This fragrant, spicy and delicious green chilly dip goes extremely well with String hoppers/ Shenvayi/ Idiappam, and with idli. This is a traditional Dip or what is called Tarne mirsange Uddak in my mother tongue Konkani.
Ingredients:
7 green medium spicy variety of chillies
A kidney bean sized pieces of asafoetida
Salt
1 tbsp coconut oil
Water as required.
Method:
Tip in the green chillies, Asafoetida and a quarter glass of water into the blender. Grind to a smooth paste. Strain. Add salt and half a glass of water. Drizzle with coconut oil. Serve.
Horsegram preparations are very popular in South India. A variety of items are prepared which include both breakfast and lunch dishes. Horsegram is not only highly nutritious, but also gives good satiety. Here are some idlis prepared with Horsegram accompanied by a spicy chutney.
Ingredients:
1 cup rice rava
1 cup horsegram
1 cup poha/ flattened rice
1 cup urad dal/ split black gram
Salt.
Method:
Wash and soak the horsegram and urad dal for five hours. Soak the rice rava and poha too separately. Before grinding, wash the urad dal and horsegram again and then tip them along with the poha into a grinder. Using a little water at a time, grind it continuously for half an hour to a smooth batter of dropping consistency. Remove and wash the grinder with a little water. Tip it into the batter. Squeeze out the water from the rice rava and add it to the batter. Add salt and whisk thoroughly. Allow to ferment for 10-12 hours. The next day, thoroughly whisk the batter and pour it into idli moulds which have been greased with coconut oil. Place them into a steamer which has been kept boiling. Steam the batter for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before unmoulding them. Serve with chutney of your choice.
Note: if using blender/ mixer to grind the urad and horsegram, use ice cubes while grinding. This helps in keeping the batter from heating. The batter is ready in only five minutes, but there is definitely a difference in the volume of batter ground in a mixer as compared to the grinder.
Posting the link to the recipe which I had served.
Hog plum/ Amtekayi/ Ambado is used as a souring agent in preparations in South India. Firm ones are used to make pickles. I have already posted one which is prepared along with Bamboo shoots. The pickle posted today makes use of roasted chillies.
Ingredients:
500 gms Hog plum
150 gms Guntur chillies
150 gms Byadgi chillies
100 gms mustard seeds
A marble sized piece of asafoetida
1 tbsp Methi seeds
150 gms salt
2 tsps oil.
Method:
Wash and pat dry the Hogplums. Tip them into a glass bottle and add the salt. Keep shaking them around two to three times daily for two days till the Hogplums release water. Roast the chillies with two tsps of oil. Dry roast the methi seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida separately one after the other. Allow everything to cool down well. Powder the dry roasted ingredients along with the roasted chillies. Drop this powder into the Hogplums. Mix thoroughly. Seal the bottle well and allow the pickle to mature. It takes about two months for the pickle to be ready for consumption.
This green chillies chutney can be served with parathas, kebabs or even with parathas. With the tang of raw mangoes , tomato and lemon juice, this chutney is absolutely a must try. My friend dear Debjani Banerjee generously shared her recipe with me.
Ingredients:
1/2 of a small raw mango
1 medium tomato
Juice of half a lemon
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Green chillies as per preference
Salt
1 tsp oil.
Method:
Tip in the raw mango, tomato, green chillies, coriander leaves and lemon juice into the blender along with salt. Grind to a smooth paste. Drop it into a bottle, and mix in the oil. Store in the refrigerator and use as required.
Tamarind based curries, rice and chutneys are a plenty in South Indian cuisine. Here is a breakfast item of Tamarind flavoured poha which is extremely easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
2 cups thick poha
1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
3 tbsps jaggery powder
1 tbsp Sambhar powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsps oil
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp sesame
1/2 tsp asafoetida
3 sprigs curry leaves
2 dry red chillies broken into two
3 tbsps peanuts
Salt.
Method:
Wash the poha thrice, drain and keep aside. Place the ball of tamarind in half a glass of hot water and extract the pulp. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and after they splutter add the sesame seeds, asafoetida and the peanuts. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add the turmeric powder. Drop in the dry red chilly bits and curry leaves. Toss. Add the tamarind pulp, half a glass of water, jaggery, salt and Sambhar powder. Bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer till the mixture thickens a bit. Add the drained poha and mix well. Heat for a minute, switch off, cover and allow to stand for fifteen minutes for the poha to absorb the water. After fifteen minutes heat up the poha and serve hot with curd.
Hasi mensinkayi refers to green chillies in Kannada. Khara is spice. Here is a dry flavorful green chilly chutney which is used with traditional North Karnataka dishes like Jowar Bhakri, Akki rotti or even used to flavour a vegetable.
Ingredients:
15 green chillies chopped
100 grams roasted peanuts
1 tsp cumin seeds
15 cloves of garlic
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Salt
A tsp of powdered jaggery
A marble sized piece of tamarind
200 gms oil.
Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped green chillies, garlic and cumin seeds and roast till the garlic and green chillies change colour. Allow the mixture to cool. Tip in the roasted peanuts, the cooled mixture, tamarind, jaggery, salt and coriander leaves into a blender and grind to a coarse paste. The oil released by the groundnuts and the oil that was used facilitates grinding the mixture which can be shaped into a ball. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Shelf life is a week to ten days.
Roasted chillies or Hari mirch are a must have in almost all the states in India. They are served with Vada pav or with Gathia Sev, with Dhokla or with curd rice. Though some people like to bite into the fresh raw chilly, sauteing them in oil makes them more palatable.
Ingredients:
15 green chillies
2 tbsps oil
Salt
Method:
Wash and wipe the green chillies. Keep the stems intact. Make a small slit in each to prevent them from spluttering while roasting them. Heat the oil in a pan. Roast them on a medium flame till they change colour slightly. Remove, drain the oil and place them on a plate. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and mix well.
On the platter today are rice, garlic Fryums, Ghia stir-fry, Ghia peel and potato stir-fry, Ghia fritters and Ghia amso kocholu… All things Ghia/ bottle gourd. Recipe links to all have been shared below.
The easiest and most delicious pickle that can be made in no time is this Guava pickle. Refrigerated it lasts for about ten days.
Ingredients:
2 large guavas chopped into tiny pieces
1 tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder
1 tbsp Chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt
3 tbsps powdered jaggery
Juice of 3 lemons
100 gms oil
25 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 tsp mustard
3 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp asafoetida.
Method:
Drop the pieces of guava, both the chilly powders, turmeric powder, salt and jaggery into a bowl. Add in the juice of the lemons and mix everything thoroughly. Keep aside for ten minutes. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard, and after it crackles add the crushed garlic and curry leaves. Roast till the garlic changes to a golden brown. Drop in the asafoetida. Toss. Pour the seasoning over the guava pieces and mix well. It can be consumed immediately. Store the remaining in a glass bottle and refrigerate.
Garlic and onion Fryums are prepared by most Indian communities during the summer months. Known by different names like Vodi, Sandige, Vethal it is made and stored for use round the year.
Ingredients:
250 gms rice
5 tbsps Sago/ sabudana
2 tsps chilly powder
21 cloves of garlic
Salt.
Method:
Soak the rice and sabudana for three hours. Grind to a smooth paste. Tip the ground paste into a thick bottomed vessel. Add three glasses of water, salt and chilly powder. Mix thoroughly. Cook on a slow flame till the mixture turns transparent. The mixture at this stage thickens and attains dropping consistency. Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly. Chop the garlic fine and add it to the cooled mixture. Spread a plastic sheet and drop a teaspoon of this mixture in rows. Dry in strong sun for three to four days. Once it’s dry it can be easily removed from the plastic sheet. Store in an airtight container and fry when required.
