Tag: chammanthi

Chutneys/Thogayals/Dips/Podis, Everyday Simple Recipes, Kerala Recipes, Uncategorized

Vengaya Chutney (Ulli Vathakki Chammanthi)

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A fiery tangy chutney ideal accompaniment for dosa and idli.

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIngredients:
Shallots – 10-12
Garlic (optional) – 1 clove
Dry red chilies – 5
Cooking oil – 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Tamarind – a small marble size
Salt as needed
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Water – 2-3 tbsp

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Makes – 1 cup

Method:
Peel shallots and keep aside. If the shallots are bigger in size, cut them into smaller pieces.
In a deep pan, add a teaspoon of oil and saute the shallots along with garlic and dry red chilies. Saute in medium heat for 2-3 mins. When shallots turn translucent, add tamarind and salt. Switch off the flame.
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Let this cool and then grind into a smooth paste in the mixer along with 2-3 tbsp of water.
Transfer to a serving bowl.
Heat half a tsp of oil. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add curry leaves, switch off the flame and add this tempering to the chutney.

Notes:
1. You can skip tamarind if you do not like tangy taste.
2. You can use red onions to make this chutney but the taste will not be the same. Onions are sweeter and shallots are spicy.

Chutneys/Thogayals/Dips/Podis, Everyday Simple Recipes, Kerala Recipes, Vegan

Coconut Chammanthi – An Accompaniment for Kanji

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Congee/Kanji is comfort dinner for most Keralites. Watery kanji served along with proteins in the form of legumes or beans is well suited for the hot and sweaty tropical climate. Like how butter is a must with bread, chammanthi is a must with kanji (rice gruel).
Chammanthis are similar to chutneys but thicker and mostly used with kanji or alongside
steamed rice. Here is an easy to make flavorful chammanthi that can be used with rice or
kanji.

Ingredients:
Coconut – 1 cup tightly packed
Garlic – 2 cloves
Shallots – 3-4
Dry red chilies – 2
Green chilies – 2
Tamarind – 1/2 lime size
Ginger – a small piece (1/2 inch)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Water – 1-2 tbsp
Salt as needed

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Grinding Time: 5 mins
Makes: 1-1/2 cups

Method:
Grate the coconut. Peel the garlic and shallot.
Pass a skewer through the chilies, garlic, and shallots and roast them directly on fire.
Do not char them. Just a little bit of burning is good enough.
Grind all the ingredients together in a mixer using small amounts of water. Ensure that
the consistency is tight and not watery.
Serve along with rice gruel or steamed rice.

Notes: You can grind the ingredients raw and make a chutney, but the smoky flavor when you roast the chilies, shallots, and garlic on fire lends the chutney a really unique flavor making it an interesting accompaniment with the bland kanji.
You may avoid garlic if you wish to.

Chutneys/Thogayals/Dips/Podis, Everyday Simple Recipes, South Indian, Vegan

Mint & Coconut Chutney

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Green chutneys are a great way to add raw greens in your diet. This mint/pudina chutney is simple to make, tangy, and flavorful. You can replace mint with coriander and make coriander coconut chutney also and add variety and different kinds of flavor and goodness to your diet.

Ingredients:
Mint leaves/Pudina – 2 cups (tightly packed)
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Ginger – a small piece
Green chilies – 5-6
Lemon juice/Tamarind/Raw mango – half a lemon
Salt as needed

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves: 6

Method:
Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste.
For tart you may add lemon juice, a small gooseberry sized tamarind ball, or use raw mango.
You may choose to add garlic if you prefer the raw garlic taste in the chutney. Adjust salt and sourness by adding more lemon juice.
Those who prefer to balance the tart can add a little bit of sugar powder.
Serve along with rice, dosa, idli, roti, or with snacks such as samosa and paniyaram.
Store in an airtight container and take out in small batches as necessary.

Chutneys/Thogayals/Dips/Podis, Everyday Simple Recipes, Kerala Recipes, Vegan

Kerala Style Jaathikka Chammanthi/Raw Nutmeg Chutney

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Chammanthi (not to be confused with the types of usual chutneys served with dosa and idli) is a Kerala-style thick chutney that makes a good accompaniment with rice or with kanji (rice gruel). Unlike dosa chutneys that are smooth and liquidy, chammanthis are coarsely ground. Nutmeg – a spice with a pleasant aroma and a wonderful flavor – is used in this chammanthi and makes it a subtle flavored chutney with a wonderful aroma and a light tangy tone. Here are some other chammanthi varieties that I have posted earlier – Roasted coconut chammanthi and chammanthi podi.

 

Ingredients:
Matured but raw Jaathikka/Nutmeg – 1
Grated coconut – 1-1/2 cups tightly pressed
Raw green chilies – 2 – 3 (adjust to taste)
Shallots/pearl onion – 1 (optional)
Salt to taste

Preparation Time: 12 mins
Cooking Time: NA
Makes 2-1/2 cups

Method:
Wash and peel the outer skin of the nutmeg. Cut into two pieces and remove the seed which would be encased in a mace-like structure. Cut the nutmeg into smaller chunky pieces.
Use a mixer or a stone grinder to grind along all the ingredients together to make a coarse paste. Serve with rice.

Notes:

  1. You may avoid shallot and just use nutmeg, coconut, and green chilies.
  2. You could use bird’s eye chili (Kanthari variety of chili) and it would enhance the flavor of the chammanthi.
  3. You may add a small piece of ginger or garlic. I prefer the dominant raw nutmeg taste and hence do not prefer adding these.
Bachelor-friendly, Chutneys/Thogayals/Dips/Podis, Everyday Simple Recipes, Indian, Kerala Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan

Raw Mango Chutney – Kerala Style

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Kerala Style Raw Mango ChutneyYou cannot talk about this dish without having drool collect in your mouth. Everybody loves this chutney. Raw mango chutney is ideally eaten with kanji (rice gruel) or rice, but it can be eaten with dosa or idli also. Best way to make it is on the traditional stone grinder using very little water but you may use a mixer. You can use green chilies instead of dry red chilies.

 

IngredientsIngredients:
Grated coconut – 1/2 coconut
Raw Mango – 1 small
Dry red chilies – 4 or 5
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash and peel the mango and remove the seed. Chop into small pieces. In a small kadai, dry roast red chilies for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell is gone. Coarsely grind the raw mango pieces and red chilies together in the small jar of the mixer (or traditional stone grinder) without adding water. Add a few drops of water if necessary. When these two ingredients are ground coarsely, add coconut and grind to a coarse paste. Use only very few drops of water just to aid the ingredients to blend together.

Serve with rice

Serve with rice. No tadka/seasoning is required for this chutney.

Chutneys/Thogayals/Dips/Podis, Everyday Simple Recipes, Kerala Recipes, South Indian, Vegan

Shallot Chutney (Ulli Sammanthi)

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Ulli sammanthi aka pearl onion chutney is a family favorite, especially my brother’s. This fiery chutney has character. In Kerala, this chutney is a famous combo with boiled tapioca (kappa puzhungiyathu). But many Kerala homes make it as a dosa accompaniment also. Our family’s favorite combination is this chutney along with uthappam. On a day that this chutney is made, I lose count of the number of uthappams/dosas I gobble up.

My mother grinds this chutney in ammikkallu (a stone grinder with a flat stone surface and a pestle that is rolled on this surface). This chutney tastes best when ground using stone. The mixer grinder tends to mildly heat up the ingredients due to the high speed. Grinding using stone retains all the natural flavors of this minimalistic chutney. My mother would be in tears by the time she is done with the grinding because of the shallots. Also your hands can be get heated up because of the chilies. You can use a mixer also to make this chutney. You could use red chilly powder but the chutney tastes best when you use whole dry red chilies. When grinding this chutney in a mixer, soak the dry red chilies in water for an hour. If you are in a hurry, pour hot water in the chilies and keep aside for 5 mins before you start grinding. Adding coconut oil to this chutney is key as it adds a wonderful flavor and helps you tolerate the fiery chutney.

Ingredients:
Shallots/pearl onion/cheriya ulli – 8-10
Whole red chilies – 7-8
Water – 1 tbsp
Salt as needed
Coconut oil – 1 tsp

Method:
Soak the red chilies in a little bit of water for 1-2 hours. Peel the shallots. If you are using the stone grinder, first crush the red chilies and grind them a little bit. Add the shallots. Add salt. Do not add any water while grinding in a stone grinder. Keep grinding. Be prepared to shed plenty of tears while grinding. Grind until you get a smooth paste. Gather into a bowl.

Add coconut oil. Mix well and use.

Whether you use a mixer or a stone grinder, ensure that

If using mixer, add the red chilies to the jar and give it a few turns to crush it well. Add shallots, and salt and grind until you get a smooth paste. You do not need to add water. Remove into a bowl. Add coconut oil. Mix well and serve.

Don’t forget to brush your teeth after you are done eating!

If you do not like the taste of raw shallots (which is highly unlikely), you can also improvise this by sauteing the shallots and red chilies in a little bit of oil before making the chutney.

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