Tomato, Cilantro Chutney

When I visited my cousin in pittsburgh, she made this chutney to go with dosas. It tasted so good that I literally consumed the entire chutney. And did I tell you that it hardly takes 10 minutes to make this one? Yes, you heard it right. You can use any type of tomatoes to make this chutney, however I found that PLUM tomatoes are the best. My mom makes the same chutney, but she also uses mint leaves along with cilantro. I haven't used mint leaves because I found that they are little bit overwhelming. But, you can make it either ways - with/without mint leaves.

To fry the tomatoes, I have used the LNL vitamin 11 - inch red wok that I received through their supporters program. I found the wok appropriate to fry the tomatoes and the best part is that you can wipe the wok with a paper towel and put the popu in the same wok again. And the coating on this pan is non toxic, so no worries about all those dangers that accompany the non stick pans.

So, now to the recipe:

Ingredients:

For popu/tadka:

Chana Dal - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Dry red chillis - 3

Curry leaves

Oil - 1 tbsp

For the chutney:

Tomatoes - 6 ( medium sized plum tomatoes)

Cilantro - 1/2 bunch (Use just the leaves and not stems)

Green chillies - 10 (more/less depending on the spiciness required)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1.Wash the tomatoes, chop them into big pieces (I have a few cherry tomatoes that I wanted to use. Hence I used a combination of plum and cherry tomatoes).

2. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies and fry them on medium flame until the tomatoes are mushy. 

3. Add cilantro and fry them for a couple of minutes.

4. Now, grind this into a paste and take it into a bowl.

5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Put chana dal, mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add this popu to the tomato, cilantro paste and the chutney is ready to be served with dosas/idlis/vadas.

The chutney was so tasty that it didn't last long for me to take a picture.

Beetroot, Beerakaya thokku Chutney + $1 deals @Lock N Lock

Before looking at the recipe, let's talk some deals. Lock N Lock has $1 deals in their Clearance section, which means you can get those items for just $1. I have been eyeing on Borosilicate glass 0.5 and 0.6 cups, Zen style food container (3 cup) and the dinner spoons. So I think this is the perfect time to get those items. This offer is valid until Nov 14th. So, go ahead and grab them before they are gone (and try your luck with the free $100 gift card. The sweepstakes end Nov 7th). 


Ridge gourd/Beerakaya curry (made with milk) is one of my DD favorites. So, it is natural that we have this vegetable in our refrigerator almost always. Its skin is high in fiber and is edible. And it’s my DH policy that anything healthy should not be thrown away. And naturally, the peeled off skin find its way into beerakaya thokku chutney. I was so bored of the same chutney twice or thrice a week. So I was looking for some ideas where I can mix other vegetables in this chutney. I have found a couple of beet roots at the back of the vegetable tray and I wanted to use them. They were not big enough to make a fry for me and DH. And hence the dish beetroot beerakaya thokku chutney. When I made this for the first time, my daughter wanted it taste because of its enticing color. But it was too spicy for her. The next time I made it less spicy and she used it as bread spread!!! Now, off to the recipe.

Ingredients:

For popu/tadka:

Chana Dal - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Dry red chillis - 3

Curry leaves

Oil - 1 tbsp

For the chutney:

Beerakaya Skin - skin of 2 large ridge gourds

Beet root - 2 small

Green chillis - 10 (more/less depending on the spiciness required)

Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Note: You may add popu/tadka/seasoning before/after grinding the beerakaya & beetroot. 

Method:

1.    Peel the skin off of beet root and wash and grate it. Keep this aside. Wash the ridge gourd skin.

2.    Heat oil in a frying pan. Add grated beet root and fry this for 5 minutes on medium flame.

3. Add ridge gourd skin, green chillies and coriander seeds and fry until the raw smell is gone.

4.    Grind the fried ingredients into a fine paste. Add little bit of water if you need to. Transfer this into a serving dish.

5.    Now heat oil in a frying pan. Add Chana dal, Urad dal, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add the curry leaves.

6.    Pour this over the beerakaya thokku and beet root paste. 

Cabbage, Bell pepper Chutney

Cabbage is one vegetable not found frequently in our kitchen. I can't think of any varieties other than cabbage fry with some peas and carrot. I then tried this recipe just to see what else we can do with this vegetable. And it was an instant hit. My DH and friends really loved it. Lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

For popu/tadka:

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Split urad dal - 1tsp

Oil - 1tbsp

Curry Leaves

For the actual recipe:

Half a small cabbage

Red bell pepper - 1 medium size

Tomatoes - 2 medium size

Green chillies - 10 (more/less depending on how spicy you would like it)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan. Add finely chopped cabbage and fry it for 5 minutes. Then, add bell pepper and fry for 15 minutes on medium heat. All the raw smell should be gone. If not, fry for some more time.

3. Now, add tomatoes and green chillies.

4. Fry the tomatoes until they turn mushy. Now, grind this mixture into a coarse/fine paste (the way you like it).

5. Heat oil in a frying pan. Put chana dal, mustard seeds, urad dal and cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add the cabbage, bell pepper, tomato paste and turn the stove off. Take this into a bowl and serve it with dosa/idli/rice.