Category Archives: Chutney

Breakfast, Chutney, Recipe Index, Veg Recipes

Kovakkai Chutney/Ivy Gourd Chutney/Dondakaya Chutney

Posted on by kavithapadmanaban
19
Jan

Kovakkai chutney or Ivy gourd chutney is a South Indian vegan dish that is very tasty. This goes well with dosa, idli and uttapam.

This vegetarian recipe can also be taken with rice. While taking with rice you can add a small piece of tamarind (1/2 inch)when you are sauteing the kovakkai, tomatoes and green chillies.

It is known as Kovakkai (in tamil) and Dondakaya (in telugu). There are several other names like tindora, thondekai and ivy gourd. Kovakkai has several health benefits. Some of them are reducing blood sugar, improving metabolism and bone health.

Now let us see how to make Kovakkai chutney…

Ingredients for tempering

1/2 tablespoons oil

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon  urad dhal

 2 pinches asafoetida

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

a sprig of curry  leaves

Other ingredients

2 tablespoons oil

7 Kovakais/Ivy gourd (chopped in small circles)

4 medium-sized tomatoes(chopped)

3 green chillies

1/4 teaspoon salt or salt to taste

Method

Sauteing

Take a kadai or a heavy thick bottomed pan or a cast-iron skillet and heat it. Add 1 and a half tablespoon of oil and allow the oil to get heated. Add the chopped Kovakkai / Ivy Gourd and saute for a few minutes until it turns slightly brown in colour. 


Now add the tomatoes, green chillies and salt. Saute further.

 

Saute till the tomatoes become mushy and the green chillies change their colour. Then put off the flame. Allow the tomato-kovakkai masala to cool and then grind it.

Grinding of the tomato-kovakkai masala

Grind the tomato- kovakkai masala first without adding water. If required you can add very little water( a few drops) but remember not to add more. Pour the ground chutney in a bowl.

Tempering of the chutney

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

Take a tempering pan and heat it. Add 1/2 tablespoon 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.

At this juncture, add the cumin seeds.

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 kovakkai chutney ready!! 🙂

Serve the chutney with either dosa, idli or uttapam.

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, 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, 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.