Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-9

Pickles and Chutneys With Gooseberries-II

This is the season for Gooseberries. These berries are rich in Vitamin C and is extensively used in Indian Natural Medicine System of Ayurveda. Just by eating a fruit daily will improve our eye sight, protect it, blackens hair and keeps our body, eye sight and hair healthy. They can be preserved in the form of pickles or jams or preserves and also eaten fresh in the form of chutney.

My previous recipe on Pickles is here:

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2011/01/pickles-from-andhra-vii.html


1. Gooseberry Pickle (ఉసిరి  నిలువ  పచ్చడి ):

This is one of the most famous pickle of Andhra cuisine. It is good for health and hence eaten first with cooked/steamed rice.

Ingredients:
Gooseberries    1Kg
Turmeric      2-3 Tbsp
Salt  (Granulated sea salt)    75 to 100 gms

Method:

• Wash the berries in plenty of water. Wipe them well with a cloth and spread them on a cotton cloth. Leave them for 2-3 hours (no need to keep in sun) till they are completely free from moisture.
• Slice or chop (can be thick pieces) the berries with a knife and discard the seeds. We use the traditional stone grinder and wooden pestle instead of knife.
• Mix in the turmeric and put them in a ceramic or glass jar. Close the lid tightly and leave for 3 days. These pieces will soften.
• Don't use table or iodised salt. Dry natural granulated sea salt in the sun and powder it. If you can get the powder itself use it. 
• On 4th day remove the berry pieces from the jar, mix in salt and grind to a rough paste. Again store in a glass or ceramic jar. The lid should be fitted tightly and cover it with a piece of cloth to avoid atmospheric moisture.

When you want to use it follow the following procedure.

Ingredients:
Goose berry Paste 1 cup (around 100-150 gms)

Mustard seeds:  1/2 Tbsp

Black Lentils(split and husked) 1Tbsp

Red Chillies (dry)  5-6 (broken to pieces)
Asafoetida 1/4th tsp or 2-3 pinches

Oil             1 Tbsp
Salt to taste

The spice Box

Asfoetida
Method:

• Heat oil in a small pan to a smoking point.
• Lower the heat to the minimum
• Add Black lentils and mustard seeds after a minute add red chillies and asafoetida. When the mustard start spluttering remove and cool.
• Grind this to a paste
• Add the gooseberry paste and salt and grind a few seconds to mix it well.
• it is served with hot steamed rice, slit green chillies and onion slices.

Note: 

1. This keeps for a week or two. 
2. Usually both dried red chillies and green chillies  are used for spicy taste. Some fry the green chillies along with mustard seeds, red chillies etc before grinding. This is not only tasty but also reduces the spiciness of the chillies. Coriander greens are also added before grinding all the ingredients. But this pickle will keep only for 2-3 days because of the green chillies and coriander greens. I prefer this method and make it in small quantities at a time.
3. A little bit of jaggery can be added to blend all the tastes.
4. Grinding the ingredients in traditional stone mortar  and wooden pestle gives the pickle a taste which is different from that in the food processor. 

Watch out for more.......

Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-8

Tomato Pickles-1(टमाटर का आचार /టొమాటో నిల్వ పచ్చడి )

Tomatoes are perhaps the most popular vegetable used all over the world. Actually it is a fruit. We Indians love it so much that we use it daily in form or the other.

In India, we make chutneys and pickle it many ways.Chutneys keep for a day or some for a few days. but pickles can be stored for long. This is the season for it and tomatoes are available at a very cheap rates. I will give the Andhra recipes first.

Before pickling:

• Choose semi ripened ones. Should not be too red or too soft. They should be orange or light red and very firm to touch and less juice in them. However don't use green and unripe ones. 
• Use desi or local varieties(not hybrid variety) which are meant for cooking.These may be small but more tastier. Don't use those tomatoes which are meant for salad. The tomatoes meant for salad just has firm flesh but no taste or sourness. They also don't preserve well.
• Wash them in plenty of water, wipe them clean and leave them for an hour or two till the moisture is completely gone
• Keep all the ingredients ready at hand
• Use a glass or ceramic jar and plate/bowl and wooden spoons for mixing and storing. You can use stainless steel vessels and spoons but immediately transfer into glass/ceramic one.
• Please note this carefully. The quantity of salt and red chilli(dried red chillies) may vary- can be more or less than what I have given. For any pickle recipe I am posting, I am giving the quantities of spices as accurately as possible. But the quantities of salt and chilli may vary-depending upon the sourness of the basic ingredient like mangoes, tomatoes, goose berries, tamarind or when tamarind or other ingredient is used as souring agent . So it is better to add the salt a little at a time and keep checking the taste. Do not add all at once. The taste of salt should be slightly more than other tastes. Check the pickle after three four days for taste, as by this time the ingredients would have marinated well. If salt is less add some more. 
• Similarly is the case with chilli powder. Adjust it to your taste. My recipes are very spicy. So add a little quantity at a time and adjust according to your taste. Mix a fistful of red chilli powder of those chillies which are not spicy but just add colour to the pickle. Or better mix both spicy and coloured one and then add according to your taste.
• Do not used tamarind which is black in colour, if possible. Use new tamarind. If tamarind is old that is preserved for more than 6 months, it turns black. When this is added to the pickle its colour also does not come out properly. Fresh or newly harvested tamarind is available now and is light brown in colour. This is good.
• I use freshly pressed sesame oil (whole sesame and not husked one). This is traditionally used in Andhra for pickles.But you can use any oil of your choice including refined oil which you generally use for pickles. Experiment with various oils by pickling a small quantity and check for the taste. I feel mustard oil is too pungent and does not go well with this pickle as tomato is mildly flavoured. Similarly coconut oil may also not taste good. But groundnut oil, sunflower oil is OK.
• These pickles keep for an year and beyond that. But It is better to have fresh pickles in the season as nothing tastes better than that.

I have used our traditional cutter for cutting. This is easy to use. We have to sit cross legged with one leg pinning the wooden base. This helps it to keep the cutter stable. We keep a bowl or plate underneath it and the pieces and juice get collected in them.

See how the Tomatoes look.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes             1kg

Tamarind              250-300gms

Salt                      100 to 150gms

Red chilli powder  100 gms
Fenugreek seeds    100 gms
Mustard seeds          50 gms
Asafoetida pieces   10 gms

Turmeric              2-3 Tbsp
Vinegar                 150ml

For Tempering:

Oil        500 ml
Chick pea lentil     40 gms
Black gram lentil    40 gms
Mustard seeds        50gms
Fenugreek seeds     20 gms
Dried red chillies    10-12

Method:

Cut the tomatoes into medium sized pieces. There is no need to remove the seeds. 

Add turmeric and salt. Mix well. It should be little salty. But don't worry as you can adjust the salt in the end too.
Store them in glass or ceramic jar with tight lid. Leave for three days.

After three days, the pieces will be soft and you can observe lot of juice. 

Squeeze out juice as much as you can and collect it in a separate bowl. Spread the pieces on a plastic sheet and dry it in the sun for three days. You need to turn the pieces once or twice a day, so that they dry well. 

Above you can see my pickle being dried out. They should be at least 75% dry.

This is the new tamarind-freshly harvested.

Meanwhile you put the tamarind into the juice and sun it a few hours a day. Keep stirring it a few times while in the sun. When you bring back into the house after each day, leave it till it cools down completely before covering it with a lid. Or else it will develop fungus.

Now  there are two methods here to be followed on the fourth day or on the evening of third day itself:

A. Add the pieces to the juice and leave it for two hours. The pieces will get soaked in the juice and become soft again. Now you can grind the pieces along with tamarind. 

OR

B. First squeeze the tamarind well. Since it is already soaked in the juice, the pulp is easy to extract. keep the pulp and fish out the waste. Now add the tomato pieces to get soaked. You need not grind it. I follow this method.

Again after this there are two ways:

Method 1:

1. Heat 1-2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add asafeotida pieces and let them fry well on low heat. Let it cool, powder it and keep aside.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in the same pan to smoking point. Lower the heat and add 100gms each of fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds and fry. Keep stirring it to avoid burning. Fry till you hear the crackling sound. Remove from fire, add half of the asafoetida, keep stirring it for a few minutes to avoid burning of the spices. Cool it and then grind to a fine powder.
3. Now for tempering- heat the remaining oil to a smoking point in a deep bottomed pan. Lower the heat add the lentils, fry for a minute, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds, fry for 2-3 minutes till you hear the crackling sound. Add the red chillies, fry for a minute. Remove from fire, add asafoetida. Mix well and cool it completely.
4. Now to this add the red chilli powder little by little and keep on mixing till it is completely mixed in the oil.
5. Add this to the pieces and mix well. Taste it and add salt if required. Mix well and store it in a ceramic/glass jar.  This keeps for an year. Use as required.

Method 2:

1. Under this method, store the tomato pieces after following the process at B.
2. But add salt to these pieces if required, as without adequate salt, the pickle will not last long.
3. As and when required  a small quantity of the pieces are taken and the process at Method 1 above is followed. But the quantity of the oil and all other ingredients has to be used proportionately.
4. The advantage of preparing the pickle for use each time is that it tastes fresh and tasty. In the first method when we mix everything in the beginning itself, the spices loose their freshness, the tempering also looses its crunchiness and pickle does not taste good after a month or so.
5. We can prepare the quantity required for a fortnight or so freshly each time or just before our guests arrive so that it tastes fresh.

This is how it looks. I used old tamarind as I did not have time to go to market and fetch the new one. So my pickle looks black instead of red now itself. But I have only pickled a little quantity now. I am going to make more shortly. Then I will use the fresh one.

So try this out and see for yourself. If you have any doubts or questions please mail me....

Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-7

Pickles and Chutneys with Gooseberries-I


My previous posts on Pickles are here:
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Pickles


Please read the introduction part before attempting this if you are making pickles for the first time. Its here:
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2010/05/pickles-from-andhra-i.html

Gooseberries are a favourite in Indian Kitchens  These berries come into market after the festival Diwali-that is in the month of Karthika and are available till the end of December or even first of January. These days most of the fruits are available through out the year. But during the season when they are naturally available, they are cheap, tasty and healthy too. 

For us South Indians, Gooseberries known as Usirikaya (Telugu) and Amla (Hindi) is a sacred fruit perhaps as much sacred as the holy Tulasi(basil) leaves. These berries are very good for health being rich in Vitamin C. It delays ageing process and keeps us young. It is good for our health in general and especially eye sight and hair. External application to hair makes it black, lustrous and healthy. It is extensively used in many medicinal preparations in Ayurveda system of medicine.

Here is a glimpse of the fruit:

This is how it looks on the tree. The trees are very tall with many branches. The leaves are very small. The fruit grow close to the branches in bunches.

Before making the pickles or chutneys or jams, wash the berries in water and wipe them dry with cloth thoroughly. Spread them on a clean dry cloth and dry them under fan for an hour or two till you are sure that there is no moisture left.


Use gingelly or sesame  oil for pickles.

1. Goose Berry Pickle(ఉసిరి ఆవకాయ / आमला आचार)

Ingredients:
Goose Berries    500gms
Red Chilly Powder  100gms
Mustard Powder     100gms
Salt   100gms
turmeric Powder      1tsp
Fenugreek seeds    1tbsp
Oil     250gms


Method

• Pierce the berries with a fork  few times or put little slits with a knife  here and there
• Now in a deep pan heat oil on low heat. Add the berries to oil, mix well so that the oil is coated all over the berries. Fry for five to ten minutes till the berries are somewhat fried. Stir in between so that the berries are fried on all sides.
• Remove from fire and coll completely
• Now add salt, chilly powder, mustard powder, turmeric, fenugreek seeds to the berries and mix thoroughly
• Store in a glass bottle or a ceramic container and close the lid tightly
• Keep for two or three days and then use it
• This tastes very good with hot boiled rice.

NOTE: 

• Some people heat one or two table spoons of oil separately, add 1/2 tsp of Asafoetida powder and immediately remove it from fire. Cool it add to the berries and mix thoroughly.
• In some regions, tamarind is soaked in hot water or boiled along with . Say lemon sized or more in enough water. Then it is cooled and the tamarind is squeezed thoroughly to extract a thick paste. This is then cooled completely and added to the berries mixture. In this case one has to add more salt and chilly powder  to balance the sour taste. But adding of tamarind pulp, not only lessens the slight bitter taste of the berries, but enhances the taste and also adds more stuff to the pickle. 

Try this out and let me know please....More to be posted in my next posts

Chutneys With Lentils-4

Andhra cuisine is known for its pickles, chutneys and spicy powders. Especially during some seasons like the hot summer and early rainy season, when it is difficult to buy vegetables, these come in handy. These can be used as dips by making them a little more thinner by adding water. So some more recipes here for you....

My previous posts on this topic are here :

These are Recipes on Chutneys
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Chutneys

These are Recipes on Lentil Chutneys
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Lentil%20Chutneys

Chick Pea-split and de husked.

1. Chick Pea Chutney

Chick Pea is also known as Bengal Gram. It is very tasty, nutritious and good for health. But excessive in take will cause indigestion. This chutney will be good with cooked rice or  any fried snacks.  For the recipes given below use split and cleaned (de husked) gram which is known as Chana Dal (चना दल) in Hindi and Senaga Pappu (శనగ పప్పు) in Telugu, which looks as in the picture above.

Ingredients:
Chick Pea   150Gms
Red Chillies dried    3-4
Cumin seeds     1 tsp
Tamarind pulp thick    1 Tbsp
Salt   to taste
Jaggery grated     2 tsp
Oil 1-2 Tbsp
Coriander Greens chopped fine 1 tbsp

For Tempering:
Oil   2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/4th tsp
Mustard seeds   1 tsp
Split and de husked black gram  1 tsp
Cumin seeds  1 tsp
Asafoetida    1/4th tsp
Curry leaves   2 sprigs

Method :

• Heat oil in a pan and roast the lentil till golden brown in colour and gives off nice smell
• Cool it.
• Take lentil, tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt and red chillies and grind to a paste adding water little at a time.
• The paste should be a little coarse and very thick.
• To make it more tastier- Heat oil to smoking point,lower the heat, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, black gram and fry for two minutes, then add cumin, let them splutter, add  asafoetida and  curry leaves. Add this to the chutney mix well and serve.
• Garnish with coriander greens. Serve with rice or snacks.

NOTE:

• Adjust the quantity of chillies according to your preference, as it will be very spicy.
• Add 2-3 pods of garlic(sliced) to the chutney after frying it in oil along with the tempering or separately. It can also be ground (after frying) along with the ingredients of chutney.

2. Soaked Chick Pea Chutney

Ingredients:

Chick Pea 150Gms

Green Chillies 1-2
Onions (medium) 1
Ginger grated 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1 Tbsp
Salt to taste
Jaggery grated 2 tsp
Coriander Greens Chopped fine 1 tbsp

For Tempering:
Oil 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds 1/4th tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Split and de husked black gram 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Dried Red Chillies 1
Asafoetida 1/4th tsp
Curry leaves 2 sprigs

Method :

• Wash and soak the lentil in enough (two to three cups) water for 2-3 hours till well soaked. Drain the water and keep aside. 
• Take lentil, jaggery, salt, lemon juice, ginger and green chillies and grind to a paste adding little water if necessary. Actually since it is soaked, it does not require additional water. 
• The paste should be a little coarse and very thick. 
• Chop onions very finely, add to the chutney and mix. Alternately just chop them into very big pieces and add while grinding 
• Heat oil to a smoking point, lower the heat, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds fry for a minute or two. Add cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and pieces of red chili. After they start spluttering, remove from fire, add to the chutney paste and mix well. 
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander greens and serve. 

NOTE:

• Adjust the quantity of chillies according to your taste if you are using, both green and red chillies. The above quantity will make it very spicy.
• You can add garlic raw or fried sliced or ground to paste.

Try these and let me know please......

Chutneys with Lentils-3

Please go through my previous posts on this topic if you are new to this cuisine.

Here are some more recipes for Chutneys With lentils...We have to use, de-husked (cleaned), split lentils for this and not the whole one. Split and de-husked Green Gram is known as Moong Daal in Hindi and Pesara Pappu in Telugu.

1. Green Gram Chutney-Roasted

Ingredients:

Lentil         150Gms

Ghee (clarified butter) or oil   1 Tbsp

Red Chillies(dried)        2-3

Cumin Seeds      1/2 Tbsp

Garlic Pods  2-3

Grated Jaggery -1tsp

Method:

• Heat ghee or oil in a pan and roast the lentil until it gives of a nice roasted smell. Cool it.
• Roast dried chillies just for a minute and keep aside.
• Peel and slightly roast the garlic.
• Take all the ingredients and grind to a paste by adding water little at a time. 
• Adjust the quantity of the Red Chillies as this will be very spicy for those who are not used to eating spicy food.
• The consistency of the chutney should be a very thick paste if used as an accompaniment to rice and thinner if used with Idly Upma or Dosa.
• Garlic is optional and sugar can be used in place of jaggery.

2. Green Gram Chutney-Soaked.

Ingredients:

Lentil         150Gms

Red Chillies(dried)        1

Grren chillies  1

Cumin Seeds      1/2 Tbsp

Garlic Pods  2-3

Grated Jaggery-1 tsp

Method:

• Wash and soak the lentil for 2-3 hours. Usually this lentil gets soaked easily. If not soak it till it is done. Remove the excess water.
• Roast dried chillies just for a minute and keep aside.
• Peel and slightly roast the garlic.
• Take all the ingredients and grind to a paste. Add a little water if required. 
• Adjust the quantity of the Red Chillies as this will be very spicy for those who are not used to eating spicy food.
• The consistency of the chutney should be a very thick paste if used as an accompaniment to rice and thinner if used with Idly Upma or Dosa.
• Garlic is optional and sugar can be used in place of jaggery.

Tempering or Seasoning:

For the above two recipes if tempering as follows is added it tastes good:

Ingredients:

Bengal gram split and de-husked  1 tsp

Black gram split and de-husked  1tsp

Fenugreek Seeds     1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds   1tsp

Cumin seeds   1tsp

Asafoetida   1/4 tsp

Curry leaves   2 sprigs

Coriander greens  finely chopped 2 tbsp

• Heat 1-2 tsp of ghee or oil to a smoking point and lower the heat.
• Add 1 tsp each of split and de-husked Bengal gram and black gram, fry for a minute
• Add 1/2 tsp of fenugreek seeds. Fry for two minutes
• Add 1 tsp of mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
• Now add 1 tsp of cumin, one red chilli broken into pieces(avoid this if you don't like spicy food).
• Add 1/4th tsp of Asafoetida, curry leaves (two sprigs).
• Mix it with the chutney and serve garnished with finely chopped coriander greens.

These chutneys will have to be consumed within a day. But it is easy to make.

Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-6

MANGO PICKLES -5


My previous Posts on this topic are here:
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Andhra%20Pickles


12. Spicy Aavakaya (मसालेदार आम का आचार-మసాలా ఆవకాయ):


Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes 10(big)
Red Chilli Powder 250 gms
Mustard Seeds 150 gms
Coriander Seeds 150 gms
Cumin Seeds  100 gms
Fenugreek Seeds 100 gms
Turmeric Powder 2 Tbsps
Black Cumin Seeds 10 gms
Cardamoms 10 gms
Cloves 10 gms
Cinnamon 10 gms
Ginger 150 gms
Garlic 150 gms
Salt 250 gms
Sesame Oil 750 gms


For Tempering:
Mustard Seeds          2 Tbsps
Cumin Seeds            2 Tbsps
Fenugreek Seeds      1 Tbsp
Dried Red Chillies    4-5
Asafoetida powder    1 tsp


Method:

• Clean and wipe Mangoes thoroughly.
• Cut them into pieces with the hard shell as explained in my Recipe sl 1 Simple Aavakaya
• Roast Fenugreek seeds, Coriander Seeds, separately and powder.
• Powder Mustard seeds.
• Powder together Cinnamon, Cardamoms, Cloves and Black Cumin Seeds.
• Clean, peel and grind together Ginger and Garlic. Make sure that Ginger has no moisture if you have cleaned it with water. Wipe it thoroughly and let it dry for an hour or so in shade.
• Mix in, Salt, Turmeric, Mustard powder and Red Chilli powder, thoroughly.
• Now add some oil enough to wet the mixture and mix well. Roll the mango pieces so that they are well coated. Store this in a jar and leave for 3-4 days.
• On 5th day, mix the pickle thoroughly and adjust the taste of salt or chilli/mustard.
• For Tempering: Heat the remaining oil to a smoking point, add Mustard seeds, Fenugreek seeds, Cumin seeds, when it starts crackling add Red Chillies cut into pieces and Asafoetida powder.
• Now add ginger garlic paste and fry well till the oil separates.
• Add the Coriander Seeds powder, Cumin Seeds powder and fry for few minutes. Add the remaining spices powder and fry for a minute or two.
• Cool it thoroughly.
• Add this to the pickle and mix well. 
• Store properly and use it after 2-3 days.

In my next posts I am going to cover some more recipes on pickles involving raw mangoes. I know the season has ended here since it is raining and monsoons have started. But then I will keep on posting so that may be it may be of use for next year. Any way these days we are able to buy Mangoes almost through out the year, though a bit costly.

Pickles from Andhra (ఆంధ్ర ఊరగాయలు)-5

MANGO PICKLES -4


My previous posts on this topic are here:

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Andhra%20Pickles


10. Mango Pickle using water (पानी वाला आम का आचार -నీళ్ళ ఆవకాయ)

For preserving any pickle for a long time, the general advice is keeping it away from moisture at all costs and as such no water is used. The peculiarity in this method is using water for making the pickle. So here is the recipe…

Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes 12 Medium sized

Mustard Powder 500gms

Red Chili Powder 500 gms

Salt 500 gms

Turmeric 1 Tbsp

Roasted Fenugreek Seeds Powder 2Tbsp

Water 3 glasses

Oil 750 gms to 1 Kg


Method:

• Clean and cut the mangoes as explained for simple Aavakaya Pickle.
  
• Mix together all spices. Mix them well.
  
• Boil water and cool completely.
  
• Add this water to the spice mixture little by little and mix.
  
• Now add oil to this mixture and mix thoroughly
  
• Add the mango pieces few at a time mixing well until they are coated with the spice mixture.
  
• Place the pickle in a glass or ceramic jar. Leave for three to four days.
  
• Then check for the taste and add the required spice or salt to adjust the taste.
  
• If necessary add more oil.
  
• Now it is ready for use.
  
• Store properly.
  

11. Fenugreek Avakaya (मेथी वाला आम का आचार -మెంతి ఆవకాయ)

Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes 10 Medium Sized

Mustard Powder 100gms

Red Chili Powder 500 gms

Salt 500 gms

Turmeric 3 Tbsp

Roasted Fenugreek Seeds Powder 500 gms

Water 3 glasses

Oil 1 Kg

Method;

• Clean and cut the mangoes as explained for simple Aavakaya Pickle.
  
• Mix salt and turmeric and roll the pieces in the mixture.
  
• Place them in a jar and leave for 3-4 days.
  
• On 5^th day squeeze out the juice and dry the pieces in hot sun for 2-3 days.
  
• Keep the juice as well as the jar in sun for a day and store them till the pieces are dried.
  
• Mix together Mustard Powder, Fenugreek Powder and Red Chilli well.
  
• Now add oil to this mixture and mix thoroughly.
  
• Add the juice and mix well.
  
• Add the mango pieces few at a time mixing well until they are coated with the spice mixture.
  
• Place the pickle in a glass or ceramic jar. Leave for three to four days.
  
• Then check for the taste and add the required spice or salt to adjust the taste.
  
• Now it is ready for use.
  
• Store properly.
  

Chutneys with Lentils-2

My first post on this section is here...

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2010/06/chutneys-with-lentils-1.html

Here are the ingredients used for the recipes in this post:

This is the roasted lentil

Garlic, chopped.

Raw mangoes

Coriander Greens

Jaggery. Sugar can also be used instead of this.

2. Pigeon Pea and Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea: 1 cup

Fresh Coconut (grated): 1/2 to 3/4 cup

Dried Red chillies: 4-5

Cumin Seeds: 2 tsp

Tamarind pulp: 1 Tbsp

Jaggery(grated): 1 Tbsp

Salt: To taste

Garlic (optional): 4-5 pods

Coriander Greens (chopped fine): 1Tbsp

Method:

• Roast, the lentil till golden brown and keep aside till it cools down. 
• Roast the red chillies separately for one or two minutes. 
• Grind together all the ingredients, adding little water to make a very thick paste or to the required consistency. 
• Garnish with Coriander Greens and serve with hot steamed/boiled rice. 

3. Pigeon Pea and Raw Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea : 1 Cup

Raw Mango: 1 (small sized)

Red Cillies-4-5

Cumin seeds; 2 tsps

Jagerry (grated): 1 Tbsp

Garlic (optional): 4-5 pods

Coriander Greens (chopped fine): 1 Tbsp

Salt: to taste

Method:

• Roast, the lentil till golden brown and keep aside till it cools down. 
• Roast the red chillies separately for one or two minutes. 
• Peel and grate Mango 
• Grind together all the ingredients, adding little water to make a very thick paste or to the required consistency. You can add the grated mango in the last and just grind it for a minute. 
• Garnish with Coriander Greens and serve with hot steamed/boiled rice. 

4. Pigeon Pea, Coconut and Raw Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea : 1 Cup

Grated fresh Coconut: 1/2 cup

Raw Mango (peeled and grated): 1/2 cup

Dried Red Chillies: 4-5

Cumin seeds; 2 tsps

Jagerry (grated): 1 Tbsp

Garlic (optional): 4-5 pods

Coriander Greens (chopped fine): 1 Tbsp

Salt: to taste

Method:

• Roast, the lentil till golden brown and keep aside till it cools down. 
• Roast the red chillies separately for one or two minutes. 
• Grind together all the ingredients with a little water, to a thick paste or required consistency. 
• Garnish with Coriander Greens and serve with hot steamed/boiled rice. 

Note:

1. If you want it to be more tasty, you can use 1Tbsp of Ghee(clarified butter) for roasting the lentil. Adjust the quantities of Chillies and Mango according to your taste. 
2. The de-husked, split and cleaned lentil is pale yellow in colour. We use this for making the chutney.

Chutneys with Lentils-1

There are certain seasons when we do not get vegetables properly. In India, during the hot summer months and the early part of the wet rainy season, there is not much availability of vegetables in the market- at least not at the prices which a common man can afford. Very few vegetables are available and that too at such prices that we don't feel like buying them at all. At that time we try to replace them or substitute them with other things like the  preserved vegetables-pickles, purees, sun dried pieces of vegetables or lentils etc.

The chutneys made with lentils are very tasty, easy to make, nutritious, healthy and almost oil free recipes. They are rich in proteins. So here are some recipes from the Traditional Andhra Kitchen....

Please adjust the quantity of chillies according to your taste. We in Andhra eat it very spicy. I have given you the reduced quantity. Still it can be spicy.

1. Pigeon Pea Chutney (तुवर दाल की चटनी- కంది పచ్చడి)

Pigeon Pea or Red Gram is known as Tuar Dal (तुवर दाल  ) in Hindi and Kandi Pappu( కంది పప్పు )  in Telugu. It is an important pulse crop in India and especially in Indian Vegetarian Kitchens this is most widely used. In South India this is consumed almost daily in one form or the other as this is tasty and nutritious. Its outer cover or husk is red in colour.

The de-husked, split and cleaned lentil is pale yellow in colour. We use this for making the chutney.

Roasted lentil.

This is the chutney which is one of the popular dishes of Andhra.

Ingredients:

Pigeon Pea:   150 gms

Red chillies(dried): 4-5

Cumin seeds: 2tsp

Garlic pods: 3-4 optional

Salt:  To taste

Jaggery (grated): 1 tsp
Coriander greens(chopped finely): 1Tbsp

Method:

• Roast the lentil, till it turns light brown in colour and gives off nice smell. Add red chillies and roast for a  minute or two.
• You can roast it in 1 tbsp of Ghee (clarified butter) for more taste.
• Cool it and along with all other ingredients and a little water, grind it to a very thick paste. Garnish with Coriander greens.
• Serve with steamed/boiled rice and ghee. Make it more liquidy by adding more water to serve with rotis or chapattis. This keeps only for a day, unless refrigerated. Anyway it is best to eat it fresh.

Keep watching for other recipes in this section....