Thursday, February 26, 2015

green tomato chutny

Green tomato chutny

no onion,garlic,coconut,ginger, n no dals!!

This is a super tasty,sweet n sour chutny.This is my grand mother's recipe.So I am the third generation preparing this chutny.I used to help my grandmother grind this chutny in the black coloured,stone 'khalbatta' (mortor n pestel)that is still there.That way I remember the ingredients that were put in the chutney.
My grand mother's food always tasted the best  as she used to cook her everyday food on 'sigdi'.And I must say,there is some X factor adds to the taste of hand ground chutny. 
The unique thing about this chutny is that there is no ginger,garlic,coconut. even the udad dal or channa dal are not added to it.That gives a different taste to this chutny recipe!
This tastes best with hot rice and ghee,jowar roti,hot chapati.

The ingredients are:


  1. green tomatoes 3.med. sized
  2. green chilies,6-7
  3. roasted groundnuts,a handful
  4. roasted til or sesame seeds, 1-2 tbsp
  5. jaggery 2-3 tbsp
  6. salt as per taste
  7. oil 1 tbsp

Ingredients for tempering:


  1. 2 tsp cooking oil,
  2. 1 tsp mustard seeds,
  3. hing (asafoetida)1/4 tsp
  4. turmeric 1/4 tsp

Method:


  • wash and wipe clean the green tomatoes  and green chilies
  • cut the tomatoes lengthwise
  • heat a small kadhai
  • add 1 tbsp oil
  • add the chopped tomatoes and green chilies.
  • saute till soft.At this stage it will be a very pungent aroma of green chilies all around. so to avoid it you can saute it covered.
  • once the tomatoes n chilies are soft,switch off the flame and let cool.
  • add the cooled stuff,groundnuts,til,jaggery and,salt  to a mixer jar and grind .some like the texture of the chutny bit coarse,some smooth. so grind as you like.

For tempering:


  • heat oil in a tadka pan.
  • add mustard seeds.let crackle.
  • switch off the flame.Add hing(asafoetida) and turmeric powder.
  • Add to the ground chutny.

In this chutny the dominating flavours are sweetness of jaggery,sourness of tomatoes and the aromatic hing!!
Try this and let me know how you liked it!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

how to make sprouts at home

Mixed lentil sprouts

ಕಾಳು ಮೊಳಕೆ ತರಿಸುವ ವಿಧಾನ 
Making sprouts at home  is always preferred as the home made sprouts are clean and much healthier than the store bought.
It is very easy .... you just need to choose the clean legumes of your choice,wash them soak them and then wrap them in a damp cloth.Rest all ... time does the magic!It's so easy!!

The process of making mixed sprouts:

  • I chose a cup of green moong,a fist full of black chana and less than that black eye beans/lobia(ಅಲಸಂದೆ)
  • washed them thoroughly.. and soaked in water for about 8 hours.
  • then drained out the soaked water as in the picture below.


  • put the soaking legume into a damp cloth and  tied it.Stored in a warm place for  a day and half!
  • what you see when I opend it after the stipulated time. see pic 3 below!

Isn't that easy!?... use the sprouts in various recipes or just eat raw with a dash of salt and lime juice!


Kayi chutny/coconut chutny/ type#1

Kayi chutny/coconut chutny type#1

ತೆಂಗಿನಕಾಯಿ ಚಟ್ನಿ ರೀತಿ ೧

I make different varieties of coconut chutny.It depends on the food item it will go with.I know there can be hundred one variations and this first type of it is the simplest to go with appe or paddu and dhokla.

Ingredients for chutny:


  1. Fresh coconut chunks-1/2 cup
  2. Roasted dalia or fried gram/puthana 3 tbsp
  3. Green chilies 2 nos.or as required.
  4. Sugar 1/4 tsp
  5. Jeera/ cumin-  1/4 tsp
  6. Salt to taste.
  7. Fresh ,cleaned coriander a handful.

For tempering:

  1. 1/2 tbsp oil,
  2. Split black gram 2 tsp
  3. Mustard seeds 2 tsp
  4. hing a pinch
  5. Curry leaves... a few.
  6. Water to dilute.
Method:

  •  Put together all the ingredients mentioned in the first list.
  • Grind to a paste using water.
  • Take out to a vessel.
  • Prepare the tempering using ingredients of the 2nd list. Add to the ground chutny.

There is no sourness added neither there is smell of garlic nor ginger.Sometime simple food tastes excellent!!



Tuesday, February 17, 2015

sabbakki/sabudani/tapioca khichadi


sabbakki/sabudani/tapioca khichadi

Today being maha shivaratri fast, I had prepared sabudani khichadi and senga laddu(undi).I could post only the recipe of shenga undi/ground nut laddu other day.Here comes the recipe for sabudani khichadi.This is exactly how my grandmother used to prepare it.Again dedicating this recipe to my late grandmother(mother's mother).
The required ingredients are:
  1. thoroughly washed sabbakki/sabudani,soaked overnight. 3 cups
  2. 1 medium sized potato thinly cut
  3. 2 green chilies cut
  4. ghee 2 tbsp
  5. cumin/jeera 1/2 tsp
  6. roasted peanut/groundnut powder 1/4 cup
  7. sugar 1-2 teaspoons or as per requirement
  8. salt to taste.





Method of preparing the Khichadi:

1.Heat a heavy bottom kadhai.
2.add ghee to melt and jeera/cumin seeds to splutter.
3.Add green chilies.saute for a few seconds.
4.Add potato and fry till the potatoes are cooked.

5.Add soaked sabudani/sabbakki/tapioca.I added 3 cups  of soaked sabudani.

6.after stirring the above ingredients for a minute or so add powdered peanut and sugar and salt.
7.cook  covered stirring in between.

8.After a total of 10. minutes my khichadi looked ready.The sabudani should turn transparent .This is the important point to make a tasty khichadi.If the sabudani is raw, does not make a great khichadi.
keep on a medium to low flame stir occasionally.
9.Serve with some curd and shenga undi/peanut laddus.As in the picture below.

My grandmother would avoid lemon/lime juice,mustard seeds turmeric powder ,coriander,curry leaves in the vrat recipe.
She would some times make a simple greenchili,salt and roasted peanut chatni to go with this khichadi. 
For a variation you can try this recipe with green chili+turmeric powder to make a yellow colour khichadi
or red chili powder to get red coloured khichadi.
Some lime/lemon juice and fresh coriander will only enhance its flavour take this regular vrat  khichadi to next level.
Why not try it for a breakfast  I mean for a change?Give it a try!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Amla supari/ nelli Kayi adike

Amla supari/nellikayi adike/gooseberry mouth freshner

ನೆಲ್ಲಿಕಾಯಿ ಅಡಿಕೆ 

Amla is gooseberry is English.It has many health benefits provided consumed on a daily basis. Here is one such recipe to incorporate amla in daily consumption.And the plus point is you do not have to push your kids to eat amla in this form of amla recipe.My elder daughter steals it from the box!! ;-) and I feel its not necessary to stop her from stealing amla supari considering the health benefits!! Lol :D BTW supari in hindi,marathi language means mouth freshner though the exact meaning is beetlenut.

The ingredients for making amla supari:


  1. 1/4 kilogram amla.about 10 no. of medium sized amla
  2. 1 tsp. salt
  3. 1/2 tsp. dry ginger powder(optional)
  4. 2 pinches hing or asafoetida.

 Method:


  • Thoroughly wash the amla.
  • Pat them dry well.
  • Now you can either cut amla onto small pieces or grate them.
  • I prefer to grate as the supari dries fast!to this,
  • Add salt dry ginger powder and hing.mix well.
  • Spread evenly on plastic sheet and sun dry in a dust free area for 2-3 days.
Home made hygienic amla supari/ gooseberry mouth freshener is so easy and simple to make.

Recollecting my childhood days, the fun part of eating amla supari,  is drinking water after eating amlasupari and enjoying the sweet taste it gives!
Hope everyone enjoys this part of eating amla supari!!
I do it even now!!