Milagai Chutney

by Deerga // March 30, 2016 // No Comments

As most of you know, Idli is one of the most popular breakfast dishes in South India, especially Tamilnadu. It is the staple breakfast food in most south Indian homes. A dish as popular as Idli should have countless accompaniments, right? Yep, these accompaniments or chutneys, as locally known, come in all varieties and made from different ingredients. Here I have posted the recipe of one such chutney called the Milagai Chutney, as learnt from my mom.

Milagai Chutney, as the name suggests, is a very simple but tasty chutney made from chillies. Milagai is the tamil word for chilli. And Milagai chutney is made from dried red chilli, also known as Vaththal in Tamil. I know, making a chutney from just dried red chilli sounds ludicrous but trust me, it tastes heavenly with hot idlis. The first time I had Milagai Chutney was in Madurai back when I was a kid. Our neighbor aunty used to make tasty Milagai Chutney and I always pestered my mom to make it exactly the same as the neighbor aunty did.

Milagai Chutney is my favorite chutney, hands down. After several attempts, I think I have perfected my mother’s recipe. The best kept secret of this recipe is the correct balance maintained between red chilli and tamarind. A slight variation might change the taste completely. Though Milagai Chutney pairs well with idli, it can also be had with Dosa, chapati etc. Try this spicy and tasty recipe at home and let me know if it is indeed the best chutney to go along with hot idlis 🙂

Milagai Chutney

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 2 mins

Total time: 7 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Shallots – 8 to 10 nos
Red chilli – 10 to 12 nos
Tamarind –1/4 lime size
Grated coconut – ½ tbsp
Salt as required

for the seasoing:

Gingely oil – 1 ½ tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a sprig

Instructions

Grind all the above ingredients in a blender without adding water.
Season with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves.
Have the spicy and tasty milagai chutney with hot idlis or dosas. Enjoy! 

Notes

1. You can store this chutney in the refrigerator for 10 days.
2. You don’t have to sauté the ingredients before or after grinding them. Just add the seasoning on top.
3. This milagai chutney is super spicy and so I would recommend adding a tsp of gingely oil on top before serving.

Dhaniya Chutney

by Deerga // July 22, 2015 // No Comments

It has been a long since I have posted the recipe of a chutney variety. Chutney, as most of you might know, is a type of condiment in Indian cuisine. There are literally hundreds of varieties of chutneys. One among them is the Dhaniya chutney. Dhaniya is the Tamil name for coriander seeds. Coriander (also called as cilantro) seeds are mainly used as a flavor enhancement in Indian cuisine. It is one of the oldest known spices in the world.

Coriander plant is one of those rare plant varieties from which you can consume both the leaves and fruits. Coriander seeds are actually dried coriander fruits. The chutney recipe I have posted here is a very good side dish for both idli and dosa. It is a healthy recipe since coriander seeds are known for their inflammatory properties and is also subscribed for stomach ailments. Having a healthy breakfast is the key to a happy and productive day ahead and what is better than idli and Dhaniya chutney to start the day!

Try this healthy and tasty chutney and let me know which one you like to have it with, idli or dosa? 🙂

Dhaniya Chutney

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Dhaniya or coriander seed – 1 tbsp
Shallots – 6 nos
Red chilli – 2 nos
Curry leaves – 5 nos
Tamarind – small gooseberry size
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Salt as required

For the seasoning:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 5 nos

Instructions

Heat a kadai with a tbsp of oil. Add in whole urad dal and sauté until they turn slightly brown.
Add in coriander seeds and fry for few seconds or until the urad dal turn golden brown.
Now add shallots, curry leaves and red chilli. Sauté until the onions turn translucent or the raw smell disappears.
Finally add the tamarind and give a quick stir. Switch off the flame and add grated coconut and salt.
Grind them to a coarse paste in a chutney form.
Season the Dhaniya chutney with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Serve the Dhaniya chutney along with hot idlis /dosas and Enjoy. 

Green Chilli Pickle

by Deerga // April 28, 2015 // No Comments

Pickle is an accompaniment in Indian cuisine similar to mustard and ketchup in American or salsa in Mexican cuisines. Pickle in the US has a different meaning altogether where it is cucumber fermented in brine or vinegar. Pickle is very popular in Andhra cuisine where it is almost had with all main entrée dishes.
Back home, there are literally hundreds of variety of pickles (both sweet and spicy) and green chilli pickle is one among them. Green Chilli pickle is a recipe from my grandmother, passed on to my mother and now to me (and I will pass on to my daughter when she is ready ). Green Chilli pickle is the best complement for curd rice.

I love Green Chilli pickle very much and have wanted to make it for a long time. As the name suggests, green chilli is the main ingredient (and mango-ginger as well) in this recipe. I am sure all spicy food lovers will love this one. Try this wonderful pickle , have it with curd rice and let me know your thoughts.

GREEN CHILLI PICKLE/ INJI MANGA OORGAI

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 5-10 servings

Ingredients

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Chopped Shallots – 10
Garlic cloves – 10 (minced)
Chopped green chillies – 10
Chopped ginger and/or mango ginger – 1 ½ tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Tamarind – big gooseberry size
Coriander powder -1 tbs
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Gingelly oil – 2 tbs
Salt as required

Instructions

Soak tamarind in water and make a thick paste out of it.
Heat gingelly oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. Add onions and sauté until the color changes. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and sauté for few minutes.
Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and immediately add the tamarind extract.
Give it a stir and switch off the flame when the oil separates.

Notes

1.You could also substitute ginger with mango ginger (Inji maanga) and that tastes awesome too.
2.You can refrigerate the pickle and use it for a week. If you want to store it for more days add very little jaggery while making the pickle.

Kundapur Chicken Gravy

by Deerga // September 11, 2014 // No Comments

It has been a while since I posted a non vegetarian recipe and now I am giving you a speciality from my neighboring state, Karnataka. It is called as the Kundapur Chicken gravy, a popular dish from Mangalorean cuisine that has its origins from Kundapur, a coastal town in Karnataka. Kundapur chicken is a versatile dish that goes well with all main course dishes like, rice, naan, parotta, biriyani, chapati, dosa etc. Kundapur chicken gravy’s main ingredient, the one that gives its distinct taste, is the kundapur masala powder. Kundapur chicken gravy is one of HB’s favorite dishes and he makes me to cook it at least once in like two months (I know that is a considerable gap but I do have to try other interesting recipes, right? ;)). We normally have Kundapur chicken with Biryani and Chappati. I would say Kundapur was one of the first dishes I tried which was not from Tamilnadu or a hand down from my mom or MIL 🙂 Do try this Mangalorean dish in your kitchen and let me know your comments as well as the favorite main course dish that you would like to have with.

Coondapur Chicken Gravy

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

To dry roast and grind:

Kashmiri red chilli – 2 nos
Black peppercorns- 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 1½ tbsp
Fenugreek seeds – 8 nos
Tamarind – marble size
Coconut - 2 tbsp

Other ingredients:

Oil – 3 tbsp
Onion, finely chopped – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Green chillies – 2 nos
Curry leaves – a sprig
Chicken, with bones -
Salt as required
Coconut milk – 2 tbsp
Cilantro, chopped – 1 tbsp

Instructions

Heat a pan and dry roast all the above ingredients except coconut for a minute or until they spread aroma. Allow them to cool and grind it along with coconut to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion. Sauté well. when the onions turn translucent add ginger garlic paste. Sauté until the raw smell disappears. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder.
Add green chillies and curry leaves. Give it a stir and add the ground coconut paste. Sauté well, reduce to medium flame and allow them to cook for 20 minutes.
When the oil start to ooze out, add the chicken and mix well. when the gravy is well blended with the chicken, cover the lid and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes in a low flame. When the chicken is ¾ th cooked, add coconut milk mix well. cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and switch off the flame.
Enjoy the tasty kundapur chicken with roti, white rice or even for dosa!

PULIKUZHAMBU

by Deerga // April 13, 2014 // No Comments

Pulikuzhambu is a south Indian gravy made from tamarind. Again, there are many variations to it based on geographical locations. It is specific to Tamilnadu. Pulikuzhambu is very easy to make and involves very limited ingredients. It is one of the main dishes served in a marriage feast along with Sambar. There are many variations of Pulikuzhambu but I would say almost every one of them is easy to make.
Pulikuzhambu is one of my favorite vegetarian dishes. I love the tanginess (because of tamarind) in it. And I love the one prepared by my mom. There is this tradition in most of the homes in Tamilnadu where quite often families have dinner under moon light, sharing food with their dear ones. It is called as Nilachoru (Nila- Moon, Choru – rice) in Tamil. Pulikuzhambu is often the dish that we used to have in our nilachoru back home. So whenever I prepare Pulikuzhambu here, I feel nostalgic and start missing my home.
The drumstick Pulikuzhambu recipe that I have given here is my Mom’s so it guaranteed to come out well when you prepare it :). I love having Pulikuzhambu with rice and poriyal (for which I given the recipe here (link)) and also with curd (yoghurt). So do try this wonderful and simple recipe at your home and let me know your comments.

DRUMSTICK PULI KUZHAMBU |MURUNGAIKAI PULI KUZHAMBU

Recipe type: Lunch

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Gingelly oil – 1 tbs
Mustard seeds & urad dal - 1 tsp each
Fennel seeds- ½ tsp
Curry leaves- a sprig
Shallots – 7 nos (cut lenghtwise)
Garlic cloves – 5 (cut lenghtwise)
Drumstick – 1 (cut into equal pieces)
Sambar powder – 1 to 2 tbs
Grated coconut – 1 tbs
Tamarind – big gooseberry size
Salt as required

Instructions

Soak tamarind in a cup of water and extract the juice.
Blend together a shallot, grated coconut and a tbs of sambar powder with little water to make a paste.
Heat a pan with gingelly oil followed by mustard, urad dal, fennel seeds and curry leaves. When they start to sizzle, add in chopped garlic and sauté for few seconds until the aroma spreads. Add shallots and sauté for a while.
When the shallots turn translucent, add sambar powder followed by drumstick. Give a quick stir and add the ground paste and the tamarind extract. Stir and bring it to boil. Close the lid and cook until the drumstick is done (drumsticks easily disintegrates when you poke it with your cooking spatula).
Serve hot with any poriyal or kootu. Enjoy!