Category Archives: Veg Recipes

Gravy/Side Dish, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Bhindi Masala(Ladysfinger Masala)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Ladysfinger/Bhindi masala is a combination of Ladysfinger with onions and tomatoes. Ladysfinger is an all-time favourite and can be made in different ways.   As the ingredients vary the taste of the ladysfinger also changes. When only tomatoes are used it gives a sour taste and when other ingredients are added it gives a different taste.  In this recipe, the onions, tomatoes and ginger-garlic paste are blended with well with the ladysfinger…Oh my God, I can already taste this heavenly combination in my mouth. The masala goes well with roti as well as rice.  This Indian recipe can be taken with all Indian bread or as a side dish along with dal, sambar rice, rasam rice, lemon rice and curd rice. It goes well with ghee rice and pulao too.  It is a healthy dish for kids. 

Ingredients

1/2 kg ladysfinger (cut one inch long)

2  big onions (finely cut)

3 medium-sized tomatoes (finely cut)

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

lime (optional)

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method


Take a Kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow it to get heated.

Add onion,ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves and saute until the raw smell of the ginger-garlic goes.

Then add tomatoes and saute further to get a mushy appearance.

Now add chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Mix well.

Take a separate kadai and heat it. Pour oil and make sure it gets heated. Then add washed and dried ladysfinger(using a towel) and keep stirring occasionally. (You can add a few drops of lime juice to prevent the stickiness in ladysfinger). When the water dries up, add the ladyfinger to the other Kadai and mix well.


Close it with a lid and cook it for 5 minutes on a slow flame.When cooked the ladysfinger changes in colour and gets shrunken. Now add salt and cook for another 5 more minutes with the lid closed.

This recipe can also be tried without onion, ginger-garlic paste.

 


How to prepare bhindi masala(Ladysfinger masala) without onions, ginger and garlic?

Ingredients 

1/2 kg ladysfinger (cut one inch long)

3 medium-sized tomatoes (finely cut)

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

lime (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

For this, take a Kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil and allow it to get heated.Then add washed and dried ladysfinger(using a towel) and keep stirring occasionally. (You can add a few drops of lime juice to prevent the stickiness in ladysfinger). When water dries up add the tomatoes and give a quick stir.Then add chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. Add salt, close the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Bring to the required consistency, your dish is ready.
Enjoy the ladysfinger/bhindi masala!! Please share your views in the comments:)

Recipe Index, Starters, Veg Recipes

Babycorn Manchurian (Dry) without maida

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
12
Jan

Babycorn Manchurian is an Indo – Chinese recipe. In this recipe, the babycorn is mixed with batter, fried and added to a mixture of sauces. The blending of the crunchy fried babycorn with the sauces makes the dish so mouthwatering, it makes you lick your fingers clean.
In this recipe I have not added maida.I have also not included ajinomotto (MSG or monosodium glutamate).This is a crispy vegan  dish .

It can be used as a starter or as a side dish for hakka noodles and fried rice. You can also add capsicum along with the onions if you want.

Babycorn is a low carb and rich in folates.Now lets go to the preparation of the crispy Babycorn manchurian.

Marination & frying of Babycorn

Ingredients for marination & frying of babycorn

Oil for deep frying

15 babycorns

2 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)

1 tablespoon wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

a) Marination

Take the babycorns in a mixing bowl and add cornflour and wheat flour. 

Add chilli powder and salt. Mix well. 

Note: You can also add pepper instead of chilli powder.

Add a few drops of water and mix so that the batter is evenly distributed on the babycorns.

 

b) Frying

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil (around150ml) and heat it on high flame.

How to check whether oil is hot?

  • Add one small piece of marinated babycorn. The babycorn should rise up gradually. 
  • If the oil is not hot the babycorn will remain at the botttom.In such a case heat the oil further.If the oil is not heated then the babycorn will absorb more oil and your dish will be oily.
  • Do not overheat the oil. If the oil is overheated then the babycorns will be burnt as the outside portion would be cooked faster than the inside portion. When the oil gets overheated the babycorn rises up immediately.
  • Usually, oil gets heated within 5 minutes.

When the oil is hot enough, add the marinated babycorn one by one. Fry till it till the colour changes and it becomes crisp. Turn it and allow the other side to become crisp.At this stage take it out and place it on a tissue paper so that the excess oil is absorbed.

Preparation of Babycorn Manchurian

Ingredients

2 tablespoon  oil

1 tablespoon garlic(finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon ginger(finely chopped)

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 big onion (diced)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 tablespoon  cornflour (cornstarch)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add 2 tablespoon oil and allow it to get heated. Add garlic and saute for few minutes so that the garlic turns slightly brown. 

 

Then add ginger and saute again for a few minutes.

Now add chilli flakes and give a quick stir.

At this point, add the soya sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar. 

Add the onions and allow the mixture to blend with the onions. Now add the fried baby corn. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well.

In a small cup, mix cornflour with little water(50 ml). 

Add this to the baby corn and give a stir. Heat it till you reach the desired consistency.

 

Ta-dah!! Your spicy and favourite babycorn manchurian is ready to be tasted ! Enjoy it and tell us your experience in the comments after trying the dish 🙂

Recipe Index, Rice, Veg Recipes

Lemon Rice(Stir Fry Method)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
06
Jan

Lemon rice is a simple recipe and hence a beginner’s choice for a perfect meal. The tangy taste of lime along with the simple tempering of the plain white rice enhances the flavour to a great extent. It tastes awesome with pickle. It is also served with papads, vada, onion pakora or any pakora for that matter.

This South Indian dish is apt for travel or a picnic as the lime increases the shelf life of the dish and makes it last longer. It is the easiest in rice varieties that include tamarind rice, coconut rice, fried rice, tomato rice and ghee rice and any beginner can give it a try.

Children love Lemon rice, so it can also be packed for their school lunch. The colour of the lemon rice makes it appealing for them. But do remember to cut down on chillies.

I have used green chillies in this recipe but even dried red chillies can be used instead. Lemon rice tastes best with grainy rice that is the rice that is not overcooked.

Ingredients

100 g uncooked rice

 3 tbsps oil

1/4 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp broken urad dhal

1/2 tsp chana dhal

2 pinches asafoetida powder

a sprig of curry leaves(chopped)

1 big onion (finely chopped)

3 green chilies (finely chopped)

1 tbsp groundnut

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 lime 

1 tsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)

1/2 tsp or salt to taste


Method

Cooking of plain  white rice

Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes. (optional)Take a pan/vessel, fill it with water and heat it. (The ratio of rice and water here is 1:2). When the water starts boiling add the rice and close it with the lid partially and heat it on a low flame. Usually, the rice takes around 18 minutes to cook. Keep this rice aside.


Roasting of groundnut

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add 1 tbsp of oil and allow the oil to get heated. Add groundnut and stir it till it is roasted on a low medium flame (the groundnuts are roasted when there is a slight change in colour). Transfer the roasted groundnuts immediately to a bowl. You can use the same kadai for tempering.

 

Preparation of the Lemon rice

Take the kadai used for frying of groundnut and add heat it. Add 2 tbsps of oil and heat it. Then add mustard and allow it to splutter.

At this stage add the urad dhal and chana dhal and give a quick stir. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown in colour.


Now add onions, curry leaves, green chilies and asafoetida, and saute.

 

Saute till the onions become transluscent as shown in this picture. Add turmeric powder and the previously roasted groundnuts to the kadai.


Now add the cooked rice and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Finally, add lime juice and mix.

 

Last but not least, garnish the dish with coriander leaves! 


The Lemon rice is ready to taste!! Enjoy with pickle: )

Chutney, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Brinjal Chutney(Eggplant Chutney)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Brinjal chutney is a tangy and delicious dish that goes well with hot idlis and dosa. It tastes excellent with ghee roast. Even those who hate brinjal will also love this dish. Eggplants are a nutrient-dense food as they contain a good amount of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon oil

5 brinjals(eggplant)

3 medium-sized onions

5 big tomatoes

10 whole red chillies

a sprig of curry leaves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Take the pan of the cooker and heat. Add oil to the heated pan and wait for 2 minutes for the oil to get heated.

Add cumin seeds and onions and saute till the onions turn golden brown. 

 

Now add curry leaves. If you want you can increase the number of curry leaves as they are nutritive. Curry leaves will be easily cooked and will not alter the taste.

Then add red chillies and saute further. 

Add the chopped brinjal (eggplant) and stir well for few minutes.

Then add tomatoes and saute till it becomes mushy.

Sprinkle the salt and mix.

Finally, add a small cup of water (say 100 ml) and close the lid of the cooker.

Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Allow the cooker to cool and the pressure to get released.

Now using a masher mash the ingredients so that they mix well. If you want you can also blend in a mixer to get a smooth paste.

Serve it with ghee roast. Trust me, you are gonna love it😋

Breakfast, Pasta/Noodles, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Spaghetti Arrabbiata(A spicy Italian Recipe)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Spaghetti Arrabbiata is a spicy Italian recipe.Arrabbiata sauce is a combination of red chilli flakes, tomatoes and garlic in olive oil. It is a very tasty delicious recipe that is simple and easy to make.

Arrabbiata means “angry” which relates to the spiciness of the recipe. Mostly penne pasta is used but I use spaghetti here. This is the recipe that I follow and would like to share it with you as it is very tasty.

Precautions to be followed while making the spaghetti

  • Always add enough water

          For boiling spaghetti, more water is required. The vessel should be big enough so that the entire spaghetti is completely submerged in water so that it floats in water. The amount of water should be more.

  • Do not overcook the spaghetti

        When cooked the spaghetti is uniform in colour and soft.If it underdone you can see a white core in the innerside.Just as it is cooked it should be immersed into the sauce.So keep the sauce ready.After you add the spaghetti to the sauce ,mix well and do not cook for more than  2 minutes.

  • Do not add oil while boiling the spaghetti

         Adding oil to the spaghetti does not prevent it from sticking together. If oil is not added to the spaghetti then it is possible for the sauce to stick or get absorbed.This increases the taste.

  • Do not drain the water completely from the spaghetti

       Drain the spaghetti fast and dump it into the pan containing sauce immediately.Nevermind if there is little water as this will help in the proper mixing of pasta and sauce.The remaining water will help in diluting the sauce.

  • Eat the spaghetti immediately

       As soon as you prepare the spaghetti have it immediately while it is hot.Do not allow it to sit.You can get the best taste of the spaghetti when it is taken hot

      The combination of herbs along with the sauce to the spaghetti makes it an excellent dish that tingles our taste buds. Here we go into this amazing recipe….

Ingredients:

200 g spaghetti 

4 medium-sized blanched tomatoes 

1 teaspoon tomato ketchup

2 teaspoons olive oil

5 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 and a 1/2 tablespoon chilli flakes

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1and a 1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

The method involves three steps

1.Preparation of tomato sauce

2. Boiling the Spaghetti

3. Preparation of Spaghetti Arrabbiata

Now let us see in detail.

    1. Preparation of tomato sauce

Blanching of tomatoes

Wash and remove the stem part of the tomatoes. Give a small cut on top of the tomatoes and place it in a vessel. Pour around 400 ml of water. Allow it to boil for around 5 minutes. Remove from flame and strain the tomato. Then run cold water so that further boiling of tomatoes stops. Peel the skin.

Making tomato sauce

Place the peeled tomatoes in a mixer. Add 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup and 1/2 tablespoon chilli flakes and grind.

    2. Boiling the Spaghetti

Take 1500 ml of water in a large vessel and allow it to boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Then add spaghetti to it. The vessel should be big enough so that the entire spaghetti is completely submerged in water so that it floats in water.

Note:  If only partial spaghetti is immersed then you will end up with spaghetti cooked unevenly that is one part that is immersed in water will be cooked whereas the other part which is not immersed in water will not be cooked.

Cook for 12 minutes.

Using a colander remove the water. Reserve a bit of pasta cooked water and be ready to dump it into the pan containing the sauce.

  3. Preparation of Spaghetti Arrabbiata

Take a pan and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Allow it to get heated for 2 minutes. Then add the chopped garlic and saute till it turns golden brown. 


Then add 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes. Then sprinkle the oregano and thyme. (mixed herbs can also be used instead of thyme) and stir till the flavour of the ingredients mixes with the oil.

 

Now add the prepared tomato sauce to this. 

Allow it to boil and keep it on low flame for 10 minutes or till it reaches the right consistency. Then add sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well.

Add spaghetti and mix well. Allow the spaghetti to blend with the sauce. 

Note : You can also add pizza sauce 

And… there you go!! The Spaghetti Arrabbiata is ready 🙂 

Enjoy and share your experience in the comments!!

 

Breakfast, Chutney, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Tomato Kara Chutney

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Tomato Kara chutney is a simple spicy chutney that can be prepared very easily. I usually choose it if I have to cook very fast. This South Indian recipe goes well with idli, dosa and uttapam. The tangy taste of tomatoes along with garlic and chilli powder makes the dish very tasty.

Adding a little gingelly oil to the spicy tomato chutney further enhances its flavour. As no coconut is included in the tomato kara chutney, the shelf- life of it is longer. Adding gingelly oil also acts as a preservative.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons oil

5 medium-sized tomatoes (cut haphazardly)

1 pod garlic

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon urad dhal

a sprig of curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Grinding

Take the tomatoes and garlic in a mixer grinder and grind well.

 

Tempering

Tempering should be done in low-medium flame only.

Now you need to temper the above paste. For this take a Kadai or tempering pan. Heat it and add oil. Allow the oil to get heated for a minute. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.

Now add urad dhal and cumin seeds. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.

Immediately add asafoetida and red chilli powder and stir. The colour of the chilli powder will change. 

Without further delay add curry leaves and give a quick stir. 

Note:Add curry leaves instantly as the colour of the chilli powder changes from red to darker red. Otherwise the chilli powder will get overheated and turn black.

Then add the ground mixture to it. Add salt and allow it to boil for 5 minutes. 

To increase the taste you can also add a little gingelly oil.

Enjoy this spicy kara chutney with hot idlis, dosa or uttapam.

Happy Eating 🙂

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

How to cook Oats? (With Dry Fruits)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Oats, being among the healthiest grains on earth, is usually taken as oatmeal or porridge for breakfast. Oatmeal is made by boiling oats in water or milk. As oats cook very fast it is the perfect choice for breakfast for many including children.

Before we go into the recipe let me share with you a little knowledge of Oats. Oat groats are the most intact and whole form of oats that requires a long time to cook. Hence rolled, crushed or steel-cut oats are preferred.

Instant(quick)oats are a highly processed variety that cooks faster. Here in this recipe, we use instant(quick) oats that are easily available in the market.

Now let us see how to cook oats. It is a really simple process.

Ingredients

2 cup Milk/water

1 cup oats(instant/quick oats)

Method

Take a pan and add oats.

 

Now add the milk and mix well. Usually, the ratio of oats to milk is 1:2 but if you want you can make it more watery by adding more water.

Note: If you are a vegan, you can add water only.

 

Heat it on a low-medium flame giving an occasional stir till you get the required consistency to get oatmeal.

 

Adding bananas, sugar/honey and dry fruits.

Transfer the oatmeal to a mixing bowl.

In this recipe, I am adding bananas, honey and dry fruits. The fruit and dry fruits can be changed accordingly. Remember to add fruits to oatmeal only when it cools to avoid any reactions and thereby change of colour.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of sugar or honey(optional)

2 bananas(cut)

5 almonds

5 black raisins

Add bananas only when the porridge gets cooled to room temperature otherwise, it will change its colour. 

 

Mix well and add almonds, honey and black raisins.

Note: If you are adding sugar you can add it immediately to the oatmeal and mix well, however, if you are adding honey allow it to cool and then add honey.

Dates can also be added but if you are adding dates you can reduce the sugar/honey to avoid making the dish very sweet.

Voila! It’s time to relish your tasty and healthy oatmeal!

Enjoy the dish and stay healthy 🙂

Breakfast, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Wheat Vermicelli Upma

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Wheat Vermicelli Upma is a  healthy South Indian vegetarian dish that can be taken for breakfast. It can be given to children and the elderly too as it is easily digestible.

To make it healthier you can add vegetables like carrot, beans and peas too. The same process can be followed for making finger millet (ragi) vermicelli upma, fox millet (thinai) vermicelli upma, pearl millet(kambu)vermicelli upma. A similar recipe is that of Lemon Sevai , which is also healthy.

This upma can taken with coconut chutney, pickle, banana or curd depending on your choice. For children, you can give it with banana. The best option is coconut chutney.

Method

For cooking the Wheat Vermicelli

The method varies for a brand and usually this procedure is written in the packet itself. Here I am using Anil brand wheat vermicelli.

Ingredients

180 g wheat vermicelli

1 litres water


Method

Take water in a big vessel. 

 

Add the wheat vermicelli to the water so that it is fully immersed in water for 2 minutes. This is done to soften the wheat vermicelli.


Drain the water immediately. Remember you cant use a colander as the vermicelli can easily pass through the holes. So you can use a micro-perforated strainer. If you do not have a strainer you can drain the water using the following method.
Close the vessel with a lid, hold the lid and the vessel together and slightly tilt the vessel so that only the water comes out. Finally, all the water is drained and only the softened vermicelli remains. (You can check the picture below for your reference).


Place this wheat vermicelli on an idli plate as shown below. Do not overcrowd it. You can use two idli plates if you want. Keep this in an idli cooker and steam it for around 8 minutes. After the 8th minute, switch off the flame and remove the idli plates from the idli vessel. Allow it to cool.

 

Preparation of the wheat vermicelli upma

Ingredients

3 tablespoon oil

1 big onion (finely chopped)

2 big chillies(finely chopped)

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon broken urad dhal

1/2 teaspoon chana dhal

2 pinches asafoetida(hing)

a sprig of curry leaves

1teaspoon salt or salt to taste

1 tablespoon coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Method

Heat the pan or Kadai and pour oil. Wait for 2 minutes for the oil to get heated. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.


At this stage add urad dhal, chana dhal and asafoetida. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.


Now add onions, green chillies and curry leaves and saute. 

Saute till the onions turn slightly brown.

Then add the cooked wheat vermicelli and sprinkle the salt. Mix well. Finally, garnish with coriander leaves. Mix well so that the coriander leaves get distributed evenly and serve hot.


Enjoy the tasty dish with coconut chutney:)

Starters, Veg Recipes

BABYCORN MANCHURIAN (DRY) WITH NO MAIDA AND NO AJINOMOTO

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
01
Jan

Babycorn Manchurian is an Indo – Chinese recipe. In this recipe, the babycorn is mixed with batter, fried and added to a mixture of sauces. The blending of the crunchy fried babycorn with the sauces makes the dish so mouthwatering, it makes you lick your fingers clean.
In this recipe I have not added maida.I have also not included ajinomotto (MSG or monosodium glutamate). This is a crispy vegan dish.

It can be used as a starter or as a side dish for hakka noodles and fried rice. You can also add capsicum along with the onions if you want.

Babycorn is low in carb and rich in folates. Now let’s go to the preparation of the crispy Babycorn Manchurian.

Marination & frying of Babycorn

Ingredients for marination & frying of babycorn

Oil for deep frying

15 babycorns

2 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)

1 tablespoon wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

a) Marination

Take the babycorns in a mixing bowl and add cornflour and wheat flour. 

Add chilli powder and salt. Mix well. 

Note: You can also add pepper instead of chilli powder.

Add a few drops of water and mix so that the batter is evenly distributed on the babycorns.

 

b) Frying

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add oil (around150ml) and heat it on high flame.

How to check whether oil is hot?

  • Add one small piece of marinated babycorn. The babycorn should rise up gradually. 
  • If the oil is not hot the babycorn will remain at the botttom.In such a case heat the oil further.If the oil is not heated then the babycorn will absorb more oil and your dish will be oily.
  • Do not overheat the oil. If the oil is overheated then the babycorns will be burnt as the outside portion would be cooked faster than the inside portion. When the oil gets overheated the babycorn rises up immediately.
  • Usually, oil gets heated within 5 minutes.

When the oil is hot enough, add the marinated babycorn one by one. Fry till it till the colour changes and it becomes crisp. Turn it and allow the other side to become crisp.At this stage take it out and place it on a tissue paper so that the excess oil is absorbed.

Preparation of Babycorn Manchurian

Ingredients

2 tablespoon  oil

1 tablespoon garlic(finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon ginger(finely chopped)

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 big onion (diced)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 tablespoon  cornflour (cornstarch)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add 2 tablespoon oil and allow it to get heated. Add garlic and saute for few minutes so that the garlic turns slightly brown. 

 

Then add ginger and saute again for a few minutes.

Now add chilli flakes and give a quick stir.

At this point, add the soya sauce, tomato sauce and vinegar. 

Add the onions and allow the mixture to blend with the onions. Now add the fried baby corn. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix well.

In a small cup, mix cornflour with little water(50 ml). 

Add this to the baby corn and give a stir. Heat it till you reach the desired consistency.

 

Ta-dah!! Your spicy and favourite babycorn manchurian is ready to be tasted ! Enjoy it and tell us your experience in the comments after trying the dish 🙂

Breakfast, Chutney, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Onion Chutney/Vengaya Chutney(Basic)

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
28
Dec

Onion chutney can be made in different ways. This is the basic recipe for an onion chutney wherein onions ,tomatoes and red chillies are the major ingredients.It is suitable for idli, uthapam, rava idli, dosa, rava dosa, masala dosa, wheat dosa, ghee dosa and many other dosa varieties.

For any authentic South Indian breakfast usually onion chutney,coconut chutney,pudhina chutney along with sambar is served in a restaurant.The main highlight of this chutney is that it does not include any coconut.

To this you can also add 1 inch (1/4 teaspoon) tamarind to get the tangy taste but however, I have not added the tamarind here.

Note: If the idli /dosa batter is old it is better to avoid tamarind as the sourness of the batter will make the chutney very tangy. If the idli/dosa batter is freshly made then you can add tamarind.It would be a perfect blend.

Even corriander leaves (2 tablespoons) can be added to give a different taste as you may get tired of eating the same chutney everyday and opt for something new. 

So now lets get into the preparation of this simple onion chutney.

Ingredients

One and a  half tablespoons oil

4 medium-sized onions (chopped)

3 medium-sized tomatoes (chopped)

5 red chillies

1/4 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Ingredients for tempering

1/2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon urad dhal

2 pinch asafoetida

a sprig of curry leaves

Method

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add one and a  half tablespoons oil and allow the oil to get heated. Add the chopped onions and saute for a few minutes until it turns slightly brown in colour.

Then add the red chillies and stir for 2 minutes.

Now add tomatoes and saute till you get a mushy paste. Add salt and give a final mix. Switch off the flame. Cool it.

Grinding of the chutney

Take the cooled mushy paste in a mixie and grind. I have not added water for grinding.If you want you can add water according to your desired consistency.Usually a thick consistency is preferred. Transfer to a bowl.

Tempering of the chutney

Note: Always do tempering on a low – medium flame.

Take a tempering pan and heat it. Add oil and heat for 1 minute. Then add mustard and allow it to splutter. 

Add asafoetida and urad dhal. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.

Then without further delay, add curry leaves. You will notice that the curry leaves become crispy with time.

Switch off the flame and add this to the ground chutney in the bowl.

Give a quick stir to find your onion chutney ready to eat.