Raw Tomato Chutney

Ingredients:

Raw tomatoes-3
Green chillies-5
Coriander seeds-1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds-1teaspoon
Tamarind-small berry sized
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Garlic cloves-2
Salt-1 tablespoon
Oil-1 tablespoons

Method:

1. Wash and cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the slitted green chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fry them until they turn light brown in colour.
3. Add the turmeric powder and garlic and fry them for a few more seconds.
4. Transfer the fried ingredients into a bowl and add the chopped tomatoes.
5. Cook until the oil separates and add tamarind.
6. Fry for a few seconds and turn off the stove.
7. Let them cool and transfer all the fried ingredients into a mixer jar.
8. Add salt and grind into a coarse paste by using little water if necessary.
9. If you use mortar and pestle to grind the chutney, the chutney will tastes nicer.
10. Serve with hot rice or kichidi or dosa.

Pappu Biyyam (kichidi)

Pappu biyyam is one of our favourite rice. My mother makes this with rice and bengal gram dal, whereas my mother-in-law makes this with rice and green gram dal (splitted moong dal). Both go well with tomato pickle or raw tomato chutney.

Ingredients:

Ponni rice-2 cups
Bengal gram dal 0r pachi sanaga pappu-1/2 cup
Green chillies-4
Chopped onions-2
Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon
Cinnamon stick-1
Cardomam-1
Cloves-4
Ghee-2 tablespoons
Oil-1 tablespoons
Salt-1 tablespoon

Method:

1. Mix the rice and dal. Wash them properly and soak them in the water.
2. Heat the oil and ghee in a pan and add the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom and fry them for one minute on a medium flame.
3. Add the chopped onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry them for three more minutes.
4. Add five cups of water and boil. When the water is boiling, add salt, soaked rice and dal.
5. Cook them for five minutes on a medium flame and lower the flame until the rice is done. Serve hot with tomato pickle or tomato chutney.

Note: If you are using pressure cooker or electrical rice cooker, add only 4 and ½ cups of water.

Gongura Pachadi

Ingredients:

Fresh gongura-1 bunch
Red dry chillies-10
Coriander seeds-1 teaspoonful
Fenugreek seeds-1 teaspoon
Tamarind-small berry sized
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Garlic cloves-4 (can be replace with a pinch of hing powder)
Salt-2 tablespoons
Oil-5 tablespoons

For Seasoning: ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, 3-4 pieces of dry chillies, ¼ teaspoon gram dal, ¼ teaspoon urad dal, garlic-2 cloves and few curry leaves.

Method:

1. Pluck the gongura leaves and wash them thoroughly.
2. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the dry chillies, turmeric powder, fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds.
3. Fry until they turn light brown in colour and add garlic (4) and tamarind .
4. Fry for one more minute and turn off the stove.
5. Transfer them into the mixer jar and in the same pan add the gongura leaves.
6. Fry on a medium flame until the water evaporates.
7. Let them cool and transfer them to the jar.
8. Grind all the fried ingredients along with the gongura leaves and salt using a little water.
9. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the dry chilli pieces, garlic cloves (2) , gram dal, urad dal, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
10. After they turn brown, add the ground pickle and cook on low flame until the oil separates. Serve with hot rice, ghee and mudda pappu…

Note: This pickle keeps for two weeks, if we store it in a dry jar and do not use a wet spoon.

Mirapakaya Bajji (Chilli Fritters)

Happy Women’s Day!

Ingredients:

Gram flour or besan-2 cups
Maida-1/2 cup
Green Chillies-5
Baking powder-a pinch
Salt-1 teaspoon
Ajwain (Vamu)-2 tablespoons
Onions-2
Lime-1
Oil for deep fry

Method:

1. Wash and slit the chillies. Remove the seeds and keep them aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix the gram flour, maida, salt and baking powder with water into a thick batter.
3. Grind azvine with a pinch of salt and 4 tablespoons of gram flour.
4. Fill the chillies with the grinded powder and heat the oil in a pan.
5. Dip the chillies one by one in the batter and fry them until they turn light golden in colour.
6. Let them cool and then dip them in the batter again and fry them until they turn into a nice golden colour.
7. Cut the onions and mix them with lime juice and karappodi.
8. Now slit the bajjies into half and fill them with the onion mixture.
9. Serve hot with tea…yummy…