Red Tamarind / Lal Imli Chutney, a punjabi recipe

being transferred to Latha's Recipe Collections

Peanut / Groundnut Chutney

Ingredients needed for the Peanut / Groundnut Chutney
1 cup - peanuts
5 dried red chillies
4 small onions - cut in to 2-3 pieces
2 teaspoons - tamarind pulp or to taste
Salt or to taste

Ingredients for Tempering  
2 tsps oil
1 tsp each - cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal and six curry leaves

Roast the peanuts either on the stove top or in the microwave.
To roast the nuts on the stove top place a kadai on the stove, on medium heat. Slowly roast the peanuts to golden brown color. Let cool and then rub the skins off the peanuts. Keep aside

The microwave method of roasting the peanuts. The time it takes will depend on how powerful your microwave is. Mostly it takes about 2-4 minutes.
Place the nuts in the Grill plate of the microwave or an ordinary microwaveable plate. adjust the settings accordingly. In between put out the microwave and mix them with a spatula for the nuts to turn golden uniformly. But be careful if you are doing it the first time as you might blacken the nuts. Let them cool.

Now to prepare the  Peanut chutney.
Heat a tablespoon of oil  and add dried red chillies and  onions, till they are golden brown. Let cool.
Mix roasted peanuts, and the other ingredients, salt and a cup of water.
Grind to fine consistency and then remove the mixture to a bowl.
Temper with the tempering ingredients  and pour over the peanut chutney.

Points to Note 
Serve this chutney with Idli / Dosa / Uppuma etc. This goes well as a side dish with plain rice also.
You can prepare chutney with or without the skins of the peanuts. The colour of the chutney will change if the skins re used as well as the taste.  Check it out.

Recipe for the Mint Coriander Chutney / Green Chutney

Ingredients needed for the Mint Coriander Chutney / Green Chutney
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
5 cloves garlic
1" piece of ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
2 tsps lime juice

How to prepare the Mint Coriander Chutney / Green Chutney
Remove  roots  and the thick stems from the coriander leaves, keep aside. Like wise remove the stalks from the mint and keep aside.  There should be  atleast  1 1/2 to 2 cups each of coriander and mint leaves.
Peel garlic and ginger and pinch the stalks of the  green chillies. Wash all these ingredients thoroughly.
Now add all the ingredients  to a clean Mixer Jar and grind all the ingredients adding salt to taste to a smooth paste.
Chill and serve.

Onion Tomato Raita

Ingredients needed for Onion Tomato Raita 
1 cup curds fresh and not sour
1/4 cup milk (optional)
2 tbsps chopped onions
1/2 tsp salt / or to taste
1 tbsp tomato chopped
1/2 tsp green chilli minced
1/2 tsp chat masala (optional for garnish)

How to prepare Onion Tomato Raita
Whisk curds and milk together till they are soft and smooth.
Add the chopped onions, green chillies and tomatoes to the curds and milk mix.
Add salt and mix well, mashing the onins and tomatoes a little with the back of the spoon.
Sprinkle Chat Masala on top just before you serve.

Points to Note:
If the curds are a little sour add a little more milk.
If you are using the raita immediately you need not use milk, you can just make it with curds. It will taste just as nice.
Chat masala will give you a slight tangy flavour, if you don't like it leave it and don't use it.
Even a pinch of Jeera powder / cumin seeds powder will work nicely as a garnish. It is a good digestive too.

Knolkhol Thuvaiyal, a delicious chutney

Ingredients needed for the Knolkhol Thuvaiyal 
1 cup Knolkhol, peeled and cut into small pieces
2/3 tsp Oil
4 Red Chillies
2 tsps Urad Dal
1/2 tbsp Tamarind paste
Salt to taste

For the tempering Knolkhol Thuvaiyal
1 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp split Urad Dal
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1 / 2 stalks Curry Leaves

How to prepare the Knolkhol Thuvaiyal / Thugaiyal
Heat a little oil and add the cut vegetable. Saute for a minute or two, cover add enough water to cook till tender.  Keep aside to cool.
In a fry pan, heat a little oil, urad dal, red chillies and fry for a minute. Grind this to a smooth paste with tamarind paste salt to taste and the cooked vegetable.
Heat oil in a fry pan for seasoning, add urad dal and mustard.
As the mustard splutters add the asafoetida and the pinched curry leaves.
Remove from flame and then add the vegetable paste to this.
Serve hot with steaming hot plain rice as a side dish.

Points to Note:

You can serve these types of Thuvaiyal / chutnies as a side dish with rice and  pickles.

Recipe for Coconut Chutney

I am trying to give you as many varieties of chutneys as I can, so that you can choose any one to have with your Idli and Dosas.

Ingredients needed for the Coconut chutney:-
2 tbsps coriander leaves
1 cup grated coconut
2 tbsps Roasted  Chana Dal
3-4 green chillies
3 small garlic cloves l
1 stalk curry leaves
1/2 tsp Tamarind extract / Lime juice
Salt  to taste

Ingredients for Seasoning
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 red chillies broken into bits
2 small onions sliced thinly
Oil for tempering

How to prepare the coconut chutney
Wash and clean the coriander leaves.
Mix and add all the ingredients needed for the chutney together.
Grind to a fine paste in the mixer grinder.
Heat oil in a small fry pan.
Splutter mustard seeds and then add sliced small onions, red chillies.
When they brown, pour over th chutney and serve.

Palak Chutney Recipe - 2

Ingredients needed for the Palak Chutney:
1 cup Palak / Spinach leaves
2 green chillies
1 tbsp lime juice
3/4 flakes garlic
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

How to prepare the palak chutney:
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped Palak leaves and saute for a minute or tw.
Add chopped garlic, green chillies and stir well.
Once the colour changes grind it to a paste with salt and lime juice.
Serve hot with Rice as a side dish.

Palak Chutney - 1

Ingredients;

1 cup Palak leaves, chopped
1.2 cup each of Coriander and Pudhina leaves, chopped
2 green chillies, minced finely
Curds, as you like
1 tbsp Lemon juice (optional)
Chat Masala to taste
Salt to taste (if needed)

Method:

Cook spinach or just microwave, til it is done. Let cool.
Once it cools down, mix coriander and Pudhina leaves and green chillies with a little salt.
Grind to a paste.
Add curds and lemon juice and chat masala to the mixture and blend well.
Serve with Rotis, Phulkas or steamed rice as a side dish.

Note:

This is a chutney very good for health. It is rich in iron and with lemon juice as an ingredient this chutney will help the body to absorb iron .
If you want to preserve this for a few days, do not add curds when you make them. Add it just before serving.

Coconut Mango Chutney

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Ulli Chammandhi with Coconut

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped small onions ( shallots )
1cup grated coconut
5-6 red chillies or as per taste
Salt to taste
Coconut oil as needed

Method:
Grind coconut and red chillies to a fine, smooth paste.
Add chopped onions to the paste and slightly crush them with a spoon.
Add salt and blend the ingredients well.
Pour raw coconut oil on top.
Serve it with Idlis, Dosas, Uppuma etc.

Note:
If you do not like the raw taste of the onions and coconut oil, heat the oil, saute the onions a little till they get transparent and add the coconut mixture.
But, the raw onions are supposed to be very healthy and are said to have  therapeutic, anti bacterial, antifungal properties. It is also known to prevent thrombosis and reduce high blood pressure etc.