Allam Chutney

i usually prefer making fresh ginger chutney at home because i get most of the flavour from fresh ginger.Ginger chutney mostly goes well with pesarattu upma,mysore bonda,n rava dosa.



Ingredients:

2″ ginger root
1 tbsp urad dal
1 1/2 tbsps channa dal
1 green chilli
2 dry red chillis
2 cloves garlic
small lemon sized tamarind pulp extracted
3 tbsps jaggery
1 tbsp chillie pwd(optional)
1/2 cup water
salt

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
6-7 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp oil or ghee

Method:

Peel the ginger wash and cut it into small pcs and keep aside.

Heat 2tbsp oil,to this add the urad dal,channa dal,green chillie,garlic,red chilli,fry until they turn light brown in color and nice aroma emanates from it.

Remove n let it cool

In the same pan add the chopped ginger n saute on medium heat until they turn red in color,remove n keep aside.

In a blender add the fried dals mixture n tamarind pulp n blend to a smooth paste.

To this add the ginger ,jaggery n salt along with water n blend again to a smooth paste,remove into a bowl.

Next add some oil n add the mustard seeds let them splutter then add the curry leafs.

Add this to the ground paste n mix.

Check for spice level in the chutney and add more jaggery or sugar accordingly.

Note:

I usually add some red chilli pwd to it,to get that red color look,but that is optional n depends on ur spice level

Coconut Chutney-1

I usually make 2 types of coconut chutney...one variety i make it useing curd this one i made useing pachi sengapappu..



Ingredients:

1 cup fresh grated coconut/frozen
1/2 cup channa dal/putnala pappu
4 green chillies(adjust according to ur spice level)
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp urad dal
3 dry red chillies
few curry leafs
oil
salt
pinch of sugar

Method:

Heat a tbsp oil to this add the green chillies n fry for a while,remove n keep aside.

To a blender add the coconut,channa dal,green chillies,salt,sugar and 1/2cup of water.

Grind to a smooth paste,remove to a bowl.

In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil ,once hot add the urad dal when it starts turning brown.

Add the mustard,jeera,red chillies and few curry leafs.

Add this tadka to the chutney and mix.

Serve with idli,dosa,mysore bonda,etc.

Note: As one of my friend said u can also add a small pc of fresh ginger to the coconut brfore grinding..this gives an added flavour to it

Amla Pachadi(Usirikaya pachadi)

The Indian gooseberry Common names of this tree include amalaka in Sanskrit, amla (आँवला) in Hindi, amlaki (আমলকী) in Bengali, Nellikkai (நெல்லிக்காய்) in Kannada and Tamil, ఉసిరి in Telugu, amala in Nepali language, 'ma kham bom' in Thai, and 'mak kham bom' in Lao.

The fruit is nearly spherical, light greenish yellow, quite smooth and hard on appearance, with 6 vertical stripes or furrows.

Ripening in autumn, the berries are harvested by hand after climbing to upper branches bearing the fruits. The taste of Indian gooseberry is sour, bitter and astringent, and is quite fibrous. In India, it is common to eat gooseberries steeped in salt water and turmeric to make the sour fruits palatable.

Amla is a natural, efficacious, an antioxidant with the richest natural source of Vitamin C. It is used in Ayurveda as a cardiotonic, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, antidiabetic, cerebral and gastrointestinal tonic.Amla is referred to in ancient text as the best medicine to prevent aging.

Overall benefits of amla in the body:

Enhances food absorption
Enhances fertility and memory
One of the best herbs for diabetes
Powerful skin and hair rejuvenator
Eye and liver toner
Restores stomach and intestinal digestive enzymes
Supports heart and lungs
Reduces body heat or weight naturally




I miss eating amla here in the US...but one day when i was going through the frozen food section of the grocery store...n found a packet of frozen amla,Immediately my hand picked the packet...initially i thought of making dal with it....

But i was going through http://www.gayatrivantillu.com/ i found a video on usirikaya pachadi...n i thought wow...that sounds good..But hers was a version useing fresh amla n so the pickle stays for longer period...

But i made mine frozen Amla so it stays for a week in the fridge...so here is a modified version of her recipe



Ingredients

8 frozen or fresh amla
12 red chilllies
8 green chillies
2 tsps mustard seeds
1 tsp methi seeds
1 tsp jeera
pinch of hing
few curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
salt

Method:

Cut the amla along the veins into small pc's remove n discard the seeds.

Now put the pcs into a blender with some salt n turmeric n blend to a coarse paste ,do not add any water,it looks like grated amla.

Now in a pan heat few tbsps of oil.

To this add the mustard seeds,methi seeds,jeera,hing,also add the green chillis n red chillies n curry leaves.Let it cool for sometime

Once cool grind it into a fine powder.

Now add this powder to the ground amla n mix thouroughly.

Test for salt n spice level.

Next heat one tsp oil and add this mixture to it(by doing this any excess water will evaporate)if u desire more spice u can add some chilli pwd now.

Remove n serve hot with ghee n hot rice.

Note: Since i used frozen amla i made some changes to gayatris recipe...but this is her original recipe video
http://www.gayatrivantillu.com/usirikayapachhadi

Tomato Peanut Chutney

I generally used to make tomato chutney regularly.Because it goes well with idlis and dosa's.Then one day i went to one of my friends house and she happened to make this chutney.Me and my husband liked it a lot because of the combination,tomatoe's n peanuts.So as usual got the recipe from her n started making it once in a while.

Ingredients:

2 big tomatoe's chopped

1 medium onion sliced

1 small cup roasted peanuts

1 tsp jeera

3-4 green chillies chopped(adjust according to ur spice level)

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt as recquired

few curry leaves

1/2 of a lemon sized tamarind soaked in water n pulp extracted

cilantro chopped

Poppu/Tadka:

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp channa dal

1/2 tsp urad dal

pinch of hing

4 red chillies

few curry leaves

Method:

• First dry roast the Peanuts on low flame until it turns light brown n keep aside.
• Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan add jeera n let it splutter next add green chillies
• To this add the sliced onions,few curry leaves and let it fry for some time until it tunrs golden yellow.
• Next add the chopped tomatoes mix n cover for 1 min.Remove the lid n mix u will notice the tomatos turned mushyn there is lots of water
• Cook it until the water evaporates n tomatoes come togeather,then add salt n turmeric.
• Cook for a min,remove n let it cool
• Put this mixtue into a blender along with the tamarind pulp n grind to a coarse paste
• Next put the peanuts into it n grind it to a coarse or a smooth paste. Check for salt n spice level and adjust anything if needed
• I did mine to a coarse paste because i like to have the nutty flavour n texture in my chutney.
• Finally do the tadka n add it to this chutney also add the chopped cilantro and mix.Serve with hot idli's or dosa

Ridgeguard Chutney

Beerakaya Pachadi

As a kid i never liked this vegetable,so my mom used to make this wonderful chutney inorder to disguise the vegetable.I grew up likeing it so much ,that i started likeing the vegetable as well.This goes well with plain rice n ghee.

My mother used to originally grind it in a stone grinder with very little water so it used to retain that coarse texture.U can do it any blender but the texture might be a bit smooth...which is not that big a issue.I make it very often ...guess why?????This is the only dish that i make without wasting any part of the vegetable n its ready in a jiffy.So why dont u all try it as well...

Ingredients:

1 medium size ridgeguard

1 tbsp channa dal

3-4 big green chillies broken into half(u can increase or decrease according to ur spice level)

1 small lemon sized tamarind (seperate into small bits n remove any seeds)

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp jeera

1 medium onion sliced

1/2 tsp tumeric

2 garlic cloves chopped

few curry leaves

salt as recquired

oil as recquired

Method:

• Wash the ridgeguard ,chop it into small pcs leave the skin intact
• In a pan heat a 1 Tbsp of oil on medium heat ,to this add the channa dal when it turns light brown remove onto a plate
• In the same pan add green chillies when it starts to blister remove onto a plate,again add the bit size pc's of tamarind and fry for a 2 seconds n remove
• Next add 3 Tbsp of oil ,to this add the mustard n jeera ,toss in the sliced onions as well
• Once the onions are slightly done add the ridgeguard pc's and mix
• Cover n cook for 5-10mins in between see if its sticking to the pan if so sprinkle some water
• Add the turmeric,once the pc's turn soft remove and let it cool
• In a grinder add the fryed channa dal,green chillies,tamarind,ridgeguard onion mixture,curry leaves n garlic pc's
• Add salt and grind to a smooth paste,u can add few tbsp of water while grinding if needed
• Remove onto a bowl mix in chopped cilantro,chopped onions(optional)....n tadka/poppu(optional)