Grilled mango chutney

Grilling the fruits caramelizes the natural sugars in them. Grilled fruits and vegetables are a healthy choice that seduces the tastebuds. I had very ripe mangoes and I grilled them in my electric grill to make chutney using very few ingredients. My electric grill has non stick surface. Here is how I prepared.

Ingredients:

Ripe mangoes - 2 large

Ginger - quarter teaspoon grated

Green chillis or jalapeño - finely chopped - half teapoon

Salt as required

Lemon juice - half teaspoon (use only if the fruit is very sweet)

Oil spray

Method:

Peel the skin of the mangeos. Slice and discard the seed.

Heat the grill until the surface is very hot.

Spray oil on the surface.

Place the mango slices on grill.

Cook for apporximately 5 minutes on each side or until nicely browned with grill marks.

Remove mango from grill. Chop them finely and transfer it to a bowl.

Add the ginger, chillies, salt and lemon juice if required.

Stir and use as a spread for bread or use as a side for chapathi.

I did not use lemon juice since the fruit was already a little sour.

Suggestions:

You may choose to grill firm ripe mangoes since it will retain its shape and it is less messy.

If using the firm ripe mangoes, chop the grilled mangoes into small cubes, add other ingredients along with finely chopped red onions to make a tropical salsa.

This is my entry to Monthly Mingle - Grill It!

Ridge gourd peppercorn chutney / heerekai menusu chutney

This tasty spicy chutney is 100% my husband's creation. Just loved it. The minute I tasted this chutney, I wanted to share it with everyone and got it clicked. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd / Heerekai - long - 6

Oil for seasoning

Red chillies - 4

5 to 6 Peppercorns

Few curry leaves

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida Powder

Turmeric Powder

Salt as required

Tamarind Concentrate - less than 1/4 teaspoon

(If not using concentrate, use a pinch of tamarind)

Method:

Peel the ridge gourd and chop into small pieces.

Heat oil in a kadai and add urud dal, red chillies, peppercorns, curry leaves and asafoetida powder.

Fry for a minute and add the chopped ridge gourd.

When the content is heated, add the turmeric powder and salt. Let it cook for some more time. Stir occasionally. Do not add water.

When the vegetable is cooked, turn off the heat and wait until it cools down.

Add tamarind and grind the content without adding water, and the chutney is ready. Serve with steaming white rice with a dash of ghee.

If you prefer not to have it too spicy, remove a couple of chillis before grinding.

Tomato / Thakkali Thokku

Here is one recipe that is an all rounder side dish for Dosa, Iddli, Chapathi, Rice and Bread. Kids love it. This is my sister B's recipe and is also photographed by her. She used Naatu Thakkali, which is by nature a little sour. If trying this recipe with the Roma Tomatoes (The fleshy tomatoes that are not sour), add a little Tamarind to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 10 (around 2 kgs)

Fenugreek powder - 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder - 2-3 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar - 3 tsp

Salt to taste

Asafotida Powder

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Sesame Oil(Idhayam) - 2 tablespoons

Method:

Puree the Tomatoes without adding water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and add Mustard seeds. When it sputters, add the Asafoetida Seeds. Add the Tomato Puree. Boil the content for 1/2 an hour in low heat. Stir occasionally.

Add Turmeric powder, Chilli powder, Salt and Sugar.When it becomes half the quantity (smooth paste), add fenugreek powder and allow it to boil for 5 more minutes. Cool and bottle it. best for Idli, dosa, chappathi, curd rice, tomato rice, sandwich etc., Store in refrigerator.

Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu

Curry Leaves, called Karuvepilai which literally means Black Neem Leaf, are aromatic leaves that are extensively used in Asian Cooking especially in the South Indian Cuisine.

I found a wonderful article about curry leaves, in buzzle.com, written by Kanika Goswami. She says, Apart from cooking, the curry leaf has a number of medicinal uses also. It is an essential ingredient of almost all traditional medicine systems of peninsular India, sometimes with amazingly good results. Unani, Ayurveda and other systems use it to cure ailments such as piles, to allay heat of the body and are useful in leucoderma and blood disorders, and this has been proven by experts of western medicine also. In India, the curry leaf is used to prevent conditions such as nausea and stomach upsets. It is also used in treating skin irritations and poisonous bites. Its oils are invaluable as repellants and to cure skin disorders common to the tropics. More...

Also, Here's a post about the Curry leaves by Prabudesai in Benifits of Indian food.

The Jihva for Ingredients for the Month of May is 'GREENS' and is hosted by the event creator Mahanandhi. Thankyou Indira for hosting this event. I chose Curry Leaf and my contribution for the JFI event for Greens is 'Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu'. We call it Karuvepilla Kudhi Menusu at home. Its a wonderful recipe that is very good for digestion, particularly prepared the day after a heavy Dinner to cleanse the digestive tract. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 Cups

Ginger - 1 inch

Peppercorns - 8 to 10

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

(Sesame) Gingily Oil - 1 or 2 teaspoons

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Asfoetida powder

Tamarind - very little

Method:

Wash Curry Leaves and Drain Water. Toss in a heated Pan for a couple of minutes. When its almost room temperature, grind the leaves with Ginger, Tamarind and Peppercorns using water little by little. Do not use more water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and tamper the Mustard Seeds. Add the Asafoetida powder and then add the ground paste. Add Salt and Fry until all the moisture is absorbed.

Serve a teaspoon of this with a cup of hot steaming rice and a spoon of ghee. Mix well and enjoy the delight.

Tomato Coriander Leaves Chutney

Ingredients:

Red Ripe Tomatoes - 4 to 5 ( Chopped )

1 small bunches Coriander Leaves (Remove Stem as much as possible and chop the leaves)

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard Sseeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud Dal - 1 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds - 2 teaspoons

Asafoetida powder

Turmeric Powder

Red Chilli Powder

Dhania Powder - 1 teaspoon

salt

No water required while frying or while grinding. The juice from tomato is enough.

Method:

Heat oil in a Kadai and add the Mustard Seeds, when it sputters, add the Urud Dal, Cumin Seeds.

Add the Chopped Tomatoes. Fry for a couple of minutes and add Turmeric Powder, Dhania powder, Asafoetida powder, Red Chilli Powder and salt. Fry until the Tomatoes become tender.

Add the Chopped Coriander Leaves and fry for 4 to 5 minutes.

Cool down and grind to chutney consistency. Sauteing the Ground Chutney is optional. The taste is enhanced when the chutney is sauted again for 5 minutes.

Serve with Iddli/Dosa or Rice. Tastes really good with curd rice.

Heerekai Chutney / Ridge Gourd Chutney

Ingredients:

2 Long Ridge Gourds – The skin should not be shrunk too much between the ridges.
2 Green Chillis slit three forth vertically
Asafoetida
Salt
Tamarind Concentrate – very little, may be less than ¼ of a small spoon
Curry Leaves – 1 stalk

Method:

Peel off the Ridge Gourd Skin and Cut both the ends. Taste for Bitterness. Do not use Bitter Ridge Gourds. Dice the Ridge Gourd.

Heat the Diced Gourd along with the Green Chillis in low Heat. Do not add water. The Gourd itself will let out some Water. Stir occasionally and Cook for a while until all the water is evaporated. Let it cool down.

Take out only one Green Chilli and Grind the Cooked Gourd (with one green chilli) along with Asafoetida, Salt, Tamarind Concentrate and Curry leaves. Grind to a smooth Paste. Season if you want to. Serve this Chutney with Steaming Rice.

Rajma Chutney / Red Kidney Beans Chutney

Ingredients:

Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) – ¾ cup Soaked overnight
Ripe Juicy Tomatoes – 4 – Chop the tomatoes finely

Mustard Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Urud Dal – 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds – 1 teaspoon
Grated Ginger – ½ teaspoon (optional)
Oil – 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Turmeric Powder
Dhania Powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves – 1 tablespoon – finely chopped

Method:

Cook Rajma in Pressure cooker and keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a Pressure Pan or Kadai, Add Mustard Seeds, when it sputters, add the Urud Dal and Cumin Seeds, then add the chopped Tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes are cooked. While it is boiling, add Asafoetida, Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Dhania and Salt. Add little water if needed. The consistency should not be too thick or too loose. Let it cool down.

Grind the Rajma along with the Tomato Gravy to a smooth Paste.

Mix in the chopped Coriander leaves.

This chutney can be served as a side for Chapathis or can be Mixed with Rice. This can also be used as a Spread for Toasted Bread for a high Protein Breakfast.

Tomato Mint Chutney

Ingredients:

Ripe Tomatoes – 5
A small bunch of Mint leaves
Cumin – 1 ½ teaspoon
Mustard Seeds – ½ teaspoon
Urud Dal – 1 tablespoon
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder
Asafoetida
Salt
Oil – 1 tablespoon

Method:

Chop Tomatoes finely.

Heat oil in a Kadai and add mustard seeds, when it sputters, add Cumin and Urud Dal. Then add the chopped Tomatoes. Fry until the Tomatoes are cooked. When it is boiling, add Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida, Red Chilli Powder and Salt. Fry for sometime and let the spices blend well with the Tomatoes. Now, add the Mint leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat completely. Let the content Cool. Grind it to a smooth paste. Do not add water. Tasty Chutney is ready for Dosa or Idli.

Pomegranate Mint Chutney

I had a small bunch of Mint and a ripe Pomegranate in my pantry. A wild idea struck me. Why not combine the two to make a Chutney that I have never tasted before. A Chutney for the Dosa that I was planning for the night. The idea worked and the result was a delicious sweetie, minty chutney. My husband and my little daughter loved it. Try this recipe. (The yield for the recipe below is very little. You can increase the Measurements Proportionately, if you want more chutney.)

Ingredients:


1 large ripe Pomegranate.
1 Small bunch of Mint
½ Green Chilli (if it’s too hot)
1 teaspoon Cummin (Jeera)
Salt to taste



Method:

Grind the Pomegranate Seeds with Cummin Seeds, Green Chilli and Salt, to a smooth paste. Do not add water as the fruit has enough juice to grind. (The Paste will be a little Coarse due to the seeds and that’s okay.) Now add the mint and grind again until the mint is ground to a paste. Chutney is ready in Seconds. No seasoning required. It’s a low Calorie and no Oil recipe for Dosa or Chapathi.