Category: Chutneys

Every region in India has their own traditional chutneys, but the plethora of chutneys that one finds in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh are amazing. They are usually served as an accompaniment with rice. This recipe of Paruppu Thogayal which my friend Janaki Hrishikesh shared with me goes amazingly well with rice and Rasam. In fact I enjoyed it with a simple curd rice as well.

Ingredients:

100 gms/ half cup Toovar Dal/ split pigeon peas

7 Byadgi chillies

A kidney bean size piece of Hing/ Asafoetida

3 tbsps grated coconut

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Roast the dry chillies till they turn crisp. Remove and keep them aside. Saute the Toovar dal till it turns a nice golden yellow. At this stage add the Hing and keep roasting for a couple of minutes till the asafoetida releases it’s flavour and the dal turns a deep golden yellow. Allow to cool. Drop all the ingredients into a mixer jar along with the salt and grated coconut. Grind to a coarse powder. Add a little water to ease grinding it into a thick chutney. The consistency of the Thogayal is thick and never watery. Serve it with hot rice with a dollop of Ghee.

Copyright © 2021 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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A lovely tangy Gojju aka Dip to enjoy either with your meals, on bread or even with Chapati. This recipe by my friend Aruna Panangapalli uses the peel of oranges to make this tangy , sweet and spicy Gojju.

Ingredients:

1 cup orange peel from about two oranges

5 tbsps jaggery syrup

2 tbsps Tamarind paste

1 tbsp dry roasted sesame seeds

Salt

1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder

For the tempering:

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

A large pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

1 sprig of curry leaves

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Method:

Powder the roasted sesame seeds coarsely. Keep aside. Scrape the insides of the peel ( the white portion) as it may make the Gojju slightly bitter. Cut the peel into tiny bits. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and after they splutter add the Hing and curry leaves. Toss and immediately add the orange peel, salt and turmeric powder. Saute for a minute and pour in one glass of water. Bring to a boil and simmer till the peels are cooked. Add the tamarind paste, jaggery syrup and roasted sesame seed powder. Keep boiling till the Gojju thickens to dropping consistency. Switch off, cool and bottle.

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This roasted gram Chutney stays good for atleast two days in the fridge as it doesn’t contain coconut. It’s to be ground coarse. Very little or no water is added while grinding. Here I have used a little water as I would be finishing it off at breakfast. It is an Ideal accompaniment to Dosa, Idli and other Urad preparations. I thank my friend Prabha Ramapriya for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:

100 gms/ half cup of roasted gram

6 green chillies

Pea sized piece of Hing/ asafoetida

2 sprigs curry leaves

A small bunch of coriander leaves

15 leaves of mint

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard

1 tsp tamarind paste

Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard. After it splutters add the green chillies and curry leaves. Toss till the chillies change colour. Drop in the roasted gram and saute for a few seconds. Switch off and allow to cool. After it has cooled tip it into the mixer jar along with coriander and mint leaves, salt and tamarind. Grind to a coarse consistency adding little or no water.

Serves four.

Copyright © 2021 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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I am always trying to find new recipes wherein I could use the lemons which grow in abundance in my terrace garden. Earlier I would share them with friends, but in these Covid times, didn’t want to risk it. I prepared a sweet, tangy and spicy chutney or you may even call it a dip. The fragrance of the lemons especially the rind is absolutely divine! My friend Rosy D’Souza had shared this recipe in the food group that I manage on Fb. It’s an amazing preparation which goes well with rice and Dal, roti or even as a spread over bread. Ready in precisely ten minutes.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized lemons

6 tbsps jaggery syrup

1 heaped tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder

Salt.

Method:

Wash the lemons , wipe them dry and cut them into four pieces each. Gently remove all the seeds and tip the lemons along with the jaggery syrup, salt and chilly powder into the small mixer jar. Grind to a fine paste. Remove and store in a glass bottle or a ceramic jar.

This proportion makes around 12 tbsps of the Chutney.

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This garlic chutney is so fragrant and tasty. You can have it as an accompaniment with rice, with Roti or even slather it on bread. This recipe was shared by my friend Sreeja Shenoy and this is a must try.

Ingredients:

1/2 of a large coconut

15 cloves of garlic

7 Guntur and 7 Byadgi chillies roasted in a little oil

A tbsp of tamarind paste

One sprig of curry leaves

Salt

One tbsp Ghee/ clarified butter

Method:

Heat the ghee in a pan. Drop in the garlic and roast to a deep golden brown. Add the curry leaves, saute and drop in the grated coconut. Saute for a couple of minutes on a gentle flame. Those using chilly powder instead of roasted red chillies may add the chilly powder ( around 2 tbsps) now. Switch off and allow the mixture to cool a bit. Add tamarind and salt and grind to a fine paste without adding any water. I have added a little to facilitate grinding in the mixer jar. Remove and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

This quantity serves a family of four.

Copyright © 2021 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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The recipe of this restaurant style chutney was shared by my friend Smitha Pai. Goes well with all kinds of Dosas and Idli. This is a chutney typically made in South Karnataka in India.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted Bengal gram/ Daalia/ Puttani

1/4 tsp Jeera/ cumin seeds

1/2 cup grated coconut

6 mint leaves

3 cloves of garlic

5 curry leaves

A couple of sprigs of coriander

5 green chillies or more if required

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

Salt

For tempering:

1 tbsp oil

1tsp mustard

1 tsp urad dal/ split black gram

1 sprig curry leaves

Method:

Powder the roasted gram. Drop in the grated coconut, green chillies, Jeera, garlic ,curry, mint and coriander leaves, salt and tamarind paste. Grind fine by adding a little water. Tip it into a bowl. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the urad dal. Once it turns golden brown drop in the curry leaves. Pour the seasoning into the chutney. Mix and adjust consistency by adding water as required.

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Winters in India are associated with hot Jowar bhakri, peanut and sesame chutney, roasted brinjals and a variety of greens. This roasted peanut and sesame chutney goes well with Bhakri, Chapati or even on buttered slices of bread.

Ingredients :

100 gms Peanuts

50 gms Sesame

15 garlic cloves

2 heaped tbsps of Kashmiri Chilly powder

Salt

A large pinch of Jeera/Cumin seeds

A Chickpea sized piece of Tamarind

Method:

Roast the peanuts on a gentle flame and remove the skin. Alternatively you could microwave them till they are crisp. Dry roast the sesame too on a gentle flame till they start spluttering. Allow to cool. Drop in the roasted peanuts, sesame, tamarind, chilly powder, garlic and salt into a mixer jar and powder the ingredients on pulse mode. Do not fine grind them as both peanuts and sesame release oil. Just pulse to a coarse consistency. Enjoy with hot Bhakri or chapati.

Copyright © 2020 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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This is the second variety of Brinjal Bajji that I am posting. The first one was with Hing /Asafoetida. This one is using onions. This preparation goes well with rice or roti. The bajji is best made using the large variety of Brinjal available for making Bhartha as it can be easily roasted.

Ingredients :

500 gms Brinjal

1 large onion finely chopped

3 green chillies minced

1/2 tsp tamarind paste or juice of half a lime

Salt

2 tbsps coconut oil

Method:

Apply a little oil all over the brinjal and roast it on an open flame on your gas stove. Alternatively it could be grilled too. Take care to see that it is roasted evenly on a gentle flame. Allow to cool. Peel the brinjal. The charred skin comes off easily. Mash the brinjal well. Crush the minced chillies with salt. Tip them into the mash. Add finely chopped onions, tamarind paste or lemon juice and drizzle with coconut oil. Mix well and serve. This preparation needs to be refrigerated if not used immediately.

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This dip will have you drooling for more. You can serve it with finger food or slather it on bread or even use it while making noodles. The cheese used adds to the taste and it can be stored in an airtight container for a week in the refrigerator.

Ingredients :

1 large Bell pepper /Capsicum

1 tsp butter

10 green chillies

7 cloves of garlic

Juice of one lemon

Salt

2 slices of Cheese singles or a handful of grated cheese

Method:

Roughly chop the Bell pepper and roast it with a tsp of butter till it wilts. Allow to cool. Grind together the roasted Bell pepper, chillies, garlic, salt, lemon juice and the slices of cheese. Add water only if necessary to get a chutney like consistence. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Copyright © 2020 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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