COCONUT & DAL; TOMATO; AND MINT & CORIANDER CHUTNEYS

COCONUT & DAL; TOMATO, AND MINT CHUTNEYS

I have shared a variety of South Indian breakfast dishes such as dosas, idlis, appos and so on whose recipes almost invariably end with , "Serve hot with chutney of your choice." I say so since these dishes are best enjoyed with our fiery chutneys, and there are so many of these as well.

Today, I share the first part of my " Chutney Collection." You have here:

• Coconut & Dal Chutney - at the top of the accompanying picture
• Tomato Chutney (Chettinad Style) - at the left of the accompanying picture
• Mint & Coriander Chutney- at the right of the accompanying picture

This picture shows the chutneys without seasoning.

In a sense, chutneys are versatile accompaniments and go well with most dishes. I believe the following are great combinations:

• Coconut & Dal Chutney - dosas, idlis, adai, appos, upma,
• Tomato Chutney- dosas, idlis, roti, chapatis, paranthas,
• Mint & Coriander Chutney- sandwiches, samosas, dhokla, cheelas

1) COCONUT & DAL CHUTNEY
Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, fresh, 1 cup
• Fried Gram (Hurigadle in Kannada, Bhuna Channa in Hindi or Udaithakadala in Tamil) 1/4 cup
• Green Chillies, finely chopped, 3-4
• Ginger, peeled and grated, 1/2 " piece
• Coriander leaves, chopped, 2 tbsp
• Tamarind, small marble size ball
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Grind together the above ingredients in a blender, gradually adding a little water, to a paste. Vary the amount of water added to get your required consistency. I usually do not temper this type of chutney (as it tastes good even without it) but if you wish, you may temper it with mustard seeds, curry leaves, black gram dal and hing (asafoetida.)

2) Tomato Chutney (Chettinad Style)

Ingredients:

• Large Tomatoes, 2
• Onion, 1
• Chana Dal, (Bengal Gram), 1 and 1/2 tbsp.
• Red Chillies, 2
• Green Chilly, 1
• Ginger, 1/2 ", finely minced
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 tbsp 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1/2 tbsp.

For seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Red Chillies, 2
• Curry leaves, a sprig
• Hing (Asafoetida), a pinch

Method:

Slice the tomatoes and onion and keep aside.
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai. When it is heated, reduce the flame, add chana dal, red chillies and green chilly and saute till the dal changes colour.
Keep aside to cool.
In the same oil, add onions and ginger. Saute for about 3-4 minutes till onion becomes transparent
Add the tomatoes and saute on medium flame for 8-10 minutes
Remove from flame and let it cool
In a blender, grind together coconut gratings, roasted chana dal, chillies, tomatoes, onion and salt, to a smooth paste to make your chutney.
Transfer the chutney to a bowl.
Finally season the chutney with mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies, and hing.
Serve with idlis, dosas etc.

3) MINT & CORIANDER CHUTNEY

Ingredients:

• Fresh Coriander leaves, (Dhaniya) 1/2 cup
• Mint Leaves, (Pudhina)  1/2 cup
• Garlic, minced, 3 cloves
• Green chillies, 2-3
• Chaat Masala, 1 tsp
• Small sized Onion, 1/2 or 1
• Lemon, 1/2 
• Salt, to taste

Method:
Wash and thoroughly clean the Coriander and Mint leaves
Grind these in the blender, along with garlic, green chillies, chaat masala, onion, and salt, to a paste
Squeeze juice of lemon and mix well