Amla Mint Chutney - Gooseberry Mint Chutney - Nellikkai Chutney - Easy No Cook Chutney

Today morning when I had plans of preparing dosa for breakfast, I felt so lazy and bored to prepare the usual accompaniments and my taste buds craved for something super tasty. When I digged in my refrigerator, found two amla's lying seeking attention. Needless to say that the green fruit  can protect us against countless ailments,. And instantly I remembered a chutney recipe which I read in a tamil magazine somewhere. It was an instant hit and my 8 year old loved the tangy, spicy, sweet amla chutney. This chutney needs no cooking or no pre-preparations.

 

 Here comes the recipe

Ingredients:

Amla - 2
Mint leaves - 10 to 15 nos
Coriander leaves - a fistful
Green chillies - 4 (adjust as per your taste)
Ginger - 2 inch slice
Garlic - 1 (optional)
Curry leaves - few
Coconut - 1/4 cup
Coconut oil - 1 tsp (for flavor)
Salt as per taste

Tempering 
Coconut oil, mustard seeds and curry leaves

Method

Deseed the amla. Add all the ingredients mentioned above in a mixer and grind to the chutney consistency. Do the tempering and enjoy with hot idli or dosa.

Note : The right amount of spice, tangy and sweetness gives the actual taste to this chutney. So adjust the ingredients accordingly. My family prefers a mildly hot version, my green chillies were not very spicy, 4 nos were apt for us.

Ridge Gourd Skin Thuvayal - Peerkangai Thol Thuvayal

Ridge gourd peel thuvayal or Peerkangai Thol thuvayal is an easy thuvayal recipe made with ridge gourd peel or skin and other minimal ingredients.  Never let your ridge gourd peel go waste and try this easy thuvaiyal recipe which works as great side dish with dosa, idli and steamed rice. Rice mixed with this thuvayal and ghee along with some papad or potato chips is great combination to relish. 

 

Ingredients
 
Ridge gourd (peerkangai) skin - 1 cup  (or skin from 1 or 2 ridge gourds)
Tamarind - small marble sized ball
Grated coconut -2 tbsp
Hing and salt as per taste
 
For Seasoning
 
Oil -2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Channa dal - 2tsps
Whole black pepper -1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2 or 3

Method

Wash the ridge gourd well, peel the skin and chop it into small pieces.You can use the flesh for preparing kootu or chutney or poriyal. 

Heat oil in a pan and do the seasoning with the ingredients mentioned under "For Seasoning". Then add the chopped ridge gourd skin, hing, salt and tamarind and fry until the skin turns tender. Turn off the flame, add grated coconut, mix well and allow to cool down completely. 

Then transfer to a mixer and grind to coarse paste. This thuvayal can be served with rasam sadam or curd rice or even can be mixed with hot rice along with a tsp of ghee or oil.

Tomato Peanuts Chutney

Tomato Peanut Chutney is easy delicious chutney for idli, dosa or for any South Indian tiffin/snacks items. The peanutty flavor is just delightful. Here comes the recipe!

Ingredients

Ripe tomatoes - 3
Peanuts - 2 tbsps
Dry red chillies - 2
Salt as per taste

To temper

Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method

1. Fry peanuts in a pan until they turn golden brown. Set aside
2. In a pan, add a little bit of oil, add red chillies and fry. Then add chopped tomatoes  and salt and saute until it turns mushy. Allow it to cool down. 
3. Add the peanuts in a mixer and grind to a coarse powder. Now add the cooked tomatoes and grind to a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and do the tempering. Enjoy with idly/any dosa recipes.

Kollu Masiyal - HorseGram Masiyal

Until couple of days back I had never thought of including kollu (horsegram) in my menu. I was actually thinking they were used only for cattle feed. But when I happened to watch a cookery show in which Madam Revathy Shanmugam was making a dish out of Kollu and she was talking about its health benefits, instantly I started browsing to know more about it and I prepared this masiyal the next day itself. As I haven't tasted any dish made out of this legume I was little scared as how it would taste, thankfully there was no compromise :-)

Few things has to be noted while cooking this legume. Like any other legume this has to be soaked overnight or atleast for 5-6 hours and then pressure cooked for 3 whistles and then simmer for 5-10 mins. It doesn't mash up well like the dals. So I had to give a pulse using my mixer to get a coarse texture. You can use the kollu cooked water for making kollu rasam. I made the rasam too, recipe to be posted soon. You can also sprout this like any other pulses to improve its nutritive value

Ingredients

Kollu - 1/2 cup (soaked overnight)
Shallots - 6
Garlic cloves - 5 or 6
Tomato - 1
Green chilli - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Salt as per taste

To Temper

Oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and red chillies

Method

• Take a pressure cooker and add the soaked kollu, shallots, garlic, chopped tomatoes, green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and hing. Add enough water to pressure cook. Close the lid and cook for 3 whistles in high flame and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
• Allow the pressure to subside. Drain excess water and reserve this for using Kollu Rasam. Use a hand blender or a mixer to mash/grind it coarsely. If using a mixer just pulse twice or thrice. A coarse texture should be fine. You cannot mash it easily like we do for the dals. Add required salt and  mix well.
• Do the tempering and add it to the masiyal. Enjoy the nutritious kollu masiyal with hot rice.

Health Benefits

Kollu aids in reducing cholestrol to a great extent. It helps relieve menstrual problems in women. Regular intake of horsegram water or adding adding sprouts or any horsegram recipes in your diet daily treats irregular periods. Horsegram water is also used for regulating fever and treating cough/cold. Taking horsegram powder  in a little bit of water regularly, helps in treating and controlling skin rashes and boils.

Kadalai Paruppu Thuvayal - Channa Dal Thuvayal

Kadalai paruppu thuvayal is a simple recipe that goes well with plain rice and rasam. Or you can also mix this with rice along with a tsp of ghee/oil and have it with papad. This is a brahmin recipe and I learnt it from VJ after our marriage. Whenever I feel bored of doing sambar/ kuzhambu, this kadalai paruppu thuvayal is a best substitute. You can also make this as a chutney by adding little more water and do the tempering and serve as a side dish for idly/dosa. It will taste great.

Ingredients

Bengal gram/kadalai paruppu - 4 tbsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp 
Red chillies - 2 or 3
Hing - a pinch
Salt as needed

Optional Ingredients

Garlic - 1 or 2 pods
Whole black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few

Method

Heat a pan, add the channa dal and red chillies and fry until the dal turns golden brown. If adding the optional ingredients add them too along with the dal and fry them.

 Add grated coconut, saute for 2-3 seconds and switch off the flame. After it cools, grind it with little water adding required salt to a coarse paste.

Serve it with hot rice topped with ghee/oil or with Pepper rasam.