Tender Coconut Chutney/Dip

Being a South Indian brought up in the East & in a cosmo city I have enjoyed all the multi-cultural cuisines there. I developed a taste different from that of a typical South-Indian.

All dishes ranging from Bihari, Bengali, Maharashtrian, Gujarati, Punjabi, Sindhi and of course South Indian is what I have grown up with.

But, each time my mother prepared Dosas I would ask her to necessarily grind some fresh coconut chutney for me. I loved it more with the chutney than a Sambar or any curry.

I also have a new found love for Tender coconut water. It is very  nourishing & rejuvenates your skin.
Many people just drink the water & throw away the coconut. Instead try the sweet & slurrpy coconut meat which is gel like. You can ask the seller to scrape out the meat. When the coconut matures the meat is thicker & will require a strong bite.
When tender it is more like gelatine. 

I sometimes like to stock tender coconuts at home & offer the chilled drink it to my family whenever they come home tired. It is just so refreshing. 

At home my husband wanted Dosa for dinner & the nearest vegetable vendor did not have coconuts. So, instead of using a mature coconut I thought of experimenting with the tender coconut.

I emptied the water in a glass & stored it in the refrigerator before serving. Meanwhile, I asked my husband to give me a hand to get the malai/coconut meat out of the coconut. And, VOILA! I happened to make one of the best chutneys ever!

Here is what you need:

• Tender coconut meat/malai - of 1 coconut
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Green Coriander leaves - a small bunch
• Green Chillies - 2
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp, for tempering
• Oil - 1.5 tsp, for tempering
• Salt - as per taste

Method:
Get a blender & throw in the malai, garlic cloves, coriander leaves, green chillies & salt. Blend them all!
Temper it with mustard seeds.

The fresh, healthy & refreshing chutney dip is ready to go with your dosas, idlis & appams!

Note:
You may skip garlic if you don't like it.

Paruppu Podi/ Yellow Lentil Chutney Powder

Paruppu Podi / Yellow Lentil Chutney Powder

This recipe comes from the Southern part of India. Yellow Lentil is also known as split pigeon peas.

It can be made within 5 minutes & is very easy. It is quite a saviour when you are starving.

We will need:

• Arhar/Toor dal (Yellow Lentil) - 1small cup
• Whole Dried Red chillies - As per tolerance, I took 3
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Dessicated Coconut - 1 cup
• Salt - As per taste
• Oil - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Take a pan & pour 1/2 teaspoon oil just to grease the pan. Roast the dal & red chillies. When it is golden put off the flame & take it off the stove to stop cooking as we dont want it to get brown. Now, put this in a mixer jar & add the asafoetida & coconut to it & grind it. Grind it coarsely. Your Podi/Chutney Powder is ready. It will taste best for 1 full week if kept in the refrigerator.

Note:

• The same process is to be followed to make Paruppu Thogayal/Yellow Lentil Chutney. You just need to add some water. However the shelf life decreases to 2-3 days.
• You can try adding a few cloves of garlic for a different flavor. I dont use it in this preparation though.
• It is best eaten with hot steaming rice with a dollop of ghee mixed with this thogayal or podi. 
• You will be appreciated by all if you serve it with rasam rice & papad. So, try this & share your experience with me.

Teekhi Tamatar Ki Chutney

"Incredible!" is what I call it. My entire family gets bowled over whenever I prepare this. It is best to serve it with plain food like Rice, Dal & Vegetables or any paranthas (flat breads).


Ingredients:

• Ripe Red Tomatoes - 6 Nos.
• Green Chillies - 6 Nos.
• Garlic - 10 to 15 cloves
• Coriander Leaves - Handful
• Whole Red Chillies - 2
• Mustard oil - few drops
• Salt - As per taste

Method:
Cook the tomatoes one by one directly on the flame. You could use a tawa also however it is best cooked directly over the flame. The tomato skin will blacken & get burnt but you keep turning the tomato with the help of a tong so that all sides are cooked well. When it starts shrinking & getting softer take it off the flame. Likewise cook all the tomatoes. Now in the similar fashion cook the green chillies over the flame. Be careful because if it gets completely burnt then it will lose its taste. Just let it cook till it gets a little soggy.
The same way whole red chillies are to be cooked but it will release strong smell & smoke so please cover your nose & put on your exhaust fan. You only have to heat it to make chilli flakes. Now, use a mortar & pestle to pound the Whole red chillies, garlic & coriander leaves instead of grinding it in a mixer grinder. Remove the skin from the tomatoes & now add the green chillies & tomatoes into the mortar. Continue to pound till you achieve the required consistency. If you see a few lumps of tomatoes & chillies as well as few coriander leaves it is ok. It should not be completely ground else we could have used the mixer grinder isn't it?
Add a 4-5 drops of mustard oil if you like its taste & sprinkle salt as per taste.


Note:
1. You need not put any oil if you wish not to
2. The no. of chillies will completely depend on your liking
3. You can use a mixer grinder however the consistency & taste will vary
4. It is best served with plain food to add punch in the taste