Spicy Garlic Chutney (Teekha Lahsun Chutney)

Necessity is the mother of invention. And if not invention then atleast the attempt to rediscover. All these years of living in Maharashtra and Gujarat got me really hooked to Vada Pav. And coming back to Delhi, if it was one thing that I missed it was the simple vada tucked away in a bun which had been smothered with a dry garlic based chutney. The only place that came close to satisfying this urge to have vada pav was the food stall in Dilli Haat and at what expense. You spent hours dodging the Delhi traffic and then fighting your way to get a decent parking, since Dilli Haat happens to be in a crowded place. Once you had parked your car, you stood in a queue to buy your ticket and if your luck was really rotten the queue would end up snaking right till the edge of the road and you will have to wait a good 20 odd minutes to buy your ticket. Once you bought the tickets, you would go through security, and then through swarms of people and handicraft shops to the Mumbai food stall. There you would get your taste of Mumbai street heaven for 70 rupees only. There was a time, I just hopped across the street in Mumbai to buy my vada pav for 5 rupees  If I was in an indulgent mood, I would also throw in a cutting chai from the tea vendor next to the vada pav wala. But then good times don't last, memories however, do.

I digress. Coming back to the point of Vada Pav, it was the dry garlic chutney that lifted this simple fritter in a bun to greatness. And all these years this dry chutney which had been readily available in supermarkets kept my craving at bay. Not recently though. We decided to make some vada pav at home. Making the vadas was a piece of cake and pavs these days are available across the country thanks to the national liking for Pav Bhaji. Still one bite and something was found missing, and as al of us in the family looked at each other with the "Mazaa nahin aaya" look (didn't get the excitement), the eureka moment hit us. It had been the chutney all along. The simple spicy garlic chutney which stared at us innocently from the supermarket aisles with a 'take me home' look. A sudden dash to the all the supermarkets nearby only yielded disappointment. No one stocked it up here and I was in no mood to scout the entire Delhi and Gurgaon market space for it. So, made a few frantic calls to my Gujju and Maharashtrian friends and made it on my own.

It was easy to make that I made a few jars. Later that evening at a party, this simple chutney stood out amongst all the dishes prepared and the requests literally poured in to supply them with a few jars if not the recipe. Well, here is the recipe, try it out and give me shout as to how it went. All I can tell you is, that I think I will be making this every few days since my better half seems to be having this with everything. Thankfully, I can now firmly think that it has displaced the gunpowder, which found its way on her plate with every meal. Not that I have anything against the gunpowder..I just like this one better.

And as for the Vada Pav, the recipe for the bondas (the vadas dear) will follow in the next post. Till then prepare this chutney and save it up for the vada pavs.

Spicy Garlic Chutney

Ingredients:
Garlic, peeled and minced finely - 60 gm
Green Chilies, minced finely - 20 gm
Dessicated Coconut - 30 gm
Peanuts - 20 gms
Sesame seeds - 20 gms
Hing (Asafoetida) - A pinch
Red Chili Powder - 10 gms
Cumin Powder - 5 gms.
Salt to taste
Oil - 5 ml.

Method:
1. Roast the peanuts and sesame seeds slightly till the raw smell goes. Do not burn them. Wait till they are cool, then make a dry powder of them in the processor.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add in the hing and as it crackles, add in the minced green chilies. Cook for 30 seconds.

3. Add in the minced garlic and cook for a minute.

4. Add in the dessicated coconut. Cook for a couple of minutes till it changes color. Do not let it brown.

5. Switch of the flame and add in the cumin powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix well. You will notice that the entire mixture now looks totally red.

6. Add in the powdered peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix well.

7. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Note - The quantities given can be adjusted by you based on your preferences and tolerance to spices, esp. red chili powder.

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Apricot Chutney

Every year I wait for the short window of time when fresh juicy apricots start appearing on fruit stalls, and when they arrive I pick up as many as I can like a greedy kid wanting them all to himself. The season for fresh apricots is so short that you blink and you've missed it and then you wait for another year. Some may argue on why worry when the dried varieties are there in stores all year around, but my friend, a fresh juicy apricot is a thing of joy and the dried variety will always remain a distant cousin. The variety of dishes both sweet and savory that you can do with Apricots are endless and no matter what you try, I can vouch that you will not be disappointed.

The summers are here and so are the Apricots. I have already made a few trips to my fruit and vegetable vendor to pick up this juicy fruit and turn it mouth watering delicacies. This time, I bring you a simple recipe for an Indian Chutney (Relish) made with Apricots. I must warn you though, that this is only the beginning, very soon you will see more posts, but till then try this chutney out and till my next post enjoy the fruit as is. 

Apricot Chutney

(Serves 8)

Ingredients:

Fresh Apricots, skinned, pitted and quartered - 200 gms

(To skin apricots, heat water in a large bottomed pan and drop in the apricots, as the water start to boil. Count till 7 and remove and put in an ice bath. The skin will peel easily now.) 

Onion, finely chopped - 1

Olive Oil - 2 Tblsp

Sugar, granulated - 57 gm

Honey - 58 gm

Raisins - 1/4 Cup

Cider Vinegar - 1/4 Cup

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp.

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.

2. Add onions and saute till they turn translucent (4-5 minutes on low flame).

3. Add in the apricots and mix well. Cook for a minute.

4. Add in the granulated sugar and mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes.

5. Add in the honey and cider vinegar. Mix well.

6. Add in the raisins and red chili powder. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes stirring, until the relish has thickened.

7. Take off flame and allow to cool.

8. Serve at room temperature or store in an air tight container ( in the refrigerator). It will stay for almost a week.

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Tamarind Chutney (Imli Chutney)

Tamarind Chutney is a delicious dip that is essential to the preparation of many fast foods in India, especially the different chaats. The sweet and tangy dip is also served as an accompaniment to other dishes esp. samosas and pakoras alongwith the tomato based chutneys. My better half even does a fried rice dish with vegetables and tamarind chutney.  She has it with plain raita (yogurt) and is an ideal comfort food on those cold winter evenings when you want to grab a quick bowl and get into bed and enjoy while watching the TV.

Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients

Tamarind, deseeded - 250 gms

Sugar (I personally prefer Jaggery) - 300 gms

Cumin Seeds, roasted - 2 Tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp

Salt - 1 Tsp

Black Salt - 1 Tsp

Ginger Powder (Saunth) - 1/2 Tsp

Water, boiling - 2 Cups

Method:

1.Soak the tamarind pieces in the hot water for an hour. After they have been soaked for an hour, mash them to take the pulp out of the tamarind pieces (Yes, using hands is preferred).

2. Pass this mixture through a strainer (pressing hard against the strainer to ensure all pulp is squeezed out) and discard the pieces.

3. Put this strained mixture on flame. Add sugar and mix well.

4. Add on the remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Cook till desired consistency is attained. Take off flame and cool down.

Keeps well for over a month or two if refrigerated. I personally suggest making a thick tamarind chutney. You can use it as is for purposes of a dip. To use it over chaats, I thin it by adding water and mixing well.

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Lemon & Red Chili Chutney

Let me begin by wishing everyone a very happy new year. After a very long hiatus, due to work and family commitments, I finally put up a post on this blog. So whoever, thought this blog was dead, will need to wait some more. As a resolution, I plan to devote more time to this blog. So 2011 will see changes in its look and contents as we coast along experiencing this new year.

The current post is a small recipe for a fiery chutney (relish) that goes well with chips or some subtle croquettes. My spouse and I encountered some nice fresh chillies at the local once-a-week 'mandi' (Indian word for market) and we bought loads of them. Now that we had them, we wondered what to do with them apart from the usual Red Chili Pickle which everyone seems to be doing with chillies in Delhi at this time of the year. Thus was born this tasty yet hot relish that we seem to match with every started these days.

Lemon & Red Chili Chutney

Ingredients

Lemons - 4 No.s
Red Chillies - 16 No.s
Garlic - 2 Cloves
Sugar / Honey - 3 Tblsp.
Olive Oil - 4 Tblsp
Mustard Powder, lightly crushed - 2 Tblsp
Vinegar - 2 Tblsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1 Tsp
Black Pepper, freshly ground - 2 Tblsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Cut the lemons into small pieces and put them in a blender.
2. Chop the chillies into little pieces and add with lemons in blender.
3. Add in all remaining ingredients in the blender. Mix well.
4. Blend this mixture till it is coarse. If you want it fine blend more.
5. Check seasoning. Refrigerate.

Serves - 30 People.

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Kashmiri Akhrot Chutney (Walnut Dip)

Walnuts get their name from an old English term called wealhhnutu, meaning, foreign nut. It was called so as it was introduced to England from Gaul ( Present day France & Belgium and parts of Switzerland, Netherlands & Germany) and Italy. Apart from being an excellent source of protein they also have a higher Omega-3 Fatty acid content than other nuts and incorporating them in our daily diet can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Now the best walnuts are the Persian Walnuts or Royal Walnut, that comes from Balkans, Southwest & Central Asia. In English speaking nations they are also referred to as the English Walnut or Common Walnut. These walnuts are known for their delicious nuts. Other species include the Black Walnut, Butternut, Japanese Walnut & Hind's Black Walnut apart from various hybrids.
I spent a part of my childhood in Kashmir living in Srinagar in the Badami Bagh Cantonment. The entire areas was full of different trees. There were Mulberry, Apple, Almond and Walnut trees all around and being the naughty kids that we were, one could find us climbing those trees. Armed with a pen knife and a bag, it was good fun to have walnuts that were still not dried. The akhrot chutney was special as one of my classmates usually got it from home alongwith other Kashmiri goodies, needless to say his lunchbox was a much sought after item. I stumbled upon the recipe to make this dip some days back and since we were planning on a Kashmiri meal this chutney made its way to the dining table and once again into my life.

Kashmiri Akhrot ki Chutney

Ingredients:

Walnuts, shelled - 50 gm
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Yogurt - 60 ml

Method:
1. Put the shelled walnuts, salt and red chili powder in a grinder and grind until smooth.
2. Transfer this powder to a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well.
3 Chill before serving.

Variation:

Akhrot Muli ki chutney (Walnut Radish Dip) -Add 60 gm shredded radish to this chutney. Mix well till the chutney coats all the shredded radish.

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Nadur Seekh with Mint Chutney

Last week we discovered Lotus Stem at our local mandi and I have since gone gaga on it. It's been ages since I had eaten lotus stem and I have been going back every week to get some more of this stuff. After trying out some traditional dishes with Lotus Stem which were mostly Kashmiri delicacies ( Lotus Stem is called Nadur or Nadru in Kashmiri language), I decided to get innovative. The seekh is a product of that "let's try something different"mode.

Nadur Seekh

Ingredients:

Lotus Stem ( Kamal Kakri) - 200 gm
Chana Dal - 100 gm
Ginger, finely chopped - 2 Tsp
Garlic, minced - 2 Tsp
Pistachio - 2o gm
Almonds- 20 gm
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 2 Tsp
Fennel Powder - 2 Tsp
Salt - To Taste
Oil

Method:
1. Peel and wash the Lotus stems. Take care as there is a lot of dirt trapped in between.
2. Chop the lotus stems into slices. Keep aside.
3. In a flat pan, heat oil. Add in the ginger and garlic. Saute till they start to turn a little pink.


4. Add in the lotus stems. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in the chana dal. Saute for 3 more minutes.
6. Add in the pistachios and almonds. Mix well.
7. Add in the spices and water. Mix well. Let it cook till all water has dried up. Take off flame.
8. Add in the salt and pass this mixture through a blender.
9. Holding a skewer in one hand, take a ball of this minced mixture in the other hand.
10. Press the mince to the skewer and shape into a sausage like kabab.
11. Heat up the grill or tandoor. Grill the kababs, regularly basting them.
12. Serve hot with mint chutney.


Mint Chutney

Ingredients:
Mint - 1 Bunch
Coriander - 1 Bunch
Green Chillies, roughly chopped - 2
Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped - 1" piece
Garlic, peeled and washed - 4 cloves
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste

Method:
1. Wash mint and coriander. Cut off their roots.
2. Put them in a blender along with all other ingredients and blend into a smooth paste.
3. Adjust seasoning. Chill and serve.

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Hari Machhli ( Fish in green sauce)

Ingredients:
Fish ( Snapper or Pomfret) - 300 gm
Green Chilli paste - 15 gm
Mint Paste - 50 gm
Corriander paste - 50gm
Lemon Juice - 50 ml
Banana Leaf - 1
Oil - 1 tsp.

Method:
1. Clean, wash and dice the fish.
2. Apply lemon juice and salt and keep aside.
3. Mix the mint,corriander and green chili pastes.
4. Apply the paste to the fish.
5. Wrap the fish in the banana leaf.
6. Steam for 15 minutes.
7. Garnish with lemon slice and serve.

Serves : 4

Time for Preparation : 30 minutes

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