Chilli Chutney

Karnataka has been my home until I moved to Dubai two years back. Brought up in a small town called Brahmavar in Udupi district and then completed my post graduation and experienced my first feel of corporate life in Bangalore. These are two unique places with its own charm. Karnataka has it all - from the coastal stretch of Mangalore - Gokarna to the mountainous charms of Coorg and Sakleshpur, not to forget the temple towns of Belur, Halebidu , Hampi and Bangalore - the silicon city of India. I have not yet traveled all these places but one day, I do wish to strike off all these from my bucket list.

Chikmaglur is one such beautiful hill station nestled at the foothills of the Mullayanagiri range with beautiful climate and coffee estates that adorn the hills. This makes it a popular tourist destination and we got to be one of them in February. No denying the gorgeous climate of the place, the wonderful coffee estates, greenery all around and you could relax the whole day almost doing nothing. A write up will soon follow on our Chikmaglur trip but before that let me bring your attention to this recipe which my mother learned from one of the chef's at the home stay.

Chilly Chutney - goes with almost anything be it rice, idli or dosa and co-incidentally we tried it with foccacia and it was undeniably the best combination (Italy meets Malnadu) which is why we have included it in the photograph. 

So here we go - 

Ingredients

1. Kashmiri red chilli - 15 to18 
2. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
4. Jeera/ cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball 
6. Jaggery - 2 tbsp grated
7. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil

Method

• Soak tamarind in half a cup of warm water and extract the juice.
• Soak the red chilly in water for ten minutes and drain off the water.
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds,garlic along with red chilli. Fry this until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
• Take it off the flame and let it cool. Pulse this into a paste.
• Transfer this back to the pan and add the tamarind extract along with grated jaggery and adjust the salt. Let the water run a little dry to get the desired chutney consistency.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Temper the chutney with mustard seeds.

You may also note -

• De-seed the chilli before frying if you do not like the seeds in the chutney.

Coriander Chutney

There is nothing like a hearty breakfast!

I would not say that breakfast is the best meal of the day for me - I am always partial towards dinner. Yet having a good breakfast keeps you going for most part of the day.  As a part of my first job in India, we were part of the HR panel for Campus recruitment of freshers. This demanded of us to travel to different cities and were often put up in hotels approved by the company. No compromise on safety and security! Goes without saying that we had the luxury of staying in a couple of prominent 5 star hotels - royal bedrooms and hearty meals. Breakfast is complementary in these hotels and we would definitely not miss that! It was always a combo of Indian and English - from idli, vada, sambar to the croissants, muffins and sausages - name it and you had it there.  So even now when I hear of breakfast buffets I jump at the idea. The widespread buffet is such a visual treat and leaves you with a happy tummy.

So over to my recipe today. Since I have talked about breakfast - my recipe also has got something to do with breakfast. Coriander chutney is our bowl of happiness with idli or dosa. Do try it and enjoy!

Ingredients

1. Coconut - 1 cup grated
2. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped including stems
3. Green Chilly - 1 or 2 depending on the spice quotient
4. Ginger - 1 tsp chopped
5. Salt to taste
6. Water - 1/2 cup
7. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
9. Oil

Method

• Pulse together the coconut, coriander leaves, green chilly, ginger and salt. Add the water to attain the desired consistency.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add urad dal and once the color begins to change lightly add the chutney. Add more water if required and switch off the flame when it heats up. Do not let it boil.
• A great breakfast companion with idli, dosa or vada.

You may also note - 

• You could also add curry leaves and red chilies for tempering
• The fresher the coriander and grated coconut the better the flavor

Peanut Chutney

Last week I came across this article on my favorite self-help blog - Tiny Buddha on how as adults we get so engrossed in the race of life that things that once sounded beautiful to us no longer evokes us in the same feelings. So, I guess it is time to step back unlearn this way of life and bring in a change that makes life more beautiful. I keep saying I am a person who finds happiness in every small thing in life. But do I really? May be not! Yet, it is never too late. So I have pulled up my socks and have begun viewing life differently and enjoying the tidbits that comprises life.

And you know what! Life does seem more beautiful since the past three days incorporating just the below - 

1. Letting bygones be bygones.
2. Every single thing in your life has a reason! So live it up to brim.
3. Tomorrow has to come anyway, so quit worrying about it now!

Having said this - here is my recipe for the week Peanut Chutney straight out of my aunt's recipes! She always has this chutney bottled up and needless to say I always love eating spoonfuls right out of the bottle. It is perfect for week day breakfasts. Idli/Dosa and peanut chutney just perfect for tiffin boxes!

Here is the recipe - 

Ingredients

1. Peanuts - 1 kg
2. Garlic - 200 gm
3. Curry Leaf - 1 sprig
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp heaped
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
9. Oil - 1 tbsp
10. salt - to taste

Method

• Dry roast the peanuts until cooked and set aside. You could peel the peanuts if you want to or it works well if you did not peel it as well.
• Heat oil in a Kadai, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Add the fenugreek seeds, chopped garlic and the curry leaves. Saute till the raw smell goes.
• Sprinkle the asafoetida, chilly and turmeric powder and cook the masala. Toss in the groundnut and mix well.
• Let this cool and add the required salt.
• Grind the contents together till it coarsely done. I love to bite into bits of peanuts hence the coarse texture. You may grind it to fine powder as well.
• Can be stored in a dry container for more than a month.

You may also note - 

• DO NOT grind it for a long time as you may end up having peanut butter chutney:)
• Increase the spice level to your taste.