Snake gourd core chutney

Some time back, I had shared a recipe of Snake gourd curry in my blog. I had mentioned then that the core could still be used in another recipe. We will be using the core to make a delicious chutney. Snake gourd core chutney tastes perfect eaten with rice with some coconut oil drizzled on top. You can also serve it with idli or dosas.

Snow white Salata / Trakiiska salad

Bulgaria has a very ancient and proud cuisine . Bulgarian food is very healthy and uses a lot of fresh vegetables, dairy and herbs in the food.The recipe that I am sharing with you all is "Snow white salata/salad" or Trakiiska salad. This salad gets its name  because of its beautiful white color . Traditionally , this salad is mainly made  up of  hung curd , pickles, garlic and dill leaves . Serve it as a dip with chips or vegetables or simply as a side dish with a spicy curry.

Date-Tamarind Chutney (Khajur-imli chutney)

Date and Tamarind chutney is a sweet and sour chutney that plays a very important role in the chaat recipes. Along with the sweetness from the dates, some jaggery is also added to render additional sweetness. Dry ginger powder, roasted cumin powder, fennel powder,black salt and red chilli powder add layers of flavor to this sweet and tangy chutney.

Ambyachi Dal / Kairichi Dal (Raw Mango & Split Chick Pea dip)

This is a chunky dish which can be served as a snack or  can be eaten as a dip or as a part of a thaali. The sourness from the finely chopped mangoes really marries well with the coarsely ground Chana dal (Split chick pea).

Pesto (Spinach and Basil Pesto)

Pesto is an Italian sauce that is widely used in pastas, pizzas or even as a spread in breads. Traditionally, pesto consists of crushed garlic, basil , pine nuts blended in olive oil with some Parmesan cheese. The name  PESTO is the contracted past participle of the Genoese word pestâ (Italian: pestare), which means to pound, to crush, in reference to the original method of preparation, with marble mortar and wooden pestle. The ingredients in a traditionally made pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. This same Latin root through Old French also gave rise to the English word pestle. 

Carrot-Onion Dip/Carrot-Onion Raita/Carrot-Onion Tambli

The recipe that I will sharing with you all is CARROT-ONION DIP / CARROT-ONION TAMBLI. It is inspired from my MIL's recipe. But before I share the recipe, I have to share with you all a funny incident. It was during one of my Indian trips that my MIL had prepared this.  I had not seen her making it so I had no clue as to what went into this dish. During lunch time, soon after eating the first bite, I liked it so much that I not only finished what was served but also asked for a second serving. Ahh ..I still remember that lunch . It was so good that I was licking my fingers :) It was when I was washing my hands, my MIL said she had used a lot of malai/cream in it. I was like UH OH!!!.. I ate so much ..so much cream .. So much fat intake...:((

After I came back to the states, I still remembered the the awesome taste of the dip/tambli. So decided to make it but did not want to use cream. To keep it healthy, I used some fat free greek yogurt. That way I could enjoy the dip as much as I wanted and enjoy it without any guilt.

DHANIA PUDHINA CHUTNEY (Cilantro Mint Chutney)

Dhania Pudhina chutney (Cilantro Mint Chutney) is a perfect accompaniment to a lot of snacks. This chutney can be used as a spread for making sandwiches too.

PEARL ONION CHUTNEY

Pearl Onion or Madras onions (as they are called in India) is a great vegetable. I add them in sambar ( check out the recipe  for pearl onion sambar), in sabzis like Bhindi sabzi etc. So when I came across a recipe for onion chutney by Vahchef, I thought why not replace the onion  in the recipe with the pearl onions. Believe me the result was truly delicious.

Palak raita / Spinach dip

Palak Raita  is a delicious and creamy raita that makes a great accompaniment for Rice Dishes. This raita works well with fresh yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is not too sour. If you keep the consistency thick, you can use this raita as a dip with pita breads too

Tomato Chutney

Source: Tasty Appetite

Winter is here. So last monday morning, I decided to make some hot steaming idlies with sambar and chutney.. perfect for the cold weather. The only problem  was that i had a very small amount of coconut. It would have been just enough for the sambar. I didnot feel like running to the store to get some (some times .. i can be lazy;)). So I thought of searching for some alternate chutney that would not need any coconut. I started searching sites of my fellow bloggers and yep.. got a good recipe for tomato chutney:).. I had enough tomatoes to make chutney for the three of us. I tried the recipe and was very happy with it. This chutney not only goes well with the idlis but also with dosas, vadas etc.

So here goes the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:

• Tomatoes: 3-4 medium
• Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1 pinch
• Coriander powder: 1/4 tsp
• Red chilli powder: (as per taste)
• Asaefotida or hing: 1 pinch
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for the tempering or tadka:2 tsp
• Garlic pods:2
• Mustard seeds or rai:1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds:1/4 tsp
• Split Urad dal: 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves : 3-4

METHOD:

• Wash and cut the tomatoes in to small pieces.
• Grind the tomatoes with the garlic in to a fine paste.
• Now heat some oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustards seeds , urad dal and the cumin seeds.
• When the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves.
• Now add the ground paste and cook on medium flame for about 5-6 minutes mixing at regular intervals.
• Now add all the dry masalas like cumin powder, haldi, coriander powder, red chilli powder, salt and hing and mix well. Add some water to adjust the consistency.
• Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
• Yummy  tomato chutney is ready... ENJOY!!!

Cilantro-coconut chutney

Cilantro-Coconut chutney is a delicious chutney that can be a delicious accompaniment to Idlis, dosa or vadas. This chutney is very easy to prepare. Cilantro adds a very nice color to the chutney. I usually serve this chutney with Instant Pancake fritters / Instant Mangalore bonda / Instant Golibaje.

Spicy garlic chutney

Spicy garlic chutney

Ingredients:

1. 10 large garlic cloves peeled
2. 1/2th cup dry coconut grated
3. 1/2 tsp cumin seeds or jeera
4. 2 tbsp red chilli powder (Adjust this quantity as per taste)
5. 1 tsp oil
6. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic, cumin seeds and coconut for 2 to 3 minutes over low to medium flame. Be careful to keep an eye on the garlic and coconut mixture because coconut turns brown very quickly.
2. Cool the mixture and make a powder.
3. You can serve this chutney with batata vadas.

Note:

1. As variation to this recipe, you can add in some roasted peanuts that have been powdered to the above list of ingredients. In addition to it, add 1 tsp of dry mango powder or amchur.
2. You can vary the quantity of red chilli powder is depending on your taste buds.