Green Chilli Pickle

I remember my granddad buying fresh green chillies by the kilo and my grandmum would transform them into yummy Green chilly pickle. I never got the opportunity to learn how to make it, but this comes close to it :)

Here is what you will need:

1 kg green chillies - slit in half with the stalk intact
1 cup salt
1/2 kg mustard oil
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp turmeric
powder
200 gm ginger - finely ground
250 gm garlic - finely ground
100 gm cumin seeds - roasted and ground
200 gm large mustard seeds - roasted and ground
1 cup sugar
200 gm tamarind
3 cups of white vinegar

How to make it:

Marinate the chillies in salt for at least two hours.
Soak the tamarind in the vinegar for at least two hours and extract the pulp.
In a large vessel heat the mustard oil and add red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
Add the ginger and garlic and mix well. Continue stirring for some time.
Mix in the cumin powder and mustard powder.
Pour the tamarind-vinegar pulp and mix well.
Add sugar and cook on low heat for some time.
Now add the chillies and cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat till the oil seperates.
Cool and transfer into a glass bottle.

We're done !

This goes well with phulkas, roti's, any rice, bread spread, dosa's, just about anything :)

Onion Chutney

While growing up we stayed in Thiruvanmiyur for a while and this is a recipe I picked up from the "Aunty" downstairs. I loved it since day 1 :P


What you will need :

• 3 large onions chopped or sliced
• 1" piece of ginger
• 2-3 green chillies (optional)
• 2 tbsps cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 dry red chillies broken into 1" bits
• Salt to taste

How to make it:

• Grind the onions, ginger and green chillies (if using) to a smooth paste . Remove into a serving bowl.

• In a small pan, heat the oil on a medium flame till it is very hot. Add the cumin seeds and fry till they stop spluttering. Now add the dry red chillies and fry till they turn darker.
• Add this tempering mixture of oil, cumin and red chillies to the onion-ginger-green chilli paste. Add salt to taste. Stir to mix well.

Serve as a chutney, dip or use as a sandwich spread!

P.s: If you don't like the raw taste, can fry the onions a bit until pink and then grind with Ginger and chillies.

Mango Pickle

Most of us from would have fond memories of climbing the Mango tree(s) either in our own houses or our grandmum's house or even better ( stolen from the neighbors house) . Come summer and so does all those wonderful memories. Apart from eating them raw with salt and chilly powder, for those with no patience to wait until you can pickle it after a couple of weeks, here is something easy and yummy that you can prepare a couple of hours before your meal.

Here is what you will need:

• Raw sour green mango - 1 large or 2 medium Chopped finely.
• Salt - 1 tsp ( Adjust according to your salt intake and the mango quantity)
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 1/2 tsp
• Ground Fenugreek Seeds: 1 tsp
• Asafoetida/hing: 1/2 tsp
• Gingelly Oil : 2 tablespoons ( you dont have this, go buy some! Not worth making the pickle without this :P )

How to make the pickle :

• Add salt to the chopped mangoes and leave it to soak it all up for an hour.
• Heat the oil, and when it is at a high temperature, add the powders and take it off the flame.
• Pour the oil mix into the mangoes. Taste to fix the hing/salt.
• Your pickle is ready !

This is amazing with Idli/ Dosa/ Phulkas / Curd rice and even bread :)

Curd Chutney

What you will need :

• 1 cup curd,
• 2 green chillies,
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves,
• 1 tablespoon amchur powder
• salt to taste

How to make it :

• Finely chop the green chillies and mint leaves.
• Take a blender and add the curd, green chillies, mint leaves, amchur powder and salt. Blend well and serve with poppadoms.

This dish goes well with any of the fried starters/Kebabs and as a sandwich spread too :)

Jeera and Lahsun Chutney

What you will need :

2 tablespoons white cumin seeds,
2 garlic flakes,
2 green chillies,
5 tablespoons lemon juice
salt to taste.


How to make it :

1. Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
2. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle.
3. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well.
4. Refrigerate and use as required.

Coconut Chutney

I am in the mood for chutney's today :) Let me share with you as many recipes I know until I run out of patience to type :P

What you will need :

• 1 cup coconut, grated
• 2 small green chillies, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon roasted split gram ( optional )
• salt to taste

For the tempering :

• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1 red chilli, broken into pieces
• 2 to 3 curry leaves
• 1 teaspoon oil

How to make it :

• Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.
• Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well.
• Refrigerate and use as required.

Spring Onions Subji

I've always loved the flavor of spring onions and have never tried it in anything beyond Chinese, Italian or in Omlettes... I had decided to make dosas for dinner but did not want the same old combinations of chutney/ sambhar and the like...  I put this together last night as an accompaniment with Dosa's and it was awesome , if I may say so myself :) Here is how I made it :

What all you will need ( for two people) :

• Spring Onions : 1 -2 chopped
• Onion: 1/2 sliced thin
• Methi Seeds: 1/4 tsp
• Red Chillies: 2 broken
• Oil: to fry
• Sambar powder: 1- 1/2 tsp
• Hing: a small pinch
• Besan: 3/4 - 1 tablespoon.

How to make it :

• Heat oil in a pan, add the methi and red chilli when the oil is hot.
• Now add the sliced onions and fry for a few minutes.
• Now add the spring onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the Sambar powder and saute for a minute.
• Add the Besan and stir well. fry for a few minutes.
• Now, add some water until you get some gravy.
• Allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste.

This can be had with Roti's also or as a sandwich spread as well :)