Coriander Coconut Chutney with peanuts

Chutneys are an essential part of the Indian cuisine. We Indians tend to make a chutney out of just about everything. I learnt that, from our old neighbor's aunt who could actually make various chutneys - from fruits, vegetables and even peels. We were kids then so I did not pay any attention and now regret it. Today, I made this coriander coconut chutney to go with bread. Actually not, when I went to the weekly market I got this bunch of fresh coriander sprigs that just called me to it. And the price was awesome, so I picked 2 bunches and had already decided at least one bunch would get made into a chutney. This coriander coconut chutney is apt for a chutney sandwich - a little butter and chutney on bread.

When we were young, we would go on trips in a group with 3 other families and just prior to the trip the ladies would get together to plan the menu. Sandwiches were usually part of this menu and one of the aunties got this recipe from her friend who suggested using this for a chutney sandwich and also in cucumber and tomato sandwiches. This was the first time we had added peanuts to a chutney. The peanuts gives this coriander coconut chutney a nice buttery smooth texture that spreads like silk on bread. The original recipe called for raw peanuts and very little coconut but since it can be kept in the refrigerator I changed it to suit our tastes.

 

Ingredients
Coriander leaves - 1.5 cup packed
Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies - 2
Tamarind - 1/4 tsp or Lemon juice - a dash
Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

The measurement of coriander given here is of cleaned leaves and very tender stems. Discard the hardenend stems. Roast the peanuts very lightly, then put in a cloth and rubit  to get the skin off. The tamarind used here is pulp.

 

Put all the ingredients together in a blender jar and grind to get a fine paste. If needed add 1 tablespoon of water not more, when grinding. Check the taste, you may want to adjust the sugar and tamarind or lime juice. This chutney should taste hot and salty with hints of sugar and tamarind coming through. The chutney can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 

I did heat this chutney on very low heat for a couple of minutes to keep it from spoiling and also as a reassurance that it is not completely raw. Especially, with all the talk of the dangers of eating raw vegetables, herbs, etc. it makes sense to cook / heat everything as much as possible.

After I made this chutney I realized there was no bread at home so I will have to wait till I get a pack from the store. Till then..... maybe I can have some with my afternoon's dal rice.

 

My Coriander Coconut Chutney with peanuts goes to
 - Taste of the Tropics - Cilantro/Culantro/Coriander hosted by eastwestrealm

 

 

Hot and Tangy Dip

This is a mouthwatering, hot and tangy dip or chutney that I made to go with the spring onion pancakes. This dip does not have any oil or fat in it and can be had without feeling guilty. I was inspired to make this dip by the recipe featured on maangchi.com and basically tried to keep true to the tastes and adapted it to the ingredients I had in my kitchen. And was also influenced a little by the chadacha chammanthi (crushed chutney) that is made in Kerala sometimes.

Ingredients
Onion - 1/2
Red chilli - 1
Green chilli - 1
Tamarind ball - 1.5 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

Put all this together in a blending jar with a about 1/4 cup water. Pulse it a few times so that all the ingredients are crushed and bit sized pieces are seen. Taste it, it should have a salty, heat from the chillies, pungency of the onion, sour from the tamarind and a light sweet from the sugar. Pour it out onto a bowl and it is ready to serve.

Coconut Onion Chutney / Thengya Ulli Chutney

This is another chutney we make at home to go with idli / dosa / appam. Like I wrote in my previous posts, a small variation gives a totally different taste to chutneys. As the name reveals, it is a coconut / thengya (thenga)  chutney (recipe given here) with the addition of raw onion in it. I used the savaalla ulli in this coconut / thengya (thenga) onion chutney but for a more authentic taste use the cheriya ulli. This coconut chutney can be made with another addition as well - ginger. My mother adds ginger to make a coconut ginger chutney or a thengya inji chutney. Adding ginger gives a slightly curdled taste to this chammanthi / chutney so we don't make it at home because of my husband's aversion to any curdled / yogurty taste. In case, substituting the onion with ginger, add half an inch piece of ginger to this chutney to make a coconut ginger chutney.

Ingredients
Coconut, grated - 1 cup heaped
Onion - 1/2 small sized (if using cheriya ulli - 2 to 3)
Green chilli - 2
Salt as per taste
for varuthiddal / tadka
Oil - 1tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5
Dry red chilli - 1
Green chilli - 1
Grind the coconut, onion, green chillies to a fine paste with water and add salt as per taste. Pour it into a serving bowl.
Cut the red chilli in two and slit the green chilli and keep ready. Heat a small pan, add the oil, when hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters add the dry red chilli, green chilli and the curry leaves stir it well and pour it on the chutney. After a minute, mix well and it is ready to be served.

Coconut and Fried Onion Chutney

A Variations to the coconut chutney
This is just one of the chutneys we make at home to go with either dosa or idli. The bland idli tastes best when paired off with something hot and spicy. We usually make a batch of the ulli chammanthi or onion chutney (recipe given here) and store it in the refrigerator. This chutney here is a variation to the ulli chammanthi and the usually coconut chutney. This is a coconut chutney with a little twist.

Ingredients

Coconut - 1 cup

Onion - 1/4th

Dried red chillies - 2 to 3

Curry leaves - 3-4

Salt to taste

Oil - 1tsp

for seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp

Curry leaves - 5-6

Oil - 1 tsp

Chop the onions. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions in it till light brown. When done, add the dried red chillies give it a stir and take it off the gas. Grind the grated coconut, the fried onion, dried red chillies curry leaves and salt with little water to a fine paste. Add water to get a thickish consistency. Pour it  out into a bowl, check for salt and add if necessary.

 

Heat a pan for the tadka, add the oil and when hot add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the curry leaves and take it off the gas and pour it over the chutney.

 

If Sambhar onions or cheriya ulli is added to this recipe, the chutney's taste is elevated to a completely different lever. I did not have the cheriya ulli so used savaalla ulli or the usual onions in this recipe.

 



Ulli Chammanthi / Onion Chutney

The chutney or chammanthi elevates the taste of food, just like that spicy achaar with a bowl of dal chawal. In Kerala, we have a variety of chammanthis made to complement different dishes. I remember as children when we vacationed with my grandparents in Kerala, the day would start with two items for breakfast. My grandparents needed their fix of kanji (rice gruel) and the rest of the family wanted some palaharam that was either idli or dosa or rawa / godambu upma or godambu or aree podi puttu or appam. We children were encouraged to eat both by our grandparents. They would offer all the accompaniments as enticement - the regular fixture - chammanthi, next papadam, add to that thoren and not to miss the kadumaangaa or any uppilittathu. Actually, I did not need much coaxing - I loved it, but it was nice to have muthachan and ammumma encouraging us. For me, the best combination was hot kanji with a bit of ghee and salt and lots of chammanthi in the side plate. The chammanthi was especially yum if made by my P ammayi. It was a simple coconut-green chilli-curry leaves ground on the ammikalu (grinding stone) with mango when in season. The slightly ripe mango elevated the chammanthi to ambrosial heights. Just thinking of that chammanthi makes my mouth water.

 

Today, I bring you a simple Ulli chammanthi that goes very well with idli and complements the coconut chutney. Ulli chammanthi is made in a lot of ways in Kerala, one version uses the cheriya ulli / sambhar onions / shallots simply crushed with green chillies to go with boiled kappa (tapioca). The one I am making today has savaalla ulli (onions / pyaz) and dry red chillies as the main ingredients. Without much ado, lets go to the recipe.

 

Ingredients

Onions - 2 medium

Kashmiri dry red chillies - 7-8 or Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp.

Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry leaves - about 8-10 crushed and torn to pieces by hand

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Chop the onions roughly. Grind the red chillies and the onions to a fine paste with a little salt and keep aside. Heat a kadai, add the coconut oil and when it is hot add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard has spluttered add the curry leaves and stir with spoon. Add the ground onion - red chilli paste and mix it well. Keep the heat on low to medium and stir it on and off so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Taste it for salt at this stage and add some if required. When the oil starts leaving the sides and the mix starts coming together take it off the gas and serve it!

Pair this chammanthi with idli, it really complements the blandness of idli. Enjoy!

State Bhavan Canteen Review - Tamil Nadu Bhawan

We first visited Tamil Nadu Bhawan canteen on a friend's recommendation especially to try their masala dosa and Biryani. After that, we went there a few times and enjoyed our visits there, till our most recent one a couple of days earlier.

 

We went to Tamil Nadu Bhawan for the first time with my parents who were visiting us. My parents had liked the food there. We had the South Indian thali, chicken biryani, mutton biryani, vada sambhar, chicken 65, mutton fry and not to miss their Coffee! We loved each of these items and in fact got some biryani packed to take home as well. Later, we revisited the place a couple of times with friends and each time our experience was really good. We introduced it to some of our friends and they too appreciated the food there.

 

A couple of days ago, we went to Tamil Nadu Bhawan again for lunch and the firsts things we ate there was a masala dosa with piping hot rasam. The rasam was garlicky and spicy and just apt for the rainy weather outside and the masala dosa and chutney was also awesome. I did not mention the sambhar because it wasn't good, seemed more like dal with veges in it. We then ordered Chicken 65, Parotta kurma curry, Sambhar Rice and Mutton Fry. The Chicken 65 was good but none of the others really made the mark. The Sambhar Rice came with a papadam and although it was not the best tasting sambhar, it could have been decent if it was hot. The Parotta was good but the kurma curry was actually vegetable stew that is usually served with appams. The mutton was not sauteed and fried like it is usually done and it was cooked to the point that the meat had fallen apart.

Overall, our meal did not meet our expectaion.

On asking the waiter he said that the cook had changed about 10 days ago and the new one was only getting into the groove.

 

So, if you plan on visiting the Tamil Nadu Bhawan it may be a good idea to wait for a few days till the cook gets his act together!

 

Some pictures I took on our earlier visit.

 Masala Dosa served with Sambhar and Chutney

 Mutton Biryani served with korma and onion raita

Vada Sambhar served with chutney