very popular and in combination with various, fruits, vegetables etc make very tasty and nutritious chutneys......

 This is Peanut Chutney combined with some vegetables

 This is Onion and Red Chillies Chutney

 

 2. Oil: This is an important ingredient which enhances the taste of the chutneys. This used for frying the basic ingredient (vegetables etc) or for frying the spices or for tempering (Popu or Tadka).  

In India People from different regions use different oils as cooking mediums. Peanut oil, Sesame (Til or Nuvvula noone) oil, Coconut oil, Mustard oils are used. In order to get the flavor of the region we must use the oil used by the region like Mustard by Bengalis and Punjabis, Coconut by Keralites  Peanut or Sesame or Ghee by Andhras. If one is health conscious and also does not want any such flavors, one can safely use refined oils-sunflower, rice brawn etc. 

Olive oil is now being used in Indian kitchens because of its good qualities but very rarely in Indian Dishes. One can experiment using different oils to find the required taste, because, the same chutney or dish may taste differently by using different oils.

One can substitute the oil and do away with it altogether (even frying)  by adding certain raw ingredients. This I will deal with in oil free or healthy recipes of chutneys.

This is Mustard oil-produces lot of heat in the body and can be used as cooking medium in cold climates. But if not used to can give stomach aches. This is yellow in colour very greasy has a distinct flavor and odor. Must for certain cuisines.

So how do you  like this so far...Please let me know any doubts or suggestions..all are welcome....

The Power of Chutney

Long ago there lived a poor widow at the edge of a small village. She just had a little land, a few cows and a small house. She had no other family. So she cultivated the land as best as she could and ran a small Inn at her place for the passers by. She could only afford to serve simple fare. But she was a very good cook and a very kind woman. She served all the visitors with love and took whatever money they gave in return. So the visitors who visited her and tasted the food she served spoke highly of her.

One day it so happened a rider on a horse, reached the village in the night, after having traveled a long distance across a dense jungle for many days. He was so tired and thirsty, that the moment he saw the small hut on the edge of the village, he went and asked the old lady for some water. to drink The lady made him sit on the porch and brought him some buttermilk. After quenching his thirst, the lady offered him food and shelter for the night. He agreed immediately as he was tired.

The lady then asked him to take bath and clean up at the well in her back yard. By the time he came back, his horse was taken care of and was munching away peacefully the fodder it was given. The man went inside and sat to have his dinner. The lady placed a banana leaf before him and served hot rice, a green chutney and a small pot full of buttermilk. Then she said a bit sadly, "Son this is all I have tonight". Please have it.

The man was very hungry, but was touched by the old lady's kindness. He mixed the green chutney with the hot rice and ate it. He found the chutney so tasty, that he asked for second and third helping and had his fill. He was then made to rest on a bed laid for him in the porch. In no time he was asleep.

Next day he got up and while talking to her learned about her lonely and difficult life. He thanked the lady for her service and gave her some silver coins. She was very happy. He told her he wanted to leave later that day. The lady took the coins to the village grocer and brought the required groceries She then made him break fast and also some snacks for his travel. The man thanked her and gave her some more coins and left.

A few days after that, some men visited her.They told her that the King had ordered her to be brought to his court. The lady was frightened and asked them what was her fault. But the men said they did not know any thing. So she went with them to the court. There on the throne sat the king in all his splendor.

He invited her very warmly and then before the entire court praised her cooking and said that he never ate such a tasty food. Only then she recognized her visitor. He then asked her what was the chutney she had served him that day when he visited her. The lady apologized to the King saying that when he visited her she did not know that he was the King and served him a simple fare and that she should be forgiven for any lapses on her part. After getting assurance form the King she said " Oh great King, I served you a chutney made of green grass since I am poor and did not have any vegetables or meat to cook for you that day." The entire court was stunned. The King then clapped his hands and said "Lady if you can make such a tasty dish out of grass you are a great cook. I could never make out that it was grass. From today you are appointed as my personal cook"  All the people present in the court also applauded her.She lived happily after that.

This is a story my granny used to tell me. She always said that the taste lies in the cooks hand, how committed he/she is towards the cooking and serve the food with love and care. This is the secret of the Indian hospitality-"Athithi Devo Bhava"-Visitor is God personified. Sometimes we are called upon suddenly to rustle a fare with very limited resources, one should not panic but do our best so that the eater only gets tasty food. So many of us women know this, follow and succeed at this isn't it?

I just wanted to share this little story with you. Hope I have not bored you. From next post onwards I am going to share my recipes on chutneys....Keep an eye on my blog.....

Chutneys-An Intro

Chutney is a Hindi word used now all over India and also has been included in English vocabulary. It refers to a dish made out of ground vegetables, fruits or lentils etc along with spices. It is a side dish and served along with Rice or Rotis, Pulaos and dishes served at Breakfast like Idlis, Dosas and tea time snacks like Samosa, Bhujia etc.

Chutneys are called as Pachhadi in Telugu. These are prepared and served fresh and will not keep for more than a day or two. These cannot be preserved. Very few chutneys can be preserved upto a week or fortnight at the most.

Compared to Pickles these are more healthy, as less oil, salt and no preservatives are used. They are made and served fresh every day. Use of fresh vegetables, fruits or other ingredients makes it more nutritious and healthy. 

The quantity of oil and salt used in chutneys can be reduced to very little as compared to the traditional methods to make it more healthier. There are some recipes which are oil free. I will be posting recipes of many chutneys in the coming days.

The Chutneys from North are more sour or tangy and there are also some sweet ones too. Where as the ones from South India are spicy. Andhra is specially known for its pickles and chutneys.Chutneys are wet and coarse to smooth in texture and its consistency may also vary from very thick semi solid to almost pouring consistency.

Traditionally, Mortar and Pestle made of stone were used for making the chutneys.  In Andhra a stick made of wood known as Rokali is used for making of chutneys. The stone mortar is known as Rolu and the pestle is known as Pothram. Now other gadgets like Blenders are being used.

This is a stone or granite Mortar. Very small one with the pestle. Its generally used for grinding, ginger, garlic, chillies etc into paste or for powdering various spices. These mortars are in various sizes and some are very huge like the one in my Grannie's back yard. It was used for grinding soaked lentils and rice for making Idlis, Dosas or vadiyalu (badis) or powdering of dried chillies, turmeric, mustard etc. It was also used  for pounding rice grains to remove the husks. Medium sized ones are now used by nuclear families. The snack made out of the batter grounded by using the stone mortar is much much better than the blenders and food processors. Chutneys are also much tastier.

This is the wooden stick like object used for pounding or powdering. This also has a metallic( iron)  ring at the bottom. Though mine doesn't have one.

I am going to post some basic tips and recipes from my collection in my next posts.....Keep a watch on my blog

Storage for Pickles n Chutneys-1

We Indian women are always thinking of our homes and perhaps our kitchens most of the time. LOL! We are always buying some gadgets or the other and also utensils or kitchen ware. Our men folk are really irritated with us. They just refuse to come with us for shopping. I think sometimes they are even horrified at the amount of money and time we spend on such things. But then, no lady wants to be caught with ill matched linens or wares. Right? The presentation of a well cooked dish is equally important. So we are so bothered about the kitchen ware.

Recently I happened to visit an exhibition. I was just browsing through and then I found some interesting ones. some of them I am going to share with you now:

 These were two little jars I found in blue. We call them Jaadi in Telugu. I have white and blue crockery, so I thought these would go well with them.

 

 Here is a closer look at the small pattern of flowers on the jar.

 This white and black one was what caught my eye in the first place. I wanted another one but this was the last piece. I Hestitated for a long time but then gavein to my temptation and bought it.

 All three of them together. I think I can use them for pickles and chutneys. These ceramic jars are good for storage of, acidic things like vinegar, tamarind etc, and any other such things which corrode metals and dangerous to store in plastic or metallic containers. Though they are breakable and one has to handle them with care, they are easy to clean and cheap too.