Pulikkaachchal Paste With Tamarind/Huliogare Gojju

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Pulikkaachchal

We prepare this chutney at home, esp. during Pongal festival time because we make mixed rice on the next day of Pongal, Kanu.  Pulianjaadham (rice mixed with this chutney) or lemon rice and other rice like 'yellu saadham' (Podi/powder recipe is here)

Now, let me give the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 2 lemon sized ball of Imli/Puli/Tamarind. Soak it in warm water and keep
    aside. After 10-15 mts. squeeze and filter the water in a vessel. Do it
    2-3 times by adding water.  It should not be very watery also.

Dry Roast:

2.  1 tbs. Til/Yellu/Sesame seeds

3.  1 tbs. Urad dhaal/Uluththam paruppu/Broken black gram (for powdering)
     1 tbs. for garnishing.

4.  2 tsp. not tbs.:) Methi/Vendhayam/Fenugreek seeds


Roast with 2 tsp.of coconut oil:

5. 1 tbs. Channa dhaal/Kadalai paruppu/Bengal gram (for powdering)
     1 tbs. for garnishing.

6.  1 tbs.  Dhania/Coriander seeds

7.  1 tbs. Kaali mirch/Pepper/Milagu

8.  20-25 Red chillies

9.  Curry leaves

For the Last step:

10.1 small piece of jaggery (or 1 tbs.) to moderate the tamarind's sour taste.

11.1/2 to 1 cup Til ke tel/Gingily oil/Nallennei (You can use refined or groundnut
      oil too, if you like. But Tamilians use Nallennei)

12.4 tbs. Namak/Salt/uppu (nearly or according to your taste...you can add
      later  if it is less)

13.1 small piece or 1 tsp. (powder) of Hing/asofoetida/perungaayam

14. 3-4 tbs. Moongphali/Groundnut/Verkkadalai

15. 1 tsp. Rai/Mustard/Kadugu

16. 1/2 tsp.Haldi/Turmeric powder/manjal podi

Method:

Take a kadai/wok and dry roast til, till you hear them burst/crackle... Remove from fire as soon as it starts bursting.  Put it in a plate.  Then roast methi till it becomes a little burnished in colour.  Put it in the plate. Roast Urad dhaal, till it becomes a bit brown in colour. Put it in the plate.

Now, put the coconut oil in the kadai and fry hing if it is a piece. (If you are going to use hing powder, you can add it later).  It becomes slightly bigger in size. Add Channa dhaal, dhania, fry a bit. Add previously washed and cleaned curry leaves, chilly etc.  Roast a bit more.  Then add pepper.  You should not add it in the beginning.  It will burst and you should remove from fire as soon as you hear one sound! Put it with the earlier ingredients.   When it is cool, powder it in a mixer and keep aside.

Tamarind

Filtering 

Fried ingredients for powdering.

Take a vessel/kadai (a bit thick bottomed would be better), pour gingily oil.  Add mustard. When it crackles, add groundnut.  Let it fry till it turns its colour slightly.  Add Channa dhaal, urad dhaal etc.  We are adding them size wise.  When they are fried, reduce the heat and add the filtered tamarind water, slowly.  Fumes will come out.  Be careful.  Add haldi, jaggery, salt and hing powder if you hadn't added the hard hing in the powder.  You can increase the heat now. Boil it well.  Add the powder from the mixer after 10 mts.  If you add a bit more of gingily oil, it would be tastier.  This oil is harmless and good for health.  You can see the oil on the sides in the first picture. Let it boil till it becomes a bit thicker, not dry.  It should be lose.  Reduce the heat when it starts becoming thicker.  Your pulikkachchal is ready!

You can mix it with hot rice, eat it with dosa, idly, chapaathi or apply on bread for sandwiches.  Hope you like it.  You can use it for a couple of days and then keep the remaining in the fridge in an airtight container.

Try it and tell me if you like it or if you got any doubt while preparing it.

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P.S.: If you want to prepare less quantity, take 50% of all the ingredients.

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Tomato-Garlic Chutney With Coriander Leaves' Flavour!

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Tomato-Garlic Chutney

This chutney is famous among our relatives. Let me write the recipe now.  This is very easy to make!


Ingredients:

1.  1 and a 1/2 Kg. (or 15 nos.) Ripe Banglore Tomatoes.

2.  1 Full garlic, peeled.

3.  2" Ginger, peeled and sliced.

4.  6-7 Green chillies

5. 1 Green capsicum (Optional)

6.  2 tbs. Red chilli powder.

7.  1 bunch Coriander leaves, washed and cleaned.  You can include some Curry                 leaves too!

8.  1  tsp. Gharam masala powder.

9.  1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder (haldi powder).

10. 2 tsp. Cumin seeds (Jeera).

11. 2 tsp. Sugar.

12. Salt to taste (Around 1 1/2 tbs. for this ratio...you can taste and add more, later)

13. 1/2 cup Gingily oil or any cooking oil.


Method: 

Put these ingredients in a mixie jar...garlic, ginger, green chillies, 1-2 tomatoes, capsicum and grind first into a paste.

Place the kadaai or thick vessel in the stove and pour oil and then jeera (cumin seeds).  When the jeera begins to get brown in colour, add the above mentioned paste. You can smell the roasted jeera and that is enough.  Don't leave it for long in the oil.

Mix it with a ladle.

First round of grinding!

Pour this paste in the oil and mix well.

Second round of grinding. Always cut the tomatoes before grinding.

Cut the coriander and then grind with a couple of tomatoes.  You will be able to grind them into a paste fast.  Pour it into the vessel in the stove.  Stir it.

Grind all the other tomatoes and pour into the vessel.  Stir it.  Add haldi powder, sugar, chilli powder, salt etc.  Let it boil for nearly 20-25 mts. or until it becomes thicker.  Add the gharam masala powder.  Leave/stir for 5 more mts.

The chutney is ready.  Store it in an airtight jar.  Take the required amount of chutney in another vessel and use.  This can be used for a week or so for dosa, idly, chapaati or can be mixed with rice too!

I don't use onion in this chutney.  You can add it if you want a change in taste!

Please try this and tell me if you liked it.  Please write to me if you have got any doubt.


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Peerkkangai Thogaiyal/Ridgegourd Chutney and Simple Tomato Chutney!

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Peerkkangai thogaiyal/Ridge gourd chutney

I make this chutney often at home for idly, dosa etc.  Everybody loves it. This vegetable, Peerkkangaai in Tamil, Heerekaai in Kannada and Ridge gourd in English is very good for health. The other name is Luffa! Wikipedia says: 

Its juice is used as a natural remedy for jaundice. The juice is obtained by pounding the bitter luffa and squeezing it through a cloth. Bitter luffa seeds and dry crusts are also available and can be used for the same purpose.

The centre/white spongy portion is a bit bitter sometimes, but mostly it is a bit sweet.  Anyway, taste it first, please.  I used to eat it raw while cutting the vegetable and used to give to my children too! Now, to the recipe:

Ingredients: 

1 Ridge gourd/peerkkangaai - 1 medium sized
2. Grated Coconut - Half

3. Mustard/Rai/Kadugu - 1 tsp.
4. Black gram/Urad daal/Uluththam paruppu - 1 tbsp.
5. Red chillies - 6-7 (or as per your taste)
6. Curry leaves/Kariveppilai
7. Asafoetida/hing/Perungaayam - 2 peppers' size
8. Coconut oil - 2 tsp.
9. Dry tam - 1/2 tsp.  or a small amount of tamarind/puli
10.Salt - as per taste.
11.Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
12.Sugar - a pinch

Method:

Peerkkangaai!

First wash the vegetable properly.  Remove the top and tail of the vegetable.  Remove the projecting portion like it is shown in the picture with a peeler.  Don't remove the green portion.  Remove it lightly otherwise you will feel it in your tongue like tough threads, which would be irritating! We call it 'naar yedukkaradu'! Then cut the main portion like it is shown in the picture below:

Pour oil in the hot kadai.  First put the hing piece.  Let it get fried.  Then mustard.  Let it flutter/burst.  Add the urad daal, chillies and curry leaves.   Mix them properly.  When the daal is golden brown, add the cut peerkkangai pieces.  Mix it. Add the salt, turmeric powder, sugar and tamarind also.  Let it get cooked with half cup of water..see to it that the veg. doesn't get roasted. Add a bit more water if you want.  Switch off the stove.

Put all the ingredients in a mixer along with the grated or pieces of coconut.  Grind them well.  The chutney is ready.  You can wash the mixer with half more cup of water if you want the chutney to be a bit watery.

Tomato Chutney:

You can roast the ingredients like it is shown in the picture and add chopped tomatoes instead of peerkkangaai and cook.  Tamarind is not needed for this, since the tomato has got a tangy taste and add 1/2 tsp. of sugar to make it tastier. No coconut please for this chutney!

Instead of tomato, you can add cabbage/brinjal etc.  without coconut but with tamarind!

You can make coriander chutney in this method.  You can just fry the ingredients, add chopped green coriander and grind it with or without coconut...add a bit of tamarind...I always use dri-tam powder mostly for chutneys.

I had already written the recipe for Onion Chutney...the roasting ingredients are the same for most of the recipes of chutney. 

If you add 3-4 tbsp. of Tuvar daal/tuvaram paruppu instead of urad daal and grind it with a small amount of coconut, Tuvar chutney is ready! Add tamarind for this.  No tamarind only when you add tomatoes!

All these chutneys will be tasty with hot rice, with idly, dosa or Chapaati!

Enjoy and let me know if you liked them, right?!

Vengaaya Thogaiyal/Onion Chutney

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Please check here for the recipe!

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