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