Bitter Gourd (Karela) Chutney

          All Bitter Gourd lovers will simply love this amazing chutney. It was my first try and I really fell in love with this side dish. A very easy recipe, it simply tastes yummy with hot steamed rice and a drizzle of some extra ghee. It is lip smacking with all the flavours in it - spicy, tangy, sweet and a slight hint of bitterness. You may also relish it with chapati, curd rice, idli or dosa. It is definitely a must try recipe.

• 4 long bitter gourd, seeds discarded & sliced
• 8-10 dry red chilies 
• 1 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp. split black gram (urad dal)
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1-2 tsp. tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp. jaggery / sugar to taste
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1-2 sprigs curry leaves

          Add some salt and turmeric powder to the sliced bitter gourd and leave aside for 30 minutes. Then rinse well and squeeze properly. 

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil and fry the bitter gourd, turmeric powder and salt to taste on a low flame till golden brown in colour. Keep aside to cool.

          Heat remaining oil and fry the other ingredients starting from - dry red chilies to black gram. Keep aside to cool.

          Dry roast the coconut till golden in colour and set aside to cool.

          Grind into a paste all the stir fried ingredients along with tamarind, jaggery, salt to taste and required quantity of water.

         Heat ghee in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the curry leaves and asafoetida. 

          Sauté for a few seconds and switch off the flame. Pour this tempering over the chutney and relish with plain steamed rice or chapatti. 

Ginger Chutney with Cashewnuts & Coriander Stems

          Ginger relieves nausea and loss of appetite. So consuming it in small amount is beneficial for our health. It is especially good when taken after meal in its candied form to help in digestion. So elderly people can benefit from it. So here is my version of a simple ginger chutney where I added some cashews and coriander stems too. 

          Chutney is a must on an Indian platter and is served as an accompaniment to our food to make them more tasty and yummy. It goes especially well with any South Indian breakfast and is also a great substitute to the coconut chutney that is usually served. So do give it a try and enjoy with your favourite breakfast.

 

• 2" ginger, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion, chopped 
• 1-2 green chilies
• handful of coriander stems
• 1/2 cup fried cashews
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 dry red chili, broken
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• coriander leaves to garnish

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil and saute the ginger, garlic, onion and chilies till light brown. Keep aside to cool down. Then grind along with coriander stems and cashews to a fine paste by adding some water. Add salt and mix well.

          Heat remaining oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds and dry red chili. After it stops spluttering, add the curry leaves and urad dal. 

          Saute for a few seconds and switch off the flame. Pour this tempering over the prepared chutney and add lime juice. Serve, garnished with coriander leaves.

Chukh - Chamba Special Chutney

          Chukh is a spicy, sweet and sour chutney from the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh. I came across this recipe in one of the cookery shows recently and thought of giving it a try. So here you are - my version of this super tongue tingling condiment that can be enjoyed with any kind of Indian bread. 

          Traditionally raisins, honey, lime juice and amchur are used in this recipe for the sweet and tangy flavor. But I substituted it with brown sugar and tamarind paste. You can as well prepare in large quantities and store in an airtight container to be used as a pickle. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 6-7 Kashmiri Dry red chilies, soaked in war water for an hour
• 10-15 fresh red chilies
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1" ginger
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup mustard oil
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri red chili powder (opt)
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida 
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp. sugar (I used powdered sugar)

To dry roast & grind - 

• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. carom seeds
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds

          Grind together the soaked red chilies, fresh chilies, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste by adding some water.

          Heat oil in a pan and sauté the asafoetida and the ground dry spices for a few seconds. Then add the ground paste, salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, chili powder and some water.

          Sauté on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. Now add the sugar and stir fry for a few more seconds.

          Switch off the flame and set aside to cool down. Store in an airtight container for later use. Serve as a condiment along with any form of Indian bread. 

          It can also be used as a spread on toast, parathas, pizza, sandwiches or on tortillas with few stuffing's as a wrap. 

                  Dry roast 1 tsp. each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, carom                                          seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Set aside to cool.

     
                                 Then grind into a fine powder.

                                  Grind soaked red chilies, fresh chilies, ginger and garlic

                                 to a smooth paste by adding some water.

                   Heat oil & sauté asafoetida & ground dry spices for a few seconds. Then 
                   add the ground paste, 

                    salt, turmeric powder, tamarind paste, chili powder & some water.  Sauté 
                     on a medium flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. 

                                  Now add the sugar and stir fry for a few more seconds.

                                  Switch off the flame and set aside to cool down. 

                     Serve as a condiment with any Indian bread. Use it as a spread on toast, 
                     parathas, pizza, sandwiches or on tortillas with few stuffing's as a wrap. 

Onion Coriander Leaves Chutney

          This is a yummy onion and coriander chutney that can be relished with any South Indian breakfast like idli, dosa, uttapam, upma, etc. They also tastes divine with snacks and appetizers too as a dip. It is a very good substitute for coconut chutney. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 fresh red chilies
• 1/4 cup coriander stems, chopped
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. roasted peanuts
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• 1 sprig curry leaves

       
           Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan and saute the onion, garlic, chilies and coriander stems till light brown. Switch off the flame and let it cool down.

          Add the peanuts, coriander leaves and salt to it. Grind into a paste by adding very little water. Heat remaining oil and temper with mustard seeds. 

          After it stops spluttering, add the urad dal and curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds and switch off the flame. Pour this tempering over the ground chutney and mix well. Serve as required.

Heat 1 tbsp. oil & saute onion, garlic, chilies & coriander stems till light brown. 

                                 Switch off the flame & let it cool down.

                              Add peanuts, coriander leaves & salt to it. Grind to a paste. 

                  Heat remaining oil & temper with mustard seeds. Add urad dal & curry leaves.
                  Sauté few seconds & switch off the flame. 

                         Pour the tempering on the chutney & mix well. Serve as required.

Allam Pachadi (Ginger Chutney - Andhra Style)

       
             This is a very popular Andhra style ginger chutney relished with Dosa, Idli, Pesarattu, Pongal, Upma or Vada. It also tastes awesome when mixed with hot steamed rice and ghee. It is great as a side dish with curd-rice or sambar rice too. This spicy, tangy and sweet chutney is extremely delicious and can be preserved in a pickle form too. Here, you need a little bit more oil for preservation.

• 2-3 tbsp. ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp. fried chana dal powder (Bengal gram)
• 1 tbsp. roasted coriander powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind paste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2-3 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. garlic, grated
• pinch of fenugreek seeds 
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram lentil)
• pinch of asafoetida 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• pinch of turmeric powder

          Blend together ginger, fried chana dal powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, salt, tamarind paste and sugar with required quantity of water into a liquid paste.

          Heat oil in a non-stick pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the asafoetida, turmeric powder, garlic, fenugreek seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.

          Sauté till the urad dal and the garlic changes colour. Add the prepared ginger paste and fry for a minute or two on a low flame till the raw smell of the ginger disappears.

          (Adjust water if you need to keep it a bit liquidy. It tends to become thick once it cools down). Serve along with dosa, upma, idli, vada, pesarattu or pongal.