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          Some of you might not like Sweet Chutney with chats or samosas, but at home, we all like both the green chutney and sweet chutney with our chats. We use soft dates ( I had some imported ones ) and tamarind for making this chutney and it's an easy recipe. It's a must for most chat dishes and can be served with cutlets, samosas and savory rolls too and keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or can be stored in the freezer for a couple of months..

Need To Have

• Seeded Dates - about 8 big ones
• Tamarind - lime sized ball
• Black Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Jaggery - 1 teaspoon

Method


          Pressure cook the dates and tamarind along with a cup of water for a whistle or two, the dates should have become soft. Cool the dates mixture and strain the water.


          Then grind the dates and tamarind into a smooth paste. Add the water to the paste and strain the mixture.


          Place the strained mixture on the stove, add the black salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder and jaggery. Mix and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat, keep stirring in between. Remove the chutney, cool and store.


Note
Soft dates will be good for this chutney, the chutney should taste sweet, with a slight hint of spice.
The chutney should have a thin jam/jelly like consistency.

          Pongal ( both sweet and spicy ) is a favorite at home. As much as we like ven pongal with sambar and chutney, I like it much better when I serve it with this Onion and Tomato Gothsu. Since there is no dal/lentils in this Gothsu, you don't end up feeling heavy after eating pongal with it. It's very light and the slight sourness from the tomatoes goes very well with Ven Pongal, do try this Gothsu, the next time you make Ven Pongal, of course this goes very well with idlis and dosas too..

Need To Have

• Onion - 3 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 3 medium
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 1, slit
• Ginger - 1" piece, chopped finely
• Curry Leaves - 10 - 15
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sambar Powder - 3 teaspoons
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup

Method


          Chop and grind 2 tomatoes and keep.


          Heat some oil, add the urad dal, mustard seeds, when it starts sputtering, add the fenugreek seeds and asafoetida followed by the chopped onions, curry leaves, green chilly and ginger. Saute it well till the onions turn pink, then add the remaining one tomato ( chopped ) and saute till it turns mushy.


          Then add the ground tomatoes, turmeric powder, sambar powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix for a minute, then add 2 cups of water, salt, cover and cook on medium heat for about 7 to 10 minutes. Then garnish with the chopped coriander and serve.


Note
Use good ripe tomatoes.
I use homemade fresh coriander powder, this has a nice flavor than the store bought one.

          I had first tasted Vada Pav in the US only, the vada was served between the bun with some sweet chutney and spicy green chutney. Only later, did I come to know that it's served traditionally with this dry garlic chutney and fried green chilly. Now in Bangalore, I see so many versions of the Vada Pav, but I still prefer the classic one, with just the garlic chutney and green chilly, of course I don't mind the sweet chutney and spicy green chutney, but the garlic chutney is a must. So when I made Vada Pav ( will be posting it soon ) at home, I made this Dry Garlic Chutney, it's very easy to make, the main ingredients are garlic, coconut and peanuts and it gives a wonderful flavor and taste to the Vada Pav..

Need To Have
Chopped Garlic - 3 tablespoons
Raw Peanuts - 2 teaspoons
Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
Coriander Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Original recipe from here.

Method


          Dry roast the peanuts, cool, remove the skin and keep. Next, dry roast the grated coconut till it becomes dry, remove and keep.


          Heat some oil, add the chopped garlic, saute till it turns golden, then add the peanuts, coconut, coriander seeds and saute for 2 more minutes. Then add the chilly powder and salt, mix and remove.


          Using a mortar and pestle, pound it till you get a coarse mixture.


Note
You can use dry dessicated coconut, since I didn't have it, I used fresh coconut but toasted it till dry.

          Wishing all of you a Very Happy New Year, back to blogging after almost a month. It's been a long time, since I had made anything special, in fact, this past month, I haven't even cooked that much. Today's post, Chettinad Poondu Kuzhambu, is something that I had made couple of months back. I had tasted this Poondu Kuzhambu in a restaurant as a side for soft dosas, it tastes spicy, tangy and sweet at the same time and goes very well with both rice and idlis and dosas too. I already have a recipe for Garlic Gravy on my blog, but this one is a little different from that one. I followed the recipe from here, made a few changes and left out the coconut. This would go well with Paniyarams too, in fact we had it with rice in the afternoon and I served it as a side dish for Paniyarams in the evening for dinner, do give it a try, you'll love it..

Need To Have

• Garlic - 2 whole bulbs, peeled
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Curry Leaves - 20
• Tamarind - lime sized ball
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 2 teaspoons
• Jaggery Powder - 2 tablespoons
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

To Grind

• Garlic - 8 cloves, peeled
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 small, tangy ones
• Curry Leaves - 25
• Fenugreek Seeds - 10
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Black Pepper - 1 tablespoon
• Sambar Powder - 2 tablespoons

Method


          First let us prepare the paste using the ingredients given under ' to grind '. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil, add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and black pepper, saute for half a minute, then add the garlic cloves, chopped onion and curry leaves and saute till the garlic cloves turn golden.


          Now add the tomatoes and sambar powder and keep mixing till the tomatoes turn soft, sprinkle some water if the mixture sticks to the pan.


          Remove, cool and grind it into a smooth paste, adding a little water if needed. In the meantime, soak the tamarind in about a cup of hot water for about 15 minutes, then extract the juice, strain and keep.


          Now heat about 2 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds starts spluttering add the 2 bulbs of peeled garlic, onion and curry leaves and saute till the garlic turns golden. Now add the tamarind extract, turmeric powder and coriander powder.


          Add the ground paste, salt and about 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil and then simmer it for about 30 to 40 minutes. Then add the jaggery and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove, drizzle about 1/2 tablespoon of oil and serve.


Note
Use naatu thakkali ( country tomatoes ).
The final consistency of this gravy is thick and the garlic cloves should be soft.
Sesame oil is a must for this gravy/kuzhambu, it gives a unique flavor.

          We love Kerala food at home, both the husband and I love the Sadya served during Onam, in fact I want to cook a complete sadya, at least once. I don't know when that's going to happen, might be by next Onam, but I do make Kerala dishes once in a while, especially the moru kuzhambu. Olan had been on my do list for a long time, and finally I made it, a couple of weeks back. I don't know why it took me so long to try it, this being such an easy dish, the only major task, might be extracting the coconut milk, even that I wouldn't say is a big task. Anyway, this is a mild stew with pusinikkai or ash gourd/ winter melon and black eyed peas and the seasoning is done with coconut oil which gives a wonderful flavor to the dish. It goes very well with plain rice, but I think it might also taste good with dosas and adais too..

Need To Have

• Ash Gourd/Pusinikkai Pieces - 2 cups
• Black Eyed Peas - 1/4 cup
• Green chillies - 4
• Grated Coconut - 1 cup
• Curry Leaves - 15 to 20
• Coconut Oil - 1 to 2 teaspoons

Method


          Wash, pressure cook the black eyed peas and keep. Cook the ash gourd pieces ( about 1" long and 1/2" thick pieces ) with half the curry leaves, slit green chillies and salt. In the meantime, blend the coconut with 1/2 cup of warm water and extract the first coconut milk, then again blend it with 1 cup of water and squeeze out the second milk and keep. Once the ash gourd pieces are cooked, add the cooked black eyed peas and the second coconut milk and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the first milk, warm it through and remove.


          Heat the coconut oil, add the remaining curry leaves to it and saute for half a minute, then add it to the cooked olan. Serve it warm with some cooked plain rice and any spicy curry like a potato or colocasia fry.


Note
You can also add some yellow pumpkin/ parangikkai pieces in this dish.

          Kongu Nadu Keerai, this is a recipe that I had jotted down many years back and I had tried it once then. After that, when I wanted to do it, I thought I had lost the piece of paper, then finally after so many years, I found it back, all neatly jotted down in a notebook. I had taken it from a TV show, and I think it's a kind of spinach preparation done in Kongu Nadu region ( Coimbatore, Erode,Salem, Tiruppur and some more places in Tamilnadu, India belong to this region ). The recipe is very simple and different, it's like a Pachadi kind of dish and it goes very well with plain rice, give it a try next time when you make spinach..

Need To Have

• Chopped Spinach - 5 cups
• Tamarind - small marble size
• Chopped Small Onions - 1/2 cup
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Green Chillies - 2, slit
• Garlic - 3 cloves, smashed and chopped
• Coconut Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

To Powder

• White Sesame Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Black Peppercorns - 1 teaspoon
• Jeera/Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 2 teaspoons

Method


          Cook the chopped spinach with about 1/2 cup water and salt. Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water, extract the juice, strain and keep.


          Dry roast all the ingredients given under ' To Powder ', cool and grind it and keep. Chop the onions, garlic, tomatoes, slice the green chillies and keep.


          Once the spinach is cooked, cool it a little, add the tamarind extract, chopped onion, garlic, chillies and tomatoes.


          Add the ground spice powder, mix and using your hands, coarsely mash the spinach, finally add the coconut oil, mix and serve it with hot plain white rice.


Note
When you mash and chop the garlic, it gives more flavor and also use small onions only in this recipe.
Cook the spinach uncovered, so that the green color is retained.

          Today's post is going to be one more dosa, and this time I have used Vella Pusinikkai/ Ash Gourd or Winter Melon to make it. As I have said so many times, we love idlis and dosas at home, and this one again turned out to be really good. To make it a little more healthier, I have used idli rice and jowar ( solam ) in equal proportions. This is not an instant dosa, it needs previous soaking, grinding and then the batter has to be fermented. The dosas came out so soft and spongy like set dosas and they would go very well with coconut chutney, sambar or vada curry..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 1 cup
• Whole Jowar/Solam - 1 cup
• Pusinikkai/Ash Gourd Puree - 1 cup
• Green Chillies - 4
• Whole Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 2 tablespoons
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 2 teaspoons

Method


          Wash and soak the rice, jowar, urad dal and fenugreek seeds overnight. Next day morning, grind it with the green chillies into a smooth batter. Make a puree with the ash gourd pieces ( about 1 cup ).


          Add the ash gourd puree to the ground batter along with the salt and mix everything together with your hand, cover and leave it to ferment for about 8 to 10 hours.


          Heat a dosa pan, pour a laddle of batter, spread it as thick or as thin as you want, drizzle some oil all around, cover and cook, till the bottom starts browning, flip and cook the other side and remove.


Note
I have used the mixie/blender for grinding, if making large quantity then you can use the grinder.
I made thick and spongy dosas ( like set dosa ) with the batter, but you can make them thin and crispy too.
The holes that pop up when you pour the dosa batter on the pan, shows that the batter has fermented well, only then the dosas will turn out soft and spongy.
When I say smooth batter, it doesn't mean powdery smooth, it'll still be a little grainy.
After fermentation, the batter will not increase in volume like in the case of regular idli/dosa batter, but you'll still be able to see that it has fermented.

          After, all the festive food for the last couple of days, most of us should be tired of seeing sweets and snacks, so today's post is going to be a spicy and tangy Thokku/Pickle with Maa Inji/ Mango Ginger. I actually made this some time back, when I had a couple of bags of maa inji, the same time, that I had made the simple pickle with it and the rice. This thokku is again easy to make, and it tastes very good with curd rice, or mixed with some plain white rice, or even as a side to idlis, dosas and rotis..

Need To Have

• Grated Mango Ginger - 1 cup
• Tamarind - small lemon sized ball
• Red Chilly Powder - 3 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Jaggery Powder - 2 tablespoons
• Fenugreek Seed Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Original recipe here.

Method


          Peel, wash and grate the maa inji/mango ginger, using a fine grater and keep. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water for 15 to 30 minutes.


          Heat 3 tablespoons of oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts sputtering, add the curry leaves, followed by the grated mango ginger and saute it for 5 minutes.


          Take the extract from the soaked tamarind, strain and add it to the mango ginger. Add the red chilly powder, asafoetida and salt and cook for 10 minutes on medium/low heat.


          Then add the jaggery, fenugreek powder, mix and keep cooking on low heat for another 20 minutes ( keep stirring in between ). Cool it completely and store it in the refrigerator.


Note
Depending on your spice level and the spiciness of the chilly powder, add more or less of the chilly powder.
Don't omit the jaggery, it brings together the taste, the thokku should have a spicy, tangy taste with a hint of sweetness.

          This year, I had made up my mind on a couple of sweets and savory items that I wanted to make, this Savory Diamond Cuts/Maida Kara Biscuits was one among them. I saw them in a couple of blogs, they looked so cute and tempting, and while going through the recipe, I saw that they were not difficult to make, in fact a very easy one that even a beginner can make. These savory biscuits are not very spicy, they have a very subtle ajwain flavor and a perfect match with your tea or coffee..

Need To Have

• All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 5
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Ajwain/Omam - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
• Oil - 1 teaspoon + for deep frying

Original recipe here.

Method


          Grind the red chillies and garlic with a little water into a smooth paste. Add the salt, ajwain seeds and 1 teaspoon of oil to the flour and mix it.


          Now add the ground paste and adding a little water, make a stiff dough with it. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Then divide the dough and roll into big lemon size balls.


          Dusting with some flour, roll out a ball into a thin disc, then cut out diamond shapes, remove them and keep. Do it with all the balls of dough.


          Heat the oil, add the diamond cuts, keep turning them and fry them on medium heat, till the bubbles settle down. Remove the diamond cuts, drain the excess oil and let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.


Note
If you fry them on high heat, they brown fast, but might not be crispy.
The chillies that I had were mild, so I added 5, add them according to your spice level, if the chillies are spicy, then even 2 would be enough.
Since I have made a small batch, with just a cup of flour, I just put all the diamond pieces in one plate, but if you're making more, then there is chance that they might stick to one another. But if use more flour while rolling out the balls, then they'll be totally dry and will not stick, but still, don't dump too much on one plate.

          Thattai, for the last couple of years , I have been making this for Diwali. There are so many versions of this, we can make it using rice flour in combination with besan flour ( kadalai maavu ) or roasted gram dal flour. But I have been following this method, I soak and grind the rice, then add roasted gram flour ( pottukadalai maavu ) along with other spices and ingredients and make this thattai. It's a simple recipe, using simple ingredients, but it takes some time to flatten the thattais and frying them, especially if you're making a large quantity. The first time I made it, I remember, I had soaked 5 cups of rice and it took me a good 3 hours to finish making the thattais. But other than that, I can say, that this can been made even by beginners, just start with a small quantity..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 1 cup
• Roasted Gram Dal/Pottukadalai - 1/4 cup
• Chana Dal/Bengal Gram Dal - 2 teaspoons
• Cashews -  3 or 4, chopped into small pieces
• Coarsely Ground Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coarsely Ground Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• White Sesame Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil - 1 tablespoon + more for deep frying
• Salt to taste

Method


          Soak the rice for about 2 hours. Soak the chana dal for about 30 minutes.


          Take the roasted gram dal and grind it into a smooth powder.


          Then grind the rice into a smooth thick paste, using as little water as possible.


          Take the roasted gram dal powder, add the oil, salt, cumin powder, pepper powder, chopped cashews, sesame seeds and mix it, then add the rice paste.


          Mix it together to form a smooth but firm dough, if needed sprinkle some water. Make small lemon size balls and keep.


          Heat the oil for deep frying. Then take a ball of dough, flatten it on a greased plastic sheet, prick it with a fork, so that it doesn't puff up when we deep fry it.


          Then remove it by taking the plastic sheet, inverting it in your hand and peeling the plastic sheet ( the thattai would come out easily). Then slide it into the hot oil and fry it on medium low heat till golden, remove and drain the excess oil on a kitchen tissue. Let it cool completely, then store it in an airtight container.


Note
We can use some coarsely pounded roasted peanuts instead of cashews and also some curry leaves.
We can add a tablespoon of butter to the dough instead of oil.
If your dough is sticky, because you have added more water while grinding, then add some rice flour and roasted gram dal flour to make the dough.
While deep frying, add it to the hot oil, but cook it on medium low heat, till all the bubbles die down, in fact leave it for a few seconds even after the bubbles die down, otherwise the thattais will be crispy at the edges and might be soft in the center.
The thattais were a light golden color, since I have added only pepper powder, it would get more color, if we added chilly powder instead of pepper powder.