Peerkkangaai Chutney - Ridge gourd Chutney

1. Ridge gourd is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, high in dietary fibre, vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamin, iron, magnesium and manganese. It is used in skin care treatment against eczema, psoriasis. It helps to purify, restore and nourish liver as its an antidote for alcohol intoxication.  
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3. So instead of usual coconut chutney and tomato chutney, today I thought of making this ridge gourd chutney for dosai break fast.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd - 1 no.

Urad dhal - 1/2 cup

Dry red chilli - 3-4 nos (as per ur taste)

Onion - 1 smaller size.

oil -  to saute

salt - to taste

Coconut - 1 slice (Optional/ If not used add another 1/2 cup of dhal and add 1 more red chilli)

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 stem

Preparation:

• Peel the ridges in the ridge gourd. Slice into small pieces.

• Heat pan and dry roast urad dhal. Keep it aside. Add oil in the hot pan. Sputter cumin seeds. Saute onion and red chilli.

• Add sliced ridge gourd when the onion is half cooked.
• Saute the vegetable untill tender, use salt to speed up the process.

• Let it cool down.
• Grin, sliced coconut, urad dhal, vegetable saute. Add water as required.
• Sputter mustard seeds and curry leaves and mix it with the chutney.

Tomato Chutney

Tomato chutney, a mouth watering dip for all kind of tifin varieties, like any kind of idly, dosa, uppma even chappathi too.

Ingredients:

Tomato - big size 1 number or 3 small, diced
Onion -  1 big size, diced
Sambar Powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

For Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry eaves - 1 stem
Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Procedure:

• Heat pan and add some oil. Saute onion. 
• Once the onion becomes transparent, add tomatoes and sprinkle some salt.

• Saute till the raw smell leaves tomatoes.
• Add some sambar powder to taste.

• Cook for another 2 minutes.
• Let the mixture cools down. Grind it finely.
• Add some boiling water if necessary, or up to your chutney consistency. Also correct for salt.
• Sputter mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves in a tsp of oil in a small pan and pour it on to the chutney.

• Hmm.. tasty chutney is ready.

Pottukkadalai Chutney / Dip with split roasted chick peas

   Split dhalia - Split roasted chick peas chutney, is the very quick and easy tasty chutney that I can prepare when I don't want to use coconut or onion or tomato for my sides for dosas, idlies, uppma, bonda, bajji and so on. This is the recipe from my mother-in-law. Just improvised to taste more yummy with garlic.

Ingredients:  serves 2.

To grind:

Split dhalia - 1 cups

Dry red chilllies - 2-3 nos. Or up to your taste

Garlic pod - 1 nos.

Tamarind - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Water  - to grind

To saute:

Oil- to Saute

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Chenna dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 stem

Procedure:

• Grind the above said ingredients adding water. Add required water to bring it to the pouring consistency. 

• Saute mustard seeds chenna dhal and curry leaves. Add it to the chutney

• Serve with your main dish. Here it is shown with Dosa.

Potato Chutney

Potatoes are a very popular food source. Unfortunately, most people eat potatoes in the form of greasy French fries or potato chips, and even baked potatoes are typically loaded down with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese and bacon bits. Such treatment can make even baked potatoes a potential contributor to a heart attack. But take away the extra fat and deep frying, and a baked potato is an exceptionally healthful low calorie, high fiber food that offers significant protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer. It has vitamins and potassium and copper. Though it is definitely not a food for all people. 
Whether mashed, baked or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Potatoes are available year-round as they are harvested somewhere every month of the year.
Like the egg plant chutney/brinjal chutney., we follow similar kind of procedure for potato chutney, with little variation in the ingredient.
Potato chutney is a very good side for ragi dosa, bajra dosa, wheat dosa as well as idli and rice dosa.

Ingredients:


Potato - 4 no. medium size, Skin peeled and cut into big size cubes.
Onion - 1 no. finely chopped small size
Green Chilli - 5-6 nos up to your taste, chopped finely.
Ginger - finely chopped 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 stem
Tomato - 1 no. small size, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp for sauteing
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Water - for cooking potatoes.
Coriander leaves - for garnish



Procedure:
If you would like to make it very easy, cook it in a small size cooker. Also can be done using a sauce pan.
This procedure is given for pressure cooking. Do necessary change for sauce pan cooking.

• Heat cooker, saute cumin seeds in oil. Saute onion, green chillies, ginger.

• Once it is saute, add tomato and salt. Saute nicely, till the tomato oozes out oil.

• Add potato cubes and saute for a min. Add turmeric powder. Add water to cover potatoes and cover the cooker lid. Pressure cook potato mix till two whistles. If not using a cooker, just occasionally stir the mix and let cook the potatoes in the sauce. 

• Open the lid after the steam is all out and using a smasher, smash the potato into bits. Add some hot water if required to make the chutney little thin. Correct for salt. Proper salting gives very good taste. Sprinkle some coriander leaves.

• Now the potato chutney is ready to serve with your tiffin variety. Here t is with ragi dosa.

Carrot Chutney / Carrot Dip

Carrot., as everyone knows, its good source of vitamin A, good for eyes. Its rich in sugars. This delicious dish is liked even by those who does not like carrot. I have one real example at my home. The lentil(dhal) used in this chutney blends with the carrots and gives nice taste.

Ingredients:
Carrot -  1 no.
Onion - 1 medium size or 1/2 big size
Tomato - 1 small size or 1/2 medium size
Dry red chillies - up to your taste ( I used 6 small round ones.)
Urad Dhal - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - 4 tsp (3 tsp for sauteing and 1 tsp for seasoning)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves -  1 stem

Procedure:

• Dry roast Urad dhal.

• Then heat 3 tsp of oil and add diced onion and dry red chillies. Saute for 3 minutes.

• Add diced tomato. Sprinkle some salt. Saute till tomatoes are smashed.
• Add cut carrots and saute to half cook just till its raw smell goes off.

• Let it cool down. Course grind dhal first and add the veggie mixture and grind to make chutney.

• Season chutney with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

• Tastes as side dish for idly, dosa, rava uppma, idiyappam, appam, chappathi. Also goes good as party dip.

Paruppu Chutney / Gram Chutney

When I think about making idly, dosa, first think up to my mind is all about chutney/dip for it.

Also if I would like to add any lentil or gram(dhal) in our diet, this chutney is the best option.

Ingredients:

To Grind

• Urad dhal-1/2 cup, dry roasted seperately, till light brown
• Chenna dhal-1/2 cup or Chenna dhal alone-1 cup, dry roasted seperately till light brown
• Dry red chillies-2 nos. roast it with any of the dhal
• Tamarind-1 pinch size
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning

• Oil-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds-2 tsp
• Curry leaves-1 stem

Procedure:

1. Grind the above said ingredients to grind.
2. Season it with the seasoning items.
3. Add water for the required consistency.

To add some more flavor to this chutney, add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut with one dry red chilli extra.

Eggplant / Brinjal Chutney

Egg plant comes in different sizes and shapes. For chutney, we can use any kind of egg plant. These are capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fats and sauces, making for very rich dishes, but salting reduces the amount of oil absorbed. The Chutney with vegetable, adds more value to the food diet and hence here is a recipe for it.


Ingredients:

Egg Plant / Brinjal-6 nos. Medium size, cut into 1 inch cubes
Onion-1 no. Medium size, finely chopped
Tomato-1 no. Medium size, small pieces
Green Chillies-4 nos. upto taste
Curry Leaves-1 stem
Cumin Seeds-2 tsp
Mustard Seeds-2 tsp
Oil-for sauteing
Coriander Leaves-2 stem, finely chopped
Salt- to taste.

Procedure:

• Heat the oil. Sputter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, add onion, curry leaves, and green chillies, saute it.
• Add tomato and salt saute till the tomato leaves the oil out.

•  Add brinjal cubes, let it cook for a min.
• Then add water till the brinjal gets covered. Boil it till the brinjals are cooked or pressure cook it giving 2 whistles. Remove from stove and smash the brinjal finely. Smashing would be easier when you drain the excess water. This water can be added to it after smashing. If necessary, you can add little boiled water to the chutney, for the consistency. Served with coriander toppings.

• Serve it with Idli, Dosa. It goes well with Ragi Dosa, Bajra Dosa, Wheat Dosa.

Peanut Chutney

This delicious peanut chutney goes good with almost all south Indian tiffin varieties. This can be prepared with or without coconut. Here is a recipe for peanut chutney with coconut, since it adds a good flavor.

Ingredients

To Grind

• Groundnut-2 hands full, roasted & blanched
• Dry red chillies-4-6 nos.
• Tamarind-a pinch size
• Salt to taste
• Coconut-1/2 cup (optional)

For Seasoning

• Oil-3 tsp
• Urad dhal/Channa dhal-2 tsp
• Curry Leaves-1 stem

Procedure

1. Grind the ingredients specified.
2. Season it & serve.