Goat Cheese & Cilantro Spread (Kothamali Chutney)(East meets West)

This is a true fusion recipe which brings together the best of the west and the east - Cheese (all kinds) has pervaded the Indian cuisine for a long time now - With this recipe, I bring to you a traditional south Indian chutney made with cilantro and red chilies and other flavors (see recipe below). With adequate spicing, this chutney can easily be blended into a creamy goat cheese to make a fine spread for veggies or crusty warm bread.

Another post for Avant Garde Cookies, this is a spread which can be whipped up at short notice

Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients

4 bunches of fresh cilantro, pre-washed and stems removed

2 green chilies

2 red chilies

1 tbsp urad dal

A pinch of asafetida

¼ tsp of tamarind paste (optional)

2- 3 tsp of sesame oil

2 tbsp of water

Method
Sautee the urad, chilies, asafetida in the oil.
Add the cilantro leaves and cook for a few minutes until the water has evaporated.
Add the tamarind paste and mix it in well to the leaves.
Cool and grind, using very little water

For the Spread
1 Ounce of goat cheese
2tbsp of chutney

Method
Whisk the cheese into the chutney and keep refrigerated until use. Enjoy with raw veggies or over toasted bread or pita or as a spread for a sandwich

Onion & Peanut Chutney

A simple quick and fabulous chutney to accompany dosa, (lentil crepes) Idlis (savory cakes) or even mix in with rice. Having the kids home demands that you be quick and creative - it is always a pleasure to have them home, but the problem usually is coming up with an idea for  a meal more than making it - I am sure all you experienced chefs out there would agree - Rava Idlis and Chutney seemed like a perfect light and simple lunch to make- So we did and it was enjoyable - And what was best is although it is frigid outside, the sun shines even brighter making for good pics - Lately I have made food that I wish to blog in the evening and Jan evenings are usually gloomy and dark even by 5, making for not so great pics of really good food - Will strive to be more efficient with the daylight hours for blogging.

Here is the recipe
Ingredients
1 big red onion
1 handful of roasted peanuts (husk free)
3-4 of your spicy dried red chilies
1tsp of sesame oil

For tempering
a pinch of asafetida
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
fresh curry leaves
1tsp of sesame oil

Method
In a wok/kadai/frying pan heat the oil and add the ingredients and cook until onion is translucent
Cool and grind
Temper with the suggested ingredients

Serve with Idlis, dosas, rice or chapatis - See here with hot and delicious Rava Idlis

Enjoy

Green Chili Thokku (Preserve)

My garden was bursting with green chilies and we kept collecting in the hope that we would get some spicy ones - Alas to our disappointment, although they were extremely aromatic and flavorful and raised our expectations no end about its spiciness. Ironically, they lacked the sting which is a quality all of us proper South Indians look for in our green chilies.  We have learnt now that we have to plant the different varieties of chilies at least a 10 feet away from each other because what can happen if you plant spicy ones and sweeter peppers side by side, one takes over the flavor of the other, in our case the sweet dominated the spicy :(  So a lesson learnt for next year. Joke is I had to use store-bought green chilies and a few red chilies to spice up my chili chutney (lol)  But it smells phenomenally good and and tastes incredible, esp with thachu mammu or yogurt rice; a fab spread on sandwiches and with chappatis and cheese...

Presenting to you my Green Chili Thokku/Preserve - also sharing a couple of fun art I made with them.

Ingredients

• 3lbs of Fresh green chilies 
• 4 thai green chilies (not required if you have spicy chilies already)
• 1/2 cup of urad dal
• 1tsp of tamarind paste
• 1/4 tsp of asafetida
• 1tsp turmeric
• 5tbsp Gingely/sesame oil
• salt
• Tempering with mustard seeds

Method

1. de stem the chilies and keep ready
2. In 2 tbsp of oil roast the urad dal until golden brown
3. In a wide pan add 2 tbsp of oil and add the green chilies and allow them to cook until lightly browned
4. Add the salt, tamarind and asafetida to this and stir for a little longer
5. Cool and grind 
6. Add a tbsp of raw sesame oil to the top to keep it preserved. Enjoy in any which way you want to :)

Chili Thokku

Gongura Chutney/ Sorrel Chutney/Spread

I have been saying it with Chutney's and spreads this summer from figs and goji berries to cherries and pesto. I now present Gongura chutney, a native dish of Andhra Pradhesh, well loved by Indians from all other parts of the country too :) For those who are not familiar with these beautiful greens, they have large crinkly leaves with a burgundy red stem and veins.  I had no idea what their English name was and got to it after several google searches. These greens have an innate sourness to them, something I was NOT aware of until after I added some tamarind, like we normally do for green leafy chutneys. I will not add tamarind to the recipe I have noted down for you. They are deliciously flavorful and serve as a great addition to the table in more ways than one - As a side to be had with yogurt rice, in the true south Indian style; to mix in with hot basmati rice and devoured; as a spread over a french baguette or with Indian lentil crepes, aka, Dosas, just to name a few.

Here is the recipe for this deadly delicious chutney

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (about a pound) as sold in the Indian store
• 1/4 cup of urad dal (black gram - ulundhu)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 3 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Tbsp bengal gram (channa dal - Kadalai paruppu)
• 6 really spicy dry red chilies (I got mine from the mexican store)
• 1 lemon sized ball of jaggery (powdered)
• 1/4 tsp asafetida
• salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the leaves several times to get rid of all the dirt off it and shake off the water
2. In a wide (preferably non-stick pan) add the sesame oil and heat. 
3. Add and pop the mustard seeds. 
4. Add the chilies and allow them to roast for a minute without getting burnt
5. Add the asafetida urad dal and the channa dal and roast until brown
6. Add the leaves and turn it until they become a deep green bordering on brown. 
7. Now add the powdered jaggery and the salt. 
8. Turn for a minute until the jaggery melts.
9. Grind in a food processor until the leaves are ground to a gritty paste.
10. The Dals may not grind completely and may be semi-broken, but this is just fine because it add to the texture of the chutney. 
11. DO NOT use any water to grind- the water from the leaves will suffice - 
12. I used an additional 2 tsp of sesame oil and gave the processor one last turn before transferring to a bowl.

Enjoy in any way you want. And hope you'll like it as much as we did! It goes all too fast!

Presto Pesto

Homemade is always good. Homegrown even better - My mantra for this summer for those who have been tuning in. This is another of those beautifully satisfying posts of a most popular Italian Spread. I have tried to keep it authentic in that I added absolutely no "spicy hot stuff" and I want to say it tasted perfect - of course only judging by the gusto with which the kiddos spread away :)

My basil plants are still fledglings and while I got some of my basil from there, I have to thank my friend for allowing me to pick some from her wonderful garden.

The recipe without much further chitchat.

Ingredients
About 4 cups of basil leaves
1/2 cup of pine nuts
4 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp grated Romano
1/4 cup of olive oil +1 tbsp
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp salt

Method
Wash basil thoroughly
Remove basil leaves from the stem
Add all the ingredients to the food processor and blend until you get a coarse texture
Transfer into a serving dish - Add more olive oil and stir in.

Spread on french bread, have it in pasta or any which way you like
This is my green dish for Independence Day :)
And stay tuned for my Garden Fresh Gonkura Chutney.

Some pictures...

It turns dark as soon as you make it - stir to see the green above!

Fresh Fig Chutney/Preserve

Fresh Fig Chutney

I wonder how the expression, I don't give a fig ever came about - were they talking about Figs or was that a short for figure as in number?  If they were referring to Figs, then they have indeed been overly shortsighted to have been so dismissive of this delicious and rather luscious looking and tasting fruit. I have known the delights of this fruit thanks to my friend who has this massive fig tree at her home and has been sharing kindly. Today I picked about two pounds (about 20-24 figs) came back home and decided to make something with it asap. And after sifting through a bunch of recipes, I settled on a Fig Chutney with the half and a tart with the other. Today I blog the chutney which I must say myself was absolutely amazing! Here is my recipe and some lovely pictures of the fruit

Ingredients

12 Figs black mountain medium sized

1 cup of honey

1/2 cup orange juice 

1/2 cup Port Wine

1tbsp unsalted butter

2 cloves (crushed)

3 black whole peppers (crushed)

1 tsp each of

crushed cardamom

all spice

crushed saffron

lemon zest

My Fig Face :p

Method

Wash and cut the stems of the figs before cutting them into quarters

Melt the butter in a heave sauce pan

Heat the honey until it becomes syrupy. 

Add the rest of the ingredients (except the figs)

All the all to thicken into a syrup consistency (about 10 -12 mins of medium heat gas flame)

Now add the figs and swirl syrup around or gently aid with ladle until the syrup covers the figs.

All this to simmer in medium low flame for about 18 -20 minutes depending on how ripe your figs are. 

Remove from flame And cool.

Bottling the preserve

I wonder why I do this since this yielded about 1/2 of the 1/2 liter mason jar or a little less and from what I heard after the kids tasted it, they were planning to make short work of it by tomorrow - glad I got the pictures in now -lol :)

Anyway,

Wash the mason jar and lids with soap thoroughly and rinse

Boil them for about 7 minutes in water

Remove with tongs and pat dry with paper towel and place on a sterile (or clean) surface

Cool the chutney and put in the jar

Seal tight. If the jar is full and you notice air bubbles, open the jar ensure that they are teased out before resealing.

If this is to be put away, boil water again and put sealed jar in and boil for 5 more minutes for the seal to set. 

Label and put away in the pantry - It will be good for a year of these instructions are followed.

Now for some pics :) And stay tuned for my Fig pie/tart

Cashew Chutney & Onion Chutney

A cold and dreary day with much needed rain - I've learnt to appreciate rain a lot more after we moved her to well water - every mm counts. We have had several summers where water curfews were imposed when watering the lawn was an indulgence not to be exercised.  But a rainy day always makes me hungrier for some reason and I want to make something that warms the cockles - Steamed Sweet Potatoes was what I settled on - Hubby dear comes home and asks me what I plan to make with it - as a sort of spread - my mind sifts through the chutney spread files that are stored away in the brain, but I thought I'd make two chutneys - One I have made often - onion chutney and the other a variation of its more commonly prepared nut cousin, peanuts - And settled on cashews. Yes, that plan excited me. So I got to work and literally in 5-7 minutes, we were all smacking our lips after tasting this spicy, tongue-tickling oh-so nutty chutney - If you like nuts and cashews in particular, trust me my friends you will not be disappointed!

Here is the recipe
3/4 cup of roasted cashews
5 green chilies
2 red chilies (dried)
urad dal 1/4 cup
olive oil- 2 tsp
salt to taste
Tempering with olive oil (1tsp), mustard seeds and curry leaves

Preparation
I first used 2 tsp to roast the urad dal and the chilies, like we normally do for any chutney and then threw in the cashews for a minute before removing from flame.
I ground it warm in my Magic Bullet into a fine paste and tempered it

Spread this over your steamed sweet potatoes - while the chutney has a fine kick to it, it is beautifully set off by the sweetness of the sweet potato.

NOTE: the guilt of fat from the cashews can be lessened by the fact that you have had a most satisfying and completely healthy meal for I recently saw on Dr. Oz - Here is the quote from his website

Cashews are one of the top 4 anti-cancer Super foods! 

These nuts contain proanthocyanidins, a class of flavanolds that actually starve tumors and prevent cancer cells from dividing. In some studies, it’s been shown that eating 12 cashews a day can reduce your colon cancer risk.

There you go folks, the Ozacle has spoken :)

Onion Chuntey

1 med. sized red onion
4 red chilies
1 green chili
asafetida
olive oil 2 tsp
urad 2 tsp

Preparation
Fry in the oil all the ingredients and grind adding salt when you do.
Temper with the same ingredients as the above chutney

Enjoy mes amies.