Check it out, in perspective of course… With Dosa and AK’s favourite Red Chutney

I used:

1 smallish-medium coconut, de-husked

3 green chillies

1″ piece of fresh ginger

2 tbsp roasted chana dal (also called chutney dal) – you can even use roasted (preferably unsalted) gram

1 tsp salt

some water to thin  the chutney

For the tempering:

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil(depending on how healthy you’re feeling!)

1 tsp black mustard seeds

3-4 stalks curry leaves

2 whole dried red chillies

Pinch of hing/ asafoetida

Here’s the coconut being cracked open with AK’s hammer. Frankly, I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet. I always manage to scrape myself while extracting the coconut from the hard shell, each time!

Then I scooped out the flesh and cut it into manageable pieces, straight into the grinder. This scooping out stage is where I do most damage to my poor fingers!

I put in the ginger and green chillies…

The dal…

And then pulsed it in the grinder for a few minutes till broken up nicely. It won’t grind very fine without the addition of any liquid, and we don’t want it very paste-y anyway.

Added the salt…

And a little bit of water (begin with 1/4 cup and see if you need more), just to allow it to grind better and come together…

You can add as much water as you like to make it as thick or as watery as you like. I don’t like to add to much, because I like this consistency…

Slightly grainy, with texture, but still holding together…

Now, for the tempering… I heated the oil on high heat in my small tadka vessel… And added the mustard seeds to it…

Then the red chillies, broken in half…

I washed the curry stalks and took the leaves, discarding the stalks. This needs to be done quickly as the mustard seeds will start crackling any second! Here are the whole stalks…

As soon as the mustard seeds started crackling furiously, I threw in the leaves, added the asafoetida and turned off the heat. The leaves sputter like crazy and the oil starts jumping about the kitchen too, so you need to watch out here! Can you see the oil splattering?!

I carefully added this to the chutney…

Then I put a heaped spatula of the chutney back in the tempering vessel, stirred it around and added it to the chutney. Just to get every little spot of tadka into the chutney. It’s important to stir the tadka into the chutney properly else the tadka just floats on top and the flavour/effect isn’t uniform!

These 2 steps cause the chutney to splatter so be careful. Tadka is definitely not child’s play!

And we’re done!!

Happiness! The simplicity of a dosa & chutney for lunch is incredibly satisfying! And for a “Northie”  like me, it spells accomplishment!

Ingredients

•  500g/1lb potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 oz butter
• vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped

Preparation

1.  Boil the potatoes and cook until soft.
2. Heat a frying pan until hot.
3. Dry fry the cumin and mustard seeds until they start to pop, about 20 seconds.
4. Add the onion, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, the garlic, and chilli and cook for a couple of minutes until softened.
5. Mash the potatoes with the butter and mix in the onion etc.

This time, I started by making a Mussaman Curry Paste.  The ingredients I used are as follows:

• 3-8 long red chillies, with the seeds removed.
• 5 chopped cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp of ground cinnamon or 1 stick.
• 6 cardamom seeds or 3 pods
• 1/2 tsp of ground or grated nutmeg
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp of coriander, ground or in seeds.
• 1 Tbsp of cumin, ground or in seeds.
• 1 tsp of shrimp paste (optional)
• 2 tsp of fresh galangal, or ginger if you prefer.
• 2 Tbsp of chopped lemongrass (no big deal if you don’t have any, I usually don’t)
• 2 onions, chopped.

To make the Curry Paste you should first dry fry the chillies, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, bay leaves, coriander and cumin to release the flavours. Then place the ingredients in a food processor with the shrimp paste, galangal, lemongrass, onions and garlic.

Grind the ingredients until they blend together. Tip in some vegetable oil to help with the blending if you like.

The next thing is to chop up whatever ingredients you want.  On this occasion I chopped up some garlic and onion to fry in the pan first, not necessary but I thought to add some more texture to the meal.

Of course you can also use whatever meat you want, though I didn’t have any to hand so I just made a vegetarian meal.  I used capsicum, spring onions and cashew nuts but you can use whatever you have around. For example peas or potatoes.

First fry the cashew nuts until they become lightly toasted. Then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Fry onions and garlic until softened.

Add in some of the curry paste and fry for a few minutes.

Tip in some coconut milk. I use light coconut milk as I supposed to watch these things but use full if you like. The amount you use is also totally up to you. I tend to use far less than most recipes suggest as I don’t like things watered down too much.  I tend to pour in a little bit, stir it in, see how it looks and add more if necessary.

Also add in a a tablespoon or so of fish sauce, stir in and then sprinkle over a pinch of sugar.  Tip in whatever vegetables you are using and fry until cooked to your liking. fis

Add in the cashew nuts with some chopped coriander, leaving a little of each to garnish.

Simmer for a few minutes.

Serve. Garnish with leftover coriander and cashew nuts and serve with rice.

Anyway, so what I made here is tangy, spicy, garlicky, and full of vegetables. Feel free to add / delete more veggies, shredded chicken, other kinds of meat too. I didn’t use green chillies this time, but broken red chillies that I intentionally burned a bit in the oil. I find that once you fry chillies, they are not that spicy and can be eaten instead of thrown away. It also releases a very nice flavor and in this case, a smokiness to the dish.

Healthy, easy, tangy & tasty!

Ingredients – You can double the quantities easily.

• 1 cup, Quinoa, uncooked.
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 cup thinly sliced Onion
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 cup chopped Bell peppers
• 1 cup thawed, frozen peas and carrots (but feel free to use fresh)
• 1 cup chopped green beans (I didn’t have, but add some)
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2″ piece ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 (or 1/2) tbsp Sriracha sauce / sambal / red chilli sauce
• 1 tbsp all purpose stir fry sauce / any asian sauce you have
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala, optional, for a little extra spice
• Salt to taste

METHOD :

1. Wash the quinoa using a strainer/small holed sieve and cook just like you would cook rice, 1 : 2 ratio in a pot or a rice cooker. Mix it up once it’s done so it doesn’t get lumpy.
2. Heat oil in a large pan/wok, add the garlic. Stir for a few seconds. Break the dried red chillies into small pieces and drop it into the hot oil. Saute for about 20 seconds until it’s dark and crisp but not smoking. Add the ginger and onions. Saute for a few minutes until lightly golden brown. Add all the vegetables and stir until cooked but not mushy.
3. Add all the sauces one by one to the vegetable mixture. Stir till well incorporated.
4. Add the quinoa and mix
5. Serve! Enjoy this on it’s own or with a side salad / asian side.

]]> http://merimuskan.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/30/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:28:31 +0000 merimuskan http://merimuskan.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/30/ http://food-dee-dum.com/2012/01/24/home-made-vada-pav/ Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:26:57 +0000 Praerna Kartha http://food-dee-dum.com/2012/01/24/home-made-vada-pav/ Vada Pav is a popular Indian fast-food snack that originated in Maharashtra, had for breakfast, lunch, evening tea and any other time you please! In the same fashion that North-Indians consume bread pakoras and samosas!

Frankly, I have never had them in Bombay but have hogged on the Garden Valla Vada Pav in Pune – so called because the vendor’s cart has been stationed near the garden for decades. Generations of his family have run the same business and I believe there are rumours of his home having been raided by the IT department because he was earning so much in cash and paying no taxes! I’m not sure how true this story is but I’ve heard it from numerous sources…

Getting back to the point, I have idolised those Vada Pavs since I was 5 years old and the trick is in the chutney. It’s one of those food items that I was too scared to try, lest I screw it up. But last week, a new reader ( Nmaha ) specifically asked me for the recipe and I was determined to get over my fear of failure and try it at home! Apart from the fact that street food can never be 100% authentically replicated at home, I was quite happy with the result and, more specifically, the flavour. I was obviously not able to replicate the aroma of refried oil (used for days and weeks on end) or the dust, grime and sweat that go with street food!

This is what AK & I had for Sunday brunch:

And it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be to make! Here’s what I used for 6 Vada Pavs:

1 pack of 6 Pavs (I was forced to use the mass produced variety, which are actually not pav at all. They’re just regular white bread in pav moulds. If you have a good local bakery around from where you can buy authentic pav, then don’t compromise. It makes all the difference!)

For the Vadas:

10 small potatoes, boiled and peeled (I had only the tiny ones left – 4-5 medium or 3 large potatoes should yield the same)

1 tsp mustard seeds

4 stalks curry leaves

1/4 tsp haldi/ turmeric powder

Pinch asafoetida

1 tsp salt

2 fat cloves garlic

1-1/2 inch piece  ginger

4 green chillies (adjust according to spice threshold)

1/2 cup besan/ gram flour

1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp haldi for the batter

Water to make batter

1 tbsp vegetable oil for tempering

Vegetable oil for frying

For the dry chilli garlic chutney:

1/3 cup garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry grated coconut (also called dessicated coconut) – I just bought a pack from the store and didn’t bother cutting & grating it

4 whole dried red chillies (adjust according to spice threshold)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vegetable oil

Green Pudina-Dhaniya (Mint-Cilantro) Chutney – recipe here

First I roasted the Chutney ingredients because they had to cool before I could grind them. These were the ingredients…

I heated the tsp of oil in a kadhai/ wok on high heat. We just need a little bit of oil to prevent initial burning and sticking. In a few minutes, the coconut starts releasing it’s own oil. I added the garlic to the hot oil (yes I know the garlic was beginning to sprout!)…

Then the coconut…

And then the red chillies, each broken into half to let the seeds out…

Mixed it up and dry roasted these on medium-high heat for a few minutes…

I roasted these until they were golden-brown and then placed them in the grinder to allow them to cool…

While the chutney ingredients were roasting, I got things ready for the vada filling. These are some of the ingredients…

Then I mashed the potatoes (see how tiny they are?!?!) roughly with a fork.

Chopped the chillies. (If you want the flavour and not the heat of the chillies, then you can de-seed them).

And the garlic.

Grated the ginger (using my TINY grater, which I use expressly to grate ginger and coconut).

Then I heated the tempering oil in the kadhai. And added the mustard seeds to it till they sputtered like crazy!

Added the asafoetida.

And the curry leaves. At this point, I suggest you literally chuck the leaves in and run for your life because the oil sputters and splashes to heights you would never have imagined. I don’t think hot oil likes curry leaves very much!! Anyhow I don’t have a picture because I refused to let AK take pictures of me running with my face scrunched up in fear!

Next, I added the haldi. (You can see the wilted & settled curry leaves in this picture)

Once the haldi had mixed in well with the oil, I added the chillies, ginger and garlic.

After frying for about a minute, I added the potatoes.

Added salt and stirred it up.

Cooked it for about 2 minutes on medium heat and then took it off to cool slightly. It needs to be handle-able because we’re going to shape and fry them in a few minutes! Anyhow, next I made the batter. First, measured out the besan.

Added salt.

And haldi.

Mixed it up and added enough water to make a thick paste like batter. This is slightly easier to handle because we need to shape the potatoes, coat them in this batter and fry. If the batter is too runny, then it won’t stick to the potato balls.

Then I put the oil for frying in the kadhai and placed it on high high. While it was heating, I divided the potatoes into 6 (sort of) equal portions and proceeded to shape them into balls.

Then I dipped each in the besan paste/ batter…

And placed them gingerly in the hot oil…

In batches of 2.

Using a slotted spoon, I flipped them over and kept an eye on them till they turned golden.

And when nice and (sort of) evenly golden on all sides, I lifted them out with the slotted spoon, drained as much oil as I could against the side of the kadhai and placed them on paper towels to drain more oil.

Here are all 6,with blobs of the fried left over batter (I didn’t want to just throw it away! But couldn’t do anything else with 2 tbsp of batter!

While I was frying the vadas, I also ground the chutney ingredients along with salt.

It looked grainy and dry, since we didn’t add any liquid to it. I discovered later that some recipes also add a dash of tamarind paste to it, so I’ll do that next time! But this looked and tasted pretty good as is!

I laid out the pavs.

And sliced them in half, horizontally, leaving one end intact.

And laid them on a hot and greased tawa/ griddle in batches of 3 to toast them lightly. Since these are the store bought variety and are much thicker and puffier than actual pavs, I pressed down on them with my hand to flatten and thin them out.

Now to assemble! I laid out each pav on a plate…

Spread 1 heaped tbsp of the dry chutney on one side…

Flattened a vada…

And placed it over the chutney…

Then I also scooped out 1 tbsp of green pudina-dhaniya chutney (always present in my fridge!)…

And spread it on the un-chutney-ed side of the pav…

Closed it up and pressed down for the green chutney juices to flow all over the place!!

Here’s what one looked like…

And here’s what 3 looked like…

As an after-thought, I also made some chutney to eat along with the vada-pavs, in case we thought they were too dry (which they weren’t but I didn’t want to rummage around for a dipping sauce/ chutney once we sat down to eat). In a bowl, I simply mixed 2 tbsp of the green chutney with 2 tbsp of the Hot & Sweet sauce…

All-in-all, I was delighted with the result! The vadas were moist and soft, and the flavours just right. The green chutney was my own addition as I have never had it in Vada-Pav before. But it worked out well. Next time, I would probably try adding a little tamarind water/paste to the dry chutney to make it a little more spreadable!

I love it when street-food-at-home plans come together (a la Hannibal from A-Team!)

Ubermind:

Dynamic, young, edgy- How about we use some unusual shapes and unexpected additions

Innovative, resourceful- How about some smartly up-cycled elements.

Young and bold- um… chili peppers?

Smart and creative- All this dynamism could easily get away from us, so let’s make sure the creative impulses are wrapped in an orderly, measured way that conveys some elegance and organization.

Seattle- Something tells me there’s a lot of facial hair and bike riders over in Ubie Land. Probably weekly meetings are at coffee shops and instead of costco pastries, they have organic, vegan donuts in their conference room- Great effort has been spent to make their conference room less conference-room-like. It probably is very open and friendly with semi reclining furniture and tactile things to play with. (Mr Potato Head?) They probably have a resident Beagle or Blood Hound. Definitely a Blood Hound… named Blossom. (sigh) so definitely some local/ organic flowers are in order.

Hooray!

The curly fabric is recycled rags. Peppers are from the Pike Place Market.

Wahoo!

500 grams boneless chicken pieces
3 to 4 red ripe chillies (the hotter the better)
2 tablespoons lime juice (made from fresh lemon)
100 grams curd (plain white yogurt)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil (refined sunflower oil)

Preparation:

1. Put lime juice, salt and chillies in mixer until thick.
2. Put the curd in a bowl which should be adequate to accommodate the chicken pieces, which you will add later.
3. Mix the chilli paste with the curd. Mix it well, forming a thick paste.
4. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix them well with the paste. All the chicken pieces should be properly covered by a layer of chilli-curd paste.
5. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature.
6. Take a cooking pan and pre-heat it for 2 minutes on medium.
7. Add the oil and let it heat for 1 minute.
8. Add chicken and paste mix.
9. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
10. Make sure chicken is properly cooked.

That’s it!

What I needed:

Garlic – few pods
Change of clothes – 1
Shower essentials (tap, soap, etc.)
A small stool
Mop – 1
Patience – in abundance

You may or may not need the above items – I did.

While I was preparing this dish, I had my 2 and a ½ year old inquisitive son (V) on my case. He seems to have already developed a strange affinity for the kitchen. He already narrates & demonstrates his own recipes and all of them end up seasoned with salt and pepper:)

At first, I struggled to find the right spot to photograph my ingredients. Just when I thought I sorted that one out, V dashed in super excited looking at all the food and equipment and wanted to help (they always want to help!). He was tasked to peel garlic. Instantly, he loved the task he was assigned. He felt like a grown up. He was proud to help me as if I had bestowed upon him, the biggest responsibility of his lifetime. He got on with the task which meant, I got on with mine. To my surprise, he did a pretty neat job with the garlic!

I made some progress with the tofu dish. I was satisfied.

If only, 2 and half year olds could sustain their happiness by peeling garlic! My happiness was short-lived. When we started cooking, little did I know that I was just going to witness a tantrum that will become worthy of an honorable post on my blog.

I washed my hands to start cooking. V saw me. Of course, he wanted to do it too! Under normal circumstances, I would carry him to ‘make him taller’ and let him wash his hands by himself. I really wanted to get on with the cooking, so I put a stool for him to stand on and wash his own hands with the expectation that he would be engaged in his own little venture for some time. Ten minutes later, he still wanted to wash his hands! I explained that we should not waste water (logic usually works!). I attempted to distract him. I tried to entice him with his bath toys and all the fun he could possibly have in the bath. Nothing worked! He was focused. Like most kids his age, he knew what he wanted! What followed was a 1-hour episode that resulted in leaking underpants and a pee trail that went from the living room to the bedroom. Thankfully, the kitchen was spared.

In the end, I lifted him up and took him to the shower. I thought that could help because honestly, nothing was helping. Instead, he got more agitated. His tantrums peaked. He was uncontrollable. I reminded myself constantly of that one single virtue every parent should have, patience.

I poured water on his head against his will in the hope that it will cool him down. Suddenly, there was silence as the water splashed on his head, straightening his hair, running through his eyes and face. He looked calm and he was not crying. What seemed like a never-ending ordeal had finally come to an end.

I could finally get back to making and clicking my Spicy Tofu cubes.

Our helper, D, makes this Indonesian/Malay recipe. This is my version of it. D usually deep fries the tofu and I have a natural aversion for anything deep fried in my regular cooking. In addition, it makes the tofu cubes lose all the moisture from inside. So, my version has stir fried Tofu / Paneer.

To print this recipe, click here.

(Serves 3 to 4)

Ingredients:

Firm Tofu: 250 gms
(Alternatively, you could use Paneer and follow the same recipe. I make it interchangeably and it works just fine).
Dried red chillies: 20 – 25 depending on the size of the chillies
Garlic: 3 pods
Galangal (or Thai Ginger): ½ inch pc
Kaffir lime leaves: 6, torn
Long / String beans: 6 cut into 2” long pcs
Sugar: ½ tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 3 tbsp

How I did it:

Cut the dried red chillies into 2. Shake it off so that the seeds come out. Throw the seeds away. Add hot water enough to soak the red chillies and microwave it for 15 seconds. You can also soak it in hot water for 10 minutes. This will soften the dried red chillies. Now wash the chillies under running water gently rubbing it and removing any seeds you can. This step is important to ensure that the chilli paste does not become overly spicy.

There are many varieties of Tofu available in the market. Use the “firm” tofu to make this dish. If you use tofu that is soft or silk tofu, the tofu will crumble. If you do not have tofu and assuming you have paneer (or Indian home made cheese), use that instead. Cut the tofu / paneer into 1” cubes. Rub some salt on this Tofu and keep aside.

Pound garlic using a mortar and pestle.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Add the tofu cubes and lightly fry it until gets a light brownish color. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the pound garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds on low heat. Add the sliced onions and sugar. Soften the onions on medium heat stirring frequently (approx. 5 mins). Add the chilli paste (about 3 tbsp) and salt. Cook the chilli paste on slow heat until the oil separates. This may take up to 10 mins. Once done, add the Galangal to this mix. Stir for another 2 mins.

Add 1/3 cup water to moisten this paste. Next, add the long beans and cook it on medium heat stirring occasionally. If it is dry, add some more water (3 – 4 tbsp). Remember that the long beans should be crunchy and not overcooked.

Now add the pan fried tofu / paneer cubes along with the torn kaffir lime leaves.

Combine everything together to ensure that the tofu / paneer is uniformly coated with the chilli paste. Stir for another 5 minutes on low heat.

Serve with rice. As this dish is high on heat, I prefer to have something cooling along with it like mix vegetable clear soup and an everyday cucumber/tomato light salad.

Tamarind (fibreless)   1 lemon-sized ball

Pepper corns 1½ tsp

Dry red chilles 8 to 10

Coriander seeds 1 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Asafotida ½ tsp

Salt 1 tsp

Arahar dal 1 tsp

Urad dal 1 tsp

Curry leaves 1/3 cup

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Jaggery small piece (optional)

Method

Soak the tamarind in warm water for about half-an-hour.

Heat about a teaspoon of oil and roast all the ingredients (chillies, pepper, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, dals – in that order) till you start getting the aroma.

Add the roasted ingredients in the blender along with the soaked tamarind and grind to a smooth paste. Add the salt, asafotida, and curry leaves and grind well. transfer the mix to a pan and add water to make a thick fluid.

Heat oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering pour the mix in  the mix and let it thicken on low heat till the mix starts boiling.  Add the jaggery when the mix is boiling. Serve hot.

Kept in the refrigerator, this can stay good for 10 days.

Chef’s note

If you do not want a thick kuzhambu, extract the  pulp from the tamarind instead of grinding it with the masala.

integrated film studio along with Red Chillies Entertainment are set to release Shah Rukh Khan’s most ambitious project Ra.One this festive season on 26th October.

The countdown to the film’s release marks the culmination of one of the biggest marketing blitzkrieg for any Indian film ever, embarked upon by Eros and Shah Rukh Khan with brand tie-ups to the tune of Rs. 52 crores.

The country’s biggest brand SRK and leading film studio Eros have come together, jointly exploiting the film’s potential and additional revenue streams making Ra.One the first of its kind landmark film. Expected to be India’s best marketed film with a 360 degree global campaign and a record number of brands on board, the marketing spends on Ra.One have been subsidized considerably through major brand tie-ups in excess of 25 brands. These include Sony PlayStation, YouTube, Nerolac, McDonald’s, Western Union Money Transfer, UTV Indiagames, Videocon, Nokia, Coke, ESPN Star Sports and Cinthol amongst others.

Eros International and Red Chillies have already recovered a major portion of their investments through in-film branding, media endorsements and through pre-licensing Cable & Satellite rights, music and other rights.

Eros International is planning a very wide release for the super hero action packed film in 2D and 3D formats in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu with over 3500 screens worldwide, out of which approx 500 screens are expected to be in 3D in India and approximately 50 plus 3D screens overseas.

If you’ve ever gorged on a wedding feast in Southern India, Karnataka to be precise, you’ve surely ended up smacking a sweet-sour pineapple gojju up to the last drop. We’re bringing the house down with a Tadka version of it in our Perky Pineapple segment, with a hint of heat, a sliver of spice, a snip of sweet, and a snatch of sour..this condiment is a wonderful addition to any meal, whether it’s served with rice, rotis or just by itself in a shiny stainless steel bowl..

Sweet and Sour Pineapple Gojju 
(Serves 4)

1 Teaspoon light olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon each of mustard, cumin
A dash each of turmeric and asafoetida
1-2 Red chillies (optional)
1/4 of a large Pineapple, cut into bite-sized slices, boiled under tender.
About 1 cup of water
Freshly ground Masala powder (recipe follows)
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon freshly extracted tamarind juice.
1/2 Tablespoon Brown sugar

For the Masala -
Fry the following in a drop of oil:

1 Tablespoon urad dal (black gram)
About a dozen methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 Red chilli (or more, according to heat preference)
3 Tablespoons desiccated coconut flakes (unsweetened)

Cool down and grind to a smooth powder.

In a pan or kadhai, warm the oil and season with mustard, cumin, add the turmeric and asafoetida. Add the red chillies, fry for a minute, carefully fish them out and set aside. Add the boiled pineapple, water, Masala powder, salt, tamarind juice and sugar, cover and let boil for 7-8 minutes on a medium flame. Top with the chillies before serving.

Serve hot with rice, rotis or in plum portions as a post-meal condiment.

Note:

• If using canned pineapple, drain liquid, chop (if using rings) and microwave for 5 mins in a covered glass dish before adding to the seasoning.
• If you prefer store-bought tamarind extract, about 1/2 teaspoon should do, but you can adjust according to taste.
• You can also substitute coarsely powdered jaggery for brown sugar.

The word chutney has not only traversed borders, it has endured ample wear and tear and come to bear diverse connotations and uses. When it’s sealed in the glass sleeves of a Major Grey’s in this neck of the woods, it refers to the fruity, pulpy, gelatinous stuff that is packed and sealed, in the typical vein of jams and preserves. When poured out of a blender container spout into a bowl, then spread like a green carpet in between toasts, it refers to the most beloved and versatile of all Indian chutneys, mint and coriander. When fleshed out from warmed-over apricots and served up with bobotie, it becomes the balmy ol’ blatjang. When squeezed and pressed from soaked tamarind and concocted with jaggery into a honey-textured, tangy syrup, it tops fiery chaats. When ground and heated through in a kadhai with flavorful seasonings until a thin ring of oil gathers around the green, red or creamy mass circumferentially, it refers to the glorious, spicy relish that goes with rotis and rice. When roasted with coconut, fried channa dal, chillies and cilantro, it plops down without a flap, diligently ceding to the dunking of idlis and dosas. When stirred up with raisins and fruit medleys, with winks of spices and fennel, it completes a seven-course Bengali meal. To honor this traditional condiment used in countless ways – as a dip, a side, a main gravy, a topper, a shy slip between layers of breads – we’re putting out a colorful Chutney Chow-down, so join in and find out just how!

Green Chard Chutney
(Serves 2-3) 

1 Bunch of Chard (this recipe works well with Collard too), cleaned and chopped into chunks
1/2 Tablespoon light olive oil (plus 1 tablespoon to fry the ground chutney)
1/2 Teaspoon each of mustard, fenugreek (methi), fennel (saunf – optional) and cumin
2-3 Green Chillies or according to heat preference
4-5 Cloves of Garlic, smashed or chopped roughly
A handful of peanuts
Salt to taste
A hint of brown sugar
1-2 Teaspoons aamchur (dried mango powder)

For seasoning:

A few drops of light olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon mustard
1/2 Teaspoon urad dal (optional)
1-2 Red chillies (optional)

Warm the oil in a separate pan and season with the above, to top the chutney.

Heat the oil in a pan and throw in the seasonings, once they splutter, add the garlic, green chillies and peanuts, fry until they cook up. Add the chopped greens, stir in and cook covered for about 6-8 minutes or until the greens have wilted and the stems appear slightly translucent. Cool down, add the salt, sugar and aamchur and grind in your blender with very little water.

Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a kadhai and add the ground chutney and cover immediately, allowing it to cook on a low flame for 10 minutes, with occasional stirring to avoid burning. The Chutney at this point is rather volatile, so covering with a lid is the best way to keep from getting scalded by the sputtering. The Chutney will have cooked down considerably by the end of the 10 minutes, and the oil starts gathering around it, leaving the sides of the kadhai easily.

Top with the seasoning and serve hot with rice and a dollop of ghee, if you so please.

We’re sharing our Chutney Chow-down with -