Purple Cabbage & Peanut Chutney/Dip

I love purple cabbage not only because of its vibrant color but also because its so healthy. A low carbohydrate/starch vegetable and suits all dietary needs. This is one of the regular vegetable I buy from the farmers market and I always have it in stock. I add this to salads, soups, pasta, curries and what not. I had little bit of this chopped cabbage left and was looking for ways to make use of it before I buy another fresh one.  So when I had to make some side dish for our Sunday Morning Breakfast, I  decided to use up this cabbage. The result was an easy, delicious and healthy chutney.  This chutney made with purple cabbage, spices and peanuts taste great with Indian dishes and also tastes good with some fresh cut celery, cucumber. So do give this a try and let me know, how you liked it.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 10 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Chopped purple cabbage – 2 Cups(loosely packed)

Pearl Onions – 1/3 Cup

Peanuts – 1/3 Cup

Green Chilies – 4 to 5 or to taste

Tamarind – 1 inch piece

Salt – 1 Tsp or to taste

Coconut Oil – 1 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Split Urad Dal – 1 Tbsp

Asafoetida – small pieces

Method

1) Heat a pan and once hot add the coconut oil. Once the oil is warm add the peanuts and saute till they are slightly brown and remove them from the heat. Now in the same oil, add the mustard seeds and asafoetida piece. . After the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the urad dal and the tarmarind piece.

2) After the urad dal slightly browns , remove the tamarind piece along with some urad dal and mustard seeds. Add the green chilies(chopped) and pearl onions and saute till the onion turns translucent.

3) Now add the chopped cabbage and saute for 5-7 minutes on high heat and switch off. Let this cool for some time.

4) Now transfer the contents to a food processor, add the tamarind piece,salt, roasted peanuts and little bit of water and blend till a smooth paste. Add the reserved mustard seeds and urad dal back to this stir and serve along with Idli or Dosai or use it as a dip with some fresh cut veggies.

Events

Sending this to Sangee’s Show me your Hits.

Sending this to Priya’s Now Serving The Big Chutney Chow Down.

Sending this to Ria’s Spotlight Winter Vegetables.

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Kale & Coconut Chutney

Kale is the King of Greens along with Brocolli. Though greens in general are nutritious foods, kale stands a head above the rest. Not only is it one of your best sources of beta-carotene, one of the antioxidants believed by many nutrition experts to be a major player in the battle against cancer, heart disease, and certain age-related chronic diseases, it also provides other important nutrients. In addition to beta-carotene, kale posses other important carotenoids: lutein and zeaxathin. These carotenoids help keep UV rays from damaging the eyes and causing cataracts.



Because of its nutritional content, I always pick up a bunch of kale from the farmers market. There are numerous ways you can include kale in your diet steamed kale, kale chips, salads. Being little bored of all these, I tried out this chutney and we all liked it. Do try out and let me know, how you liked it.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 10 Minutes

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Kale - 2 Cups ( Washed, stalks removed and torn or chopped into small pieces)

Coconut - 1 Cup (grated fresh)

Tamarind - 1 small goose berry sized ball(soaked in 1/4 cup water and discard any dirt in the bottom)

Salt - 1 Tsp or to you taste



Tempering



Coconut Oil - 2 Tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida - small piece or 1/4 Tsp powder

Split Urad dal - 2 Tbsp

Red chili - 8 to 10 depending on the spiciness of the chili and your taste preference cut into half



Method



1) Heat a pan add oil and once it is hot add the mustard seeds and asafoetida piece

2) After the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the urad dal and then the red chili pieces.  Saute till slightly brown. Now add the kale leaves and cook till slight tender.



3)  Once the kale is slightly cooled add all the contents from pan setting little bit of urad dal and mustard seeds aside to a food processor, to this add the salt, coconut, soaked tamarind and blend till smooth adding more water as desired.



4) Now add the urad dal and mustard seeds to this ground chutney and mix well and enjoy.

Event Participation

Sending this kale chutney to Srivalli's Condiment Mela.



This also goes to Yummy food in Tummy's Life is Green Event.

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Onion Pickle(Thokku)

Life without Onion, would be impossible for me. It just not only adds taste and flavor to the dishes you

cook but has immense health benefits.

Onions have a variety of medicinal effects. Early American settlers used wild onions to treat colds, coughs,

and asthma, and to repel insects. In Chinese medicine, onions have been used to treat angina, coughs,

bacterial infections, and breathing problems. Onions are a rich source of flavonoids, substances known to

provide protection against cardiovascular disease. Onions are also natural anti clotting agents since they

possess substances with fibrinolytic activity and can suppress platelet-clumping. The anti clotting effect

of onions closely correlates with their sulfur content.

Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 20

Ingredients

Red Onion – 6

Red Chili – 8 to 12 depending on your taste

Red Chili powder – 1 Tsp

Tamarind – Lemon Sized ball

Salt – 2 Tsp or to taste

Tempering

Oil – 3 Tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida powder – 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Wash, peel and chop the onions, soak the tamarind in warm water to cover the surface.

2) Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil add the red chili, saute for 5 minutes and then add the chopped onions

salt and the red chili powder.

3) Once the onions are translucent switch off the stove.

4) Let this cool for few minutes.

5) Now transfer the contents to a food processor and blend till a smooth paste.

6) Heat a pan, add half of the oil and add the mustard seeds, once they stop spluttering add asafoetida

powder and the onion paste.

7) Simmer this for a few minutes till all the water evaporates and this becomes a thick paste, now

add the rest of the oil and saute for 2 minutes and then switch off the stove.

8) Once this is completely cooled, store in a dry clean air tight bottle. This stores good in a refrigerator

up to a month.

9) Use this as a side dish with Idli, Dosa, Quinoa, Indian Flat Bread, Rice, Dip or spread.

Read more »

Cilantro Peanut Chutney

This inexpensive and tasty herb is a powerful natural cleansing agent. Cilantro has been effectively

used to help remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body. The chemical compounds in

cilantro actually bind to the heavy metals, loosening them from the tissues, blood and organs. Cilantro's

chemical compounds then aid to transport these harmful substances out of the body through elimination.

Cineole and linoleic acid are two primary components of organic cilantro that contain anti-rheumatic and

anti-arthritic properties. These two components also help purge extra water present in the body due to

swelling. Cilantro also contains oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin-C).

Each of these elements are effective in lowering high cholesterol in the blood, as well as the internal walls

of the veins and arteries.

I love cilantro for its flavor and for its beautiful green color and try not just to include it in the garnishing

but make it as a chutney and eat it often. This combined with the goodness of protein rich peanuts

is not only good for your health for tastes so good for your taste buds too. Easy to make and can be

refrigerated for at least 5 days, can be used as a dip, spread, chutney. Do give it a try.

Preparation Time – 20 Minutes

Cooking Time – 5 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Cilantro – 1 bunch

Roasted peeled peanuts – 1 cup

Green chili – 4 to 6 or to taste

Tamarind – small ball(half the size of a lemon)

Salt – 1 1/2 Tsp or taste

Water – 1/4 cup

Tempering

Oil – 2 Tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal – 1 tsp

Red chili – 2

Method

1) Soak the tamarind ball in warm water for few minutes and carry on to step 2.

2) Wash, rinse and drain the cilantro leaves and chop into small pieces.

3) In your blender throw in the chopped cilantro, peanuts, salt, green chili and

soaked tamarind ball with water discarding the residue as the dirt will settle

down at the bottom.

4) Blend into a fine paste and add little bit of water if required.

5) Heat a pan, add oil and once it is hot add mustard seeds. After they stop

spluttering add asafoetida powder, urad dal, red chili and once the urad dal is

slightly brown add the tempering to the ground chutney and mix thoroughly.

6) Serve with Idli, Dosa, Rice or use as a spread on your sandwich.

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Coriander Chutney(Kothamalli Thogayal)

This inexpensive and tasty herb is a powerful natural cleansing agent. Cilantro has been effectively

used to help remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body. The chemical compounds in

cilantro actually bind to the heavy metals, loosening them from the tissues, blood and organs. Cilantro's

chemical compounds then aid to transport these harmful substances out of the body through elimination.

Cineole and linoleic acid are two primary components of organic cilantro that contain anti-rheumatic and

anti-arthritic properties. These two components also help purge extra water present in the body due to

swelling. Cilantro also contains oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin-C).

Each of these elements are effective in lowering high cholesterol in the blood, as well as the internal walls

of the veins and arteries.

Everybody use this herb/leaf for garnishing but with so much of immense health benefits don’t you think

this needs to be made into a dish by itself, try this aromatic, tasty and healthy chutney and i am sure

you would love it. This is not your regular cilantro watery chutney but made without adding even a Tsp

of water and keeps well in refrigerator for at least a month.

Preparation Time – 20 to 25 Minutes

Cooking Time – 5 Minutes

Serves – 10-15 Servings

Ingredients

Cilantro – 2 bunches

Red Chili – 12-15(Adjust this according to the spice level of the red chili and your taste)

Black Pepper – 1 Tsp

Split White Urad Dal – 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Tamarind – Small lemon sized ball

Sea Salt – 2 Tsp (Adjust this according to your taste and can be added later after grinding too)

Oil –2 Tbsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method

1) Chop the thick stems and wash, rinse and drain the leaves and thin stem from the cilantro

bunch.

2) Once the water is drained, take the cilantro leaves and chop them into an inch piece

coarsely and spread them on kitchen paper towel to remove the excess water.

3) Leave this for 20-30 minutes on the paper towel and pinch out the tamarind into small

pieces with your hand and leave them in between the cilantro leaves, so the thick tamarind

will get softened and it will easier to grind without adding water.

4) While the cilantro leaves are left to dry out a little, let us heat a pan and add the oil.

Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and once they stop spluttering then add

asaofoetida, white urad dal. Once the White urad dal slightly browns then add the red

chili and black pepper.

5) Switch off the stove once the red chili is slightly browned and the black pepper is all popped.

6) Leave this to cool for 10 minutes, now spoon out the roasted black pepper, red chili, urad dal

reserving 1 tsp of urad dal and little bit of mustard seeds in a blender and add the drained

chopped cilantro along with the tamarind pieces and sea salt.

7) Now get some patience and grind this into a chutney without adding any water and stirring

in between. You will be very tempted to add water to the blender, but do not add as you will

not get the same as grinding without water.

8) Take out the chutney and mix the reserved urad dal and mustard seeds and add powdered

salt if necessary. Serve it with hot rice, Idli, Dosai, Roti or even can be used as a spread

on bread.

Read more »

Tomato Pickle(Thakkali Thokku)

I can never get enough of tomato dishes. But why, it is one of the super foods, which is low on calories,

fat, carb and apart from that a very good source of Lycopene. The super chemical of the town.

Lycopene is the chemical that makes tomatoes red. Among the studes, it showed

that the more tomatoes one ate, the lower the risk of cancer. Cooked tomatoes contain even more

lycopene because cooking breaks down cell walls, releasing and concentrating carotenoids. Eating tomatoes

with a small amount of fat enables lycopene to be better absorbed.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 10

Ingredients

Green Tomatoes – 8 to 10 Medium Sized ones

Tamarind – A small lemon sized ball(If your tomatoes are really sour just skip this one)

Red Chili powder – 3 Tsp (Increase or Decrease as per your preference)

Salt –3 Tsp (Increase or Decrease based on your taste)

Turmeric Powder – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Sesame Oil – 4 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Wash and rinse the green tomatoes and Jalapeno Pepper.

2) In a wide mouthed pan add a Tbsp of oil, stir fry the chopped tomatoes on high heat for 5 minutes and

switch off. Once it is cooled enough go to step 3.

3) In a food processor, grind them into a coarse mixture and do not make a smoothie

or this will end up in the stove top for half a day.

4) Heat a wide mouthed and big pan and add 2 Tbsp of oil, once the oil is hot

add Mustard seeds.

5) Once the mustard seeds, stop spluttering add the Tomato paste

and then add turmeric powder, salt, tamarind pulp and Red Chili powder and simmer in the stove top

for 30 minutes, stirring in between.

6) After 30 minutes, the mixture would have turned into a thick mass and have started

leaving the sides, at this point add the rest of the oil, combine and leave on high heat for two

minutes and switch off the stove.

7) After this cools completely, store in a clean, dry, airtight bottle. This is good for at least

3 weeks if kept in a refrigerator.

8) Goes very well with Idli, Dosa, Spread and Dip. You can combine this with rice or quinoa and

make spicy, tasty tomato rice or tomato quinoa.

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Green Tomato & Jalapeno Chutney

I don’t why people didn’t reward any other vegetable or fruit the special status like Apple, when a

proverb exists “Apple a day keeps the Cancer away” should we come up with a one like

“Tomato a Day keep Cancer away”. A review of 72 different studies showed consistently that the

more tomatoes and tomato products people eat, the lower their risks of many different kinds of cancer.

The secret may lie in lycopene, the chemical that makes tomatoes red. Among the studes, it showed

that the more tomatoes one ate, the lower the risk of cancer. Cooked tomatoes contain even more

lycopene because cooking breaks down cell walls, releasing and concentrating carotenoids. Eating tomatoes

with a small amount of fat enables lycopene to be better absorbed.Why wait, grab a bag of tomatoes

and let us get cooking.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 10

Ingredients

Green Tomatoes – 8 to 10 Medium Sized ones

Jalapeno Pepper – 10 Increase or decrease this based on your spice preference

Red Chili powder – 1 Tsp (Increase or Decrease as per your preference)

Salt –2 Tsp (Increase or Decrease based on your taste)

Turmeric Powder – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Sesame Oil – 4 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Wash and rinse the green tomatoes and Jalapeno Pepper.

2) In a food processor, grind them into a coarse mixture and do not make a smoothie

or this will end up in the stove top for half a day.

3) Heat a wide mouthed and big pan and add 2 Tbsp of oil, once the oil is hot

add Mustard seeds.

4) Once the mustard seeds, stop spluttering add the Tomato and Jalapeno paste

and then add turmeric powder, salt and Red Chili powder and simmer in the stove top

for 30 minutes, stirring in between.

5) As it boils and simmers, if you use a small pan the tomato jalapeno mixture will surely

decorate your stove top with enough spots, so make sure to use a wide mouthed and big

pan.

6) After 30 minutes, the mixture would have turned into a thick mass and have started

leaving the sides, at this point add 2 more Tbsp of oil, combine and leave on high heat for two

minutes and switch off the stove.

7) After this cools completely, store in a clean, dry, airtight bottle. This is good for at least

2 weeks if kept in a refrigerator.

8) Goes very well with Idli, Dosa, Rice, Quinoa, Spread and Dip.

Read more »

Tomato Onion Jalapeno Uthappam(Spicy Pancake)

Uthappam is a savory veggie stuffed pancake made with Parboiled rice and White lentil(De husked Urad

Dal). This is one of the popular breakfast item in Southern parts of India. Made with a perfect balance

of complex carbohydrate and protein and served with spicy vegetable chutneys, they not only fill you

up but also give you enough energy to kick start a nice day. This White lentil is a very good source of

cholesterol-lowering fiber and are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high

fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. They are a good source of protein

without any fat in them. Parboiled rice is a nutritious type of rice, as it is partially cooked while still in the

husk. This form of cleaning and processing rice brings out multiple nutritional benefits that may make it

a good fit for your diet.

Even though the procedure looks little longer, it is very simple as simple as making a pancake but

a much healthier breakfast choice than having a sweet pancake drenched in maple syrup or honey.

Cooking Time - 20 mins

Preparation Time - 10 mins(Excluding the batter)

Serves – 4 (Makes around 12)

Ingredients

White Urad Dal(White Lentil) - 1 cup

Boiled Rice(Idli rice - This is not polished white rice and will be slightly brown in color) - 2 cups

Salt – 3 Tsp

Batter – 3 cups

Tomato – 2

Onion – 2

Jalapeno Pepper - 2

Oil - 12 tsp

Method

1) Rinse and drain Urad dal till you get a clear water. Now soak in enough water for 2-3 hours.

2) Rinse and drain Idli rice and soak in enough water for 6 hours.

3) Using a stone grinder/blender grind the urad dal adding the soaked water little by little till

you get a smooth fluffy batter.

4) Now grind the rice into a fine paste adding water little by little.

5) Mix the Urad dal batter, Rice batter and Salt and mix them thoroughly.

6) Leave it over night for the batter to ferment nicely, on cold winter days switch on the oven

light and leave the batter inside the oven overnight. The heat from the light will make the

batter to ferment.

7) For the first 2-3 days after fermentation the batter can be used for making soft Idlis, after 2-3

days, the idli’s kind of turn hard. At this stage instead of making Idli use the batter to make a

nice tasting Uthappam. You can also use fresh batter, but since i use the same batter for making

Idli, Uthappam and Dosai i am sharing the same with you.

8) For making Uthappam, heat a iron griddle once hot take a ladle of batter and on the top spread

a place the tomato, onion and Jalapeno pieces and pour a tsp of oil around the batter.

9) Cover it and cook for 2-3 mins in medium heat and once once side is well cooked and the batter

on the top has changed color flip and now cook the other side without covering for a minute.

10) Once well cooked remove and serve with chutney of your choice. I served it with Tomato

Pickle/Thokku for which i will post the recipe later.

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Silk Squash(Chinese Okra/Peerkangai) Chutney

Chinese Okra is a popular vegetable used extensively in many Asian Countries. A long, thin squash with a dull-green

skin, Chinese Okra has deep, narrow ridges which give it a star-shaped slice when cut. So named because of

its similarity in taste and texture to okra, Chinese Okra is usually eaten young, before it becomes bitter.

Steamed, sautéed or braised, the flesh becomes soft and tender and can be stir-fried or deep-fried. It is a very

good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber. Try this chutney out, with a tangy, spicy taste. They

are not only good for your taste buds and good for you too.

Preparation Time – 20 mins

Cooking Time – 15 mins

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Chinese Okra – 3

Red Chili – 4 to 5 (increase it to make it even more spicy)

Asafoetida – small piece

Tamarind – 1/2 size of lemon

Salt – 1 tsp or increase it more to your taste

Oil – 2 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal Split - 1 Tbsp

Method

1) Wash, peel and cut the Chinese okra into small cubes. Make sure to peel the hard green

part and use only the white interior part.

2) Heat oil in a pan and once hot add mustard seeds and asafoetida piece.

3) Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the urad dal and once it is slightly brown

add the chinese okra pieces to the pan.

4) Saute for a 10 minutes till the vegetable becomes tender and then switch off and

add the tamarind pieces to the sauteed vegetables to soak in the hot vegetable itself.

5) Once the Chinese okra is cooled enough, add salt and grind in a blender to a coarse

to smooth paste.

6) There is no need to add water when grinding, but after grinding if you want to

make it little thinner, add some more water and adjust the taste of the salt accordingly.

Enjoy with Idli, Dosa, Rice or spread in pita bread and stuff with veggies and enjoy.

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Coconut Chutney

Coconut is high in fiber, but its most plentiful nutrient is fat, the oil that accounts for 85 percent of the

calories in coconut meat. Roasted Split Chick Pea is a good source of protein.

This delicious and nutritious chutney elevates any ordinary dish to an extraordinary taste. This is

a very popular chutney made in the Southern part of India. I love it so much, i eat by itself instead of using

as an accompaniment. Can be used as a dip too.

Preparation Time – 10 minutes

Cooking Time – 2 minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

1 half of a coconut – Shredded finely

Roasted Split Chick Pea(Channa Dal) – 1 Tbsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp or to taste

Green Chili – 2 or to taste

Water

Coconut oil – 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Urad Dal – 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves – 3-4 leaves chopped

Method

1) In a blender add the coconut, roasted split chick pea, salt, green chili

and grind to a fine powder.

2) Now add 2-3 Tbsp of water and once again grind to get a thick paste.

3) Do not add water in the beginning itself because sometimes the

coconut milk and oil will separate and float from the paste.

4) After grinding to a fine paste, now add water to get a desired consistency

and add more salt if required.

5) Heat oil and once warm add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds

stop spluttering, add asafoetida, urad dal and curry leaves.

6) Once the urad dal becomes slight golden in color transfer the tempering

to the ground chutney. Stir thoroughly, serve and enjoy.

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Bell Pepper & Almond Chutney/Dip/Spread

Know what you Eat - Let us color our life healthy with this brightly colored vegetables which are high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid and Magnesium. The Vitamin A in these peppers are (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells. Free radicals are major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma. By providing these two potent free radical destroyers, bell peppers may help prevent or reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem.







This recipes was passed on to me by my sister. Usually split and roasted chick peas are used for this kind of chutney/dips. But the addition of the Almonds gives a very creamy texture and an awesome taste. Try it to find out.

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Cooking Time - 10 mins

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Bell Pepper - 1 if big or 2 if small

Toasted Almonds - Handful

Tamarind/Tamari - 1 inch piece if using raw tamarind soaked in little water or half tsp pulp

Green chili - 1 or 2 to taste

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Split Urad dal - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - very small piece or if using powder 1/4 tsp

Method

1) Wash and Chop Bell pepper into 1 inch cubes and set them aside.

2)  Toast the almonds in a toaster for 5-7 minutes till they become slightly brown and are crispy.(Make sure not to burn them).

3) Soak the tamarind in 2 tbsp of warm water and keep it aside, if any impurities are there it will settle down at the bottom. Filter and discard the impurities.

4) Heat oil, once hot add asafoetida piece and mustard seeds.

5) Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the urad dal and green chili.

6) Once the urad dal is slightly brown take half of it mustard seeds and urad dal alone and keep it aside and to the rest add the cubed bell pepper pieces and stir fry on high heat for 5-7 minutes till they are slightly tender. Set it aside to cool down.

7) In a blender first powder the toasted almonds and then add the stir fried and cooled veggies, salt and tamarind and blend to a fine paste. Add 2 tbsp of water when blending. If you don't want a thick consistency adjust by adding more water.

8) Use this as spread it in a pita bread and stuff it with veggies and beans.

9) Add the kept aside mustard seeds & urad dal to the chutney. If using as a spread, do not keep the mustard seeds & urad dal but grind everything together.

Event Participation - This goes to Yasmeen's Health Nut Challenge - 3 Healing Foods.

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Tomato Onion Chutney & Idli(Steamed Rice & Lentil Dumplings)

Know what you Eat - If you are looking for a fat free food Idli(Steamed Rice & Lentil Dumpling) is the top food on the list. Idlis are made from a combination of rice and urad dal which is fermented and then steamed. Both these processes are very good for the digestive system and involve cooking with no oil at all. Most restaurants however use baking soda to speed up getting the idli batter ready and while too much baking soda does destroy nutrients and affects the digestive system in the long run. This is a very popular breakfast item in South India.



Now coming to the nutrition in this food, the carotenoid lycopene found in tomatoes (and everything made from them) is a very useful antioxidant and has cancer-preventing properties. Urad Dal(a type of lentil) is a very good source of dietary fiber and protein. Parboiling rice drives nutrients, especially thiamine, from the bran into the grain, so that parboiled white rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice.

From yesterday's Chole puri from the North we are travelling down to the traditional Idli chutney of South. I always have Idli batter in my refrigerator and this is one of the quick breakfast item on a time crunchy day.

Tomato Chutney

Preparation Time - 1o mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - 4


Ingredients

Tomato - 2 big ones ripe and firm but not over ripe
Onion - 1
Red chilli - 4 or to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Split Urad dal - 2 tsp
Asafaoetida powder - pinch

Method

1) Chop tomato and onion into small pieces and corsely grind in a blender along with red chillies(do not puree, otherwise it will become like tomato ketchup).
2) Heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once they stop spluttering add split urad dal, asafoetida powder and saute till urad dal becomes slightly brown.
3) Now add the tomato, onion, red chill paste and simmer in the gas stove for 10 to 15 minutes till the water evaporates.
4) Add salt to taste and serve with hot idlis.

Idli


Ingredients

Urad Dal(whole) - 1 cup
Idli Rice(Puzhungal Arisi/ ParBoiled Rice) - 2 1/2 cups**
Salt to taste

Method

1) Rinse and drain Urad dal till you get a clear water. Now soak in enough water for 2-3 hours.
2) Rinse and drain Idli rice and soak in enough water for 6 hours.
3) Using a stone grinder/blender grind the urad dal adding the soaked water little by little till you get a smooth fluffy batter.
4) Now grind the rice into a fine paste adding water little by little.
5) Mix the Urad dal batter, Rice batter and Salt and mix them thoroughly.
6) Leave it over night for the batter to ferment nicely, on cold winter days switch on the oven light and leave the batter inside the oven overnight. The heat from the light will make the batter to ferment.
7) The trick to get a soft spongy idli is proportion, the grind urad batter and rice batter should be in equal quantity, so based on how much batter you are getting from the urad dal adjust your rice batter.
8) Now use cooking spray and grease the idli plates, thoroughly combine the fermented batter and pour the batter in the greased plates and steam them for 15 minutes on medium heat in a pressure cooker or pan till they are cooked.
9) Serve with Chutney.

Event Participation

This dish goes to My legume love affair twelfth helping event hosted by Annarasa started by Susan.

This dish goes to Delectable Combinations hosted by Kamalika originally started by Sunshinemom.

This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

*This rice measurement depends on how much batter comes out from the urad dal, for most of the varieties available in India you can add as much upto 5 cups of rice. But the ones available here i use anywhere between 2 1/2 to 3 cups of rice. The fluffy urad batter and the rice batter should be in equal quantity to get a soft idli. So adjust according to the quality of your urad dal)

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