New Indian Recipes on the Menu

Time seems to escape me these days, yet every so often there is a gathering that warrants a fresh look at my recipes to date, sometimes finding them insufficient, despite the fairly vast number. A month or so past, I entertained my grandson and his friend, who love Indian food. When we chatted, he'd said that the flavors of Indian foods are some of his favorites, though he usually eats very simply. So I created a dinner, not knowing his particular tastes, but hoped it wouldn't be too far out of his comfort zone - and it wasn't! They both ate like two very healthy young men should. I was pleased. 

For that meal, I made some of my more common favorites, Chicken Korma, edging outside the plain rice category with Barley Kichdi as one of the side dishes, and one of my all-time favorites, Palak Paneer, as the other. I also had no clue on their tolerance for heat, so all the dishes were made quite mild in deference to my husband, but I offered an array of chutneys with varying heat levels: Am Chutney or Mango Chutney (no heat), Dhania Poodina or Green Chutney (medium heat), Imli Chutney or Tamarind Chutney (a little heat), and Fresh Ginger slices in lime juice with Serrano pepper and salt, possibly the hottest). They went for the Green Chutney and fresh ginger, polishing them off!

Dinner Menu

So, when my son was recently married in Hawai'i, and his lovely bride just turned fifty years beautiful, I made a dinner to celebrate both events when they came to visit this past weekend. They both love Indian food as well, and I have made them many Indian meals already in past. Trying to come up with something to feed them that hasn't already been a part of many menus in past was becoming a challenge. Ana is sensitive to rice, so I wanted to keep that out of the menu completely. I thought of making the Barley Kichdi again, but they've had that more than once and well, not again. The same for the Palak Paneer, which is maybe one of all our favorites, but as I serve it with practically any special meal I felt it was time for a change. 

What to do, what to do?

I finally opted for Telangana Chicken, though I kept it mainly without any of the fiery, spicy heat in deference to Ana and my hubby. Instead of going for rice or even barley, I opted to make a very simple Tadka Dal using only Masoor (red lentils) and Moong (mung bean) dals, and adding a simple Tadka of sauteed mustard and cumin seeds, asafetida, shallot, ginger and garlic, and salt at the end. We all love dal/lentil dishes, so that one was a hit. I wanted to make Channa Masala, but my son objected. I went hunting for something to do with peas and found some few ways, such as Matar Masala (spiced peas), and somewhere i came across a recipe called Sookh Matar, though I can find no other reference to this terminology. I felt after reading that Sookh might refer to the same concept as "sabzi" meaning a dish cooked down to relative dryness - no sauce in it. I wanted more vegetables and also some color so added red bell pepper. It turned out fantastic whatever it may be called.

Matar Masala or Sookh Matar

Serves 6 to 8

Matar Masala (Spiced Peas)

1 large onion in thin half-rings
2 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil, more if needed
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1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil or sunflower oil
1 large shallot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon asafetida

MASALA: mix together and set aside
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 teaspoon black salt or regular salt
1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried green mango powder)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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1 bag (13 ounces) frozen baby peas

Saute the large onion in the oil, stirring very often and watching carefully not to burn, until the onions are a deep caramelized brown. Spread the onions on several thickness of paper toweling to blot and cool. This part can be made days in advance and refrigerated until needed.

Heat a skillet over medium to medium low heat and add in the 1 or two tablespoons of oil. Add in the cumin seeds and asafetida to sizzle for a few seconds, then add in the shallot, garlic, ginger and red bell pepper and saute gently to soften. Add in a tablespoon of water at a time, only if needed for the ingredients not to stick. Add in the masala ingredients and stir until fragrant. IF MAKING AHEAD, the dish can be made to this point, placed in a covered container and refrigerated for up to three days.

To finish the dish, bring the refrigerated mixture back to heat in a skillet, then add the peas with a tiny amount of water and heat them through. Once heated, add in the caramelized onion and stir in to heat through.

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The other new item on the menu was a salad, something I had never created with an Indian meal, but this time I wanted some diversity. 😉 The most common I found was called Kachumber Salat, a combination of cubed cucumber, tomato and onion, seasoned with an array of possible spices and a touch of lime juice. I plan to mix a batch of the masala mixture to keep on and to sprinkle on tomatoes at any time - it was that good!

Kachumber Salat

Serves 6

Kachumber Salat

1 cucumber, seeds removed if too large, cut in small cubes
1 - 2 medium tomatoes (I used heirlooms), in cubes
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, in cubes

MASALA:
1/2 teaspoon Chaat Masala
1/2 teaspoon black salt (or regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
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2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1/4 to 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped finely
2 teaspoons lime juice, or to taste
pinch chili in powder or crushed chili flakes

IF MAKING AHEAD, the only thing that can be done is mixing the spices together. The tomatoes and cucumber will go watery if done in advance. If raw onion or shallot are not tolerable, cut these ahead of time (up to 20 minutes) and set them into a bowl, covered with white vinegar. Drain and rinse before adding to the remaining ingredients and stir them all together well before serving.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest. 

Indian Food Updates and New Recipes

I am planning another Indian meal for two of my sisters next week. Some recipes are ones I have made before, like Kachche Gosht ki Biryani, and some I have made many, many times before, like Palak Paneer. I will be serving an array of chutneys, such as Dhania Poodina (Mint and Cilantro Chutney), Khajur Imli Chatni (Date Tamarind Chutney) and Am Chatni (Mango Chutney). One of my sisters in particular, really loves turning up the heat, so i returned to a recipe I had made in past, called Allam Pachadi, a Ginger Tamarind 'Pickle.'

Allam Pachadi / Ginger Tamarind Pickle

So, looking back over that recipe I used for Allam Pachadi, I thought maybe I should change some things. First off, while I like heat, sometimes it's just heat with no perceptible flavor, while your taste buds try to crawl away screaming, and hide. So I went back to look through the internet and some of my favorite Indian blogs, and others that are new to me, to see what other ingredients or methods might be used for this 'pickle.' I am putting that word in quotes, as these in no way resemble what we know here in the U.S as pickles. They fall more in the category of chutney, and some blog writers seem to use these words interchangeably for the same recipes. 

Looking through recipes then, I stopped at one that seemed to be very interesting, both for the change of ingredients as well as the method of making the pickle. In the first attempt for this pickle that I made some years ago, the main recipe I used, and made a few alterations to, called for 6 TABLESPOONS of Indian powdered chilis. Yikes! I reduced that to 2 tablespoons, substituting paprika for the remainder, but even so, it was too screaming hot for me to do anything but taste. When I encountered a recipe that sounded like it had promise, it was at the blog site called Hebbar's Kitchen. I used that recipe as a starting point, altering a few things as I went. I added more red chilies, more mustard seeds, more sugar. I added in some asafetida and turmeric. What I liked best was the method, which was simpler, IMHO.

As it turned out, while quite hot, this pickle is not as screaming hot as the last one, and it had flavors I could actually taste. I love it!

Allam Pachadi

Makes about 14 ounces

Allam Pachadi

Small ball of "seedless" tamarind
Boiling water for soaking the tamarind, about 3/4 cup
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/2 tablespoons channa dal
1 tablespoon urad dal
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafetida/hing
8 dried red Kashmiri chilies, broken
15 to 20 curry leaves, depending on size (mine were small)
2.5 ounces / 75 grams ginger root (about 4+ inches worth), peeled, in small chunks
4 cloves garlic, in small chunks
2 - 3 tablespoons jaggery or light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

TEMPERING:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
4 - 6 curry leaves
2 whole dried red Kashmiri chilies

Soak the tamarind in boiling hot water for at least 20 minutes to soften.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet and add in the channa and urad dal with the first half teaspoon mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. Stir constantly until the dals just start to turn golden (not brown) and everything is fragrant. Add in the curry leaves, broken chilies (I did not use the seeds that fell out), the ginger and garlic. Cook this, stirring quickly until the garlic no longer smells raw, just a minute or two, then pour all the contents of the skillet into a blender container. Add in the turmeric powder and salt.

Separately, pass the softened tamarind through a sieve, pressing it through with the back of a spoon to get as much pulp as possible, using some of the soaking liquid to facilitate the process. Keep remaining soaking liquid aside. Add the tamarind pulp tot he blender, and blend the whole batch to a puree. You may need to add some of the reserved tamarind soaking liquid in order to puree the pickle. I had to use the better part of the entire 3/4 cup of liquid to blend the mixture down. 

Separately, heat the tablespoon of oil for tempering (meaning added flavors) and add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and the two dried whole chilies and toast briefly. Pour this over top of the pickle when serving. Or, just stir it into the mixture. Store the pickle in a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate up to 3 weeks. 

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Another thing I am working on for this dinner is dessert. I truly despise deep frying, so I am not making Gulab Jamun, and I do not want to make more paneer, as it has become nearly impossible, what with the ultra-pasteurization that has become so rampant, so I am not making Rasgulla, which now that I went to paste in a link, I realize I never posted my recipe! 

Rasgulla, recipe soon

At one of my Indian dinners I had made Gajar Burfi, a carrot fudge. This may sound strange, carrots in fudge, but after living in Guatemala as a young wife, and finding how many veggies went into desserts, I was no longer fazed when reading about carrots in fudge; it is absolutely delicious! So I thought I would return to that. But then again, I can never leave well enough alone, so I went looking at some Indian sweets recipes I had looked at before but never made. I opted then, to make an assortment of small batches of sweets, so we can all pick and choose. My first new recipe is called Badam Katli (Thin Almond Fudge). Since I used the recipe mostly as I found it, from Swasthi's Recipes, at Indianhealthyrecipes.com, while I will post what I did here, please read her recipe, made the long way.

My one error was cooking the mixture just slightly too long, as it really dried out. Good, in a way, because it is certainly not sticky, but I could absolutely not get the nuts to stay adhered to the top. I used almonds, since it is almond fudge, instead of the pistachios used in Swasthi's recipe.

As most of these sweets are festival or holy day treats, they are often made truly special by gilding with edible silver or gold foil. I happened to have silver foil on hand, so I used it.

Badam Katli / Thin Almond Fudge

My understanding of the word 'katli' is that it means thin, as with rolling out the fudge into a thin layer. The meanings of different words gets mightily confusing at times, and I have seen this recipe, nearly identical, called Badam Burfi or Badam Halwa.

Trying to tease out the meanings and differences, Wikipedia had some things to say that made sense. I know these will not apply in every instance, but in this case, I'm just going with it. Any 'Burfi" (sometimes "Barfi" but I prefer the other spelling for obvious reasons) type fudge candy is made using milk, whether Khoya, plain milk, condensed milk or powdered milk (and sometimes all of them). My Carrot Burfi recipe in its original form, would use khoya or a cooked down milk, which can take literally hours and hours of stirring. Not gonna happen! I used powdered milk and it came together in minutes. Yum!

Halwa, on the other hand does not use milk, but generally uses a sugar syrup to create the mixture, but without milk.

Similarly with any recipe for laddoo/laddu/ladoo, whether deep fried or made quick cooked or simply ingredients mixed together (similarly to Bourbon Balls at Christmas time), are always made into round balls. Laddoo made with cooked semolina is on my list of things to try for this upcoming dinner as well.

On to the recipe. Simple and delicious. I doubled the recipe as it stood on Swasthi's site, but I did not quite double the amount of sugar. They are delightful.

Badam Katli

Badam Katli or Thin Almond Fudge

Made about 20 - 25 pieces

2 cups fine almond meal with no brown skins
1 cup + 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup water
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Almond slices or pistachio pieces for decoration

In a medium skillet over high heat, place the sugar and water and bring to boil. Stir, and once the sugar is all dissolved, add in all the almond meal and cardamom. Lower heat and while mixing, it is best to take the skillet off the heat. Mix well with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until all the almond meal is evenly distributed, with no lumps. Return the pan to the heat and keep it at a simmer, because the mixture, as it boils, sends up geysers akin to watching lava burst from a volcano and with similar effect. You WILL get burned! Stir, quickly and constantly, to keep this from occurring. It will take about 6 to 8 minutes of stirring before the mixture comes together as one mass. Pour out onto a greased plat until it cools slightly.

Do not cool too long or you will not be able to knead the mixture. Knead the mixture until it comes together smoothly (I used a silicone spatula to do this, lifting, turning and forming over and over until smooth - it was just too hot!)), then place the mixture onto a piece of parchment and roll with a rolling pin to flatten. Place sliced almonds or pistachio pieces on top and roll again to make the nuts set evenly with the top of the fudge, which should be no more than 1/4-inch thick. With a sharp knife, trim edges neatly, then cut into about 1-inch wide strips. Separate the strips and cut into small squares or into diamond shapes. Store in a tightly sealed container. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Couple of Chutnies

A couple of months or so ago, I made some Indian chutnies that were new; at least new to me. One, made with tomatoes, was one I had tried in a restaurant, though I was not impressed with its flavor. The other was a new style totally, being a savory mango chutney made with green mangoes. 

Here in the U.S., most grocery stores will not be carrying mangoes as green as what this mango chutney calls for, as the hope would be for the large pit to not yet have become hardened. I had to make do with mangoes that were green enough to be mostly hard, but nowhere near the greenness that would have made this chutney more authentic. Still, it was good enough. Can't complain.

And then the holidays hit.

Idli with Sambar and Chutnies

I completely forgot about these chutnies and they were sort of lost in the shuffle of things during that time of guests and frantic cooking activity. I had some of those two chutnies left, in the fridge, but I had yet to post the recipes here. And then I made Idli, to share with a visiting friend. These Idli, despite this being the very first time that the batter actually fermented and doubled overnight (which had me so ecstatic I had to run and share this event with my husband!) for some unknown reason just did not work well making the Idli. Instead of lovely little puffy pillows, the first batch came out flat and mostly melted into the steaming water! So I went from ecstasy to agony in less than half an hour. Eventually I got some to come out, though not my best efforts, to date!

It was with the Idli that I wanted to serve little bowls of different chutnies, and both these two chutnies were on the plate (shown in the photo above) - just not yet here on my blog. 

The Tomato Chutney, or Tamatar ki Chatni, is pretty simple to make. It has a few ingredients not in everyone's household, so be warned. Particularly now, with access to a great Indian grocery, I have the ability to keep things in stock. Things such as Urad Dal, Chana Dal, curry leaves, asafetida or even tamarind concentrate. I have been using Swad's brand of tamarind concentrate with great success (it can be found on Amazon, here). Tomatoes and shallots, the bulk of the recipe, are available in most any U.S. grocery. The Indian chili powder can be substituted with cayenne, as per your preference. 

Tamatar ki Chatni or Tomato Chutney

Tamatar ki Chatni

Tamatar ki Chatni or Tomato Chutney

(or Tomato Chutney)

Makes about 3 cups

1.5 lb tomatoes (600 grams)
12 oz shallots (342 grams)
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon cooking oil
½ teaspoon chana dal (Desi chickpeas)
½ teaspoon urad dal
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or use cayenne to your heat preference)
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate

TEMPERING:
1 tablespoon cooking oil
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 dried red chili, whole
8 to 10 curry leaves
¼ teaspoon asafetida

Prepare the tomatoes: wash, then cut into chunks. Place them into a bowl and set aside. There should be about 3 cups of chopped tomatoes. Prepare the shallots and garlic: Chop the shallots and garlic and set aside separately from the tomatoes.

Prep vegetables  -  measure the urad and chana dal and fenugreek  -  toast the dals and seeds

Heat a large skillet and add in the first tablespoon of cooking oil. Once hot, add in the chana dal and urad dal and toast, stirring constantly, until deep golden in color, then add in the fenugreek seeds for a few seconds more. Add in all the shallots and garlic and saute until the shallots are tender, but not browned. 

shallots raw then cooked - tomatoes raw then cooked

Tempering Ingredients

Add to the skillet the chopped tomatoes with the Kashmiri chili powder (or a pinch or two of cayenne), the sugar and tamarind concentrate. Lower heat slightly and cover, cooking until the tomatoes have completely broken down, about 12 minutes. Once cooked down, pour the contents of the skillet into a blender container and blend smooth. Pour into a bowl for serving.

Now prepare the "tempering" ingredients (tempering is nothing more than flavoring ingredients added in last, and whole): Heat a small skillet to very hot. Add in the tablespoon of cooking oil, then the mustard seeds. Cook until the seeds begin to pop, then add in the remaining ingredients all at once, stirring quickly, just until fragrant. Pour the tempering ingredients over top of the chutney to serve.

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On to the Mangoes

For the Mango recipe, firstly, the recipe is Tamil and this is technically called a "pickle." I have yet to truly understand what the difference is between a chutney and a pickle, in most cases. This South Indian recipe is termed "pickle" or Thokku.

Green Mango Thokku or Pickle

The fact that my mangoes were green and hard did not mean that it translated to green inside, so my "pickle" is still bright mango colored. It is strange to eat, as it is likely sweeter than it should be, were it truly made with green mangoes, but is not sweetened. I like the flavor. The recipe does have just a little heat. More can be added, to taste, or left out, as needed.

Green Mango Thokku

Green Mango Thokku or Green Mango Pickle

(or Green Mango Pickle)

Makes almost 2 cups

2 green, unripe mangoes
2 - 3 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder, to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon brown sugar 

TEMPERING:
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
6 curry leaves, lightly chopped
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- pinch asafetida

Peel the mangoes and grate finely, then set aside.

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a skillet and cook the mustard and fenugreek until the seeds begin to splutter. Turn out into a mortar and crush the seeds. Set aside. 

In the same skillet, adding more oil if needed, pour in the grated mango, chili powder and salt. Stir in the pounded seeds and the sugar. Stir well and cook for just a few minutes until the mixture loses some moisture and thickens. Turn out to a bowl for serving. 


Tempering: In a separate skillet, heat the 2nd tablespoon of oil and add in the curry leaves, brown mustard seeds and asafetida. Cook, stirring, until the seeds begin to splutter, then pour over the mango mixture and serve. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Continuing on an Indian Theme

I guess there are likely many readers who do not have my interest in Indian cuisine, and if so, I apologize. I, however, believe I could exist happily on Indian foods almost exclusively. And so, I continue happily experimenting almost weekly.

For a long time, I had been reading about idli. Idli are little steamed dumplings that are made with (usually) rice and urad dal / black gram, skinned and split. They can be made including other things, such as millet and likely other things that I am not aware of. Yet. The rice should be a parboiled type of rice, preferably a short grain but other parboiled rice is fine. Additional rice often used is either "poha," a parboiled and flattened rice (there are white and red rice varieties - I have the red rice type, hence the color of my Idli), or leftover cooked rice. The urad dal is often soaked with fenugreek seeds said to aid in the fermentation process.
 

Idli - Coconut Chutney - Idli Podi

The process for making idli is a little complicated, due to the need for a long pre-soak of the dal and rice, then grinding them and mixing together to ferment overnight, then using this resultant batter to make the idli, which requires an idli steamer or at the very least some rounded small bowls and a rack for a skillet large enough to hold them with a lid on. This last is part of why I hadn't made them sooner, and as now I am the proud owner of an Idli steamer - problem solved. 

I was highly curious about these little dumplings, and intrigued about the flavor profile. Intrigued also about the fermentation process (which, to date, has not actually happened for me - more about that later). Curious about whether they would actually come out? And even with all that, I went years and years with idli on my "to-do" list, yet only first tried them last year. I was also intrigued by the fact that these are considered breakfast food in south India.

When I first tried to make idli, and after having read about them extensively, I set about the soaking, the grinding, and then waiting for the fermentation, which supposedly has the batter growing to about twice its volume. This last did not happen. In this case, I have read, one simply adds baking soda to the mixture before pouring into the steamer molds. But, why didn't my batter ferment? I thought maybe I needed better rice? Maybe I needed fresher dal? So I ordered both, and set about trying again. Still no fermentation. It has been very cold up here in the north, and cold can certainly inhibit or significantly slow fermentation. We are planning to move out to Arizona soon, and I will have to try once out there. It will certainly be warmer!

I had made Sambar (a soup-like dish consisting of a pureed lentil base with tamarind and vegetables and also a breakfast dish) previously, to see what those flavors were all about, and absolutely love, love, loved it! Once I made the idli, despite the lack of fermentation, I truly loved eating them with the sambar. And, if you have batter left over, you can add a little water to it and use it to make Dosa, which are large crepes that are cooked golden on one side. These crepes can be eaten with the same things that idli are eaten with: any chutney of choice, but commonly coconut chutney, idli podi, sambar.

Often one sees photos online and in blogs of lovely white idli. Mine have so far been this light tan color, likely because of using red poha rice and possibly a higher than usual amount of fenugreek seeds. This in no way changes the flavor, though I might try making them with leftover rice some time, just to see how they come out. 

Idli

Idli

Makes about 24 small (3-inch) dumplings 

½ cup Poha rice or leftover cooked rice
1 cup parboiled rice or idli rice
⅓ cup urad dal
1½ teaspoons fenugreek seed
¾ teaspoon salt
(½ teaspoon baking soda, if needed)

Early in the day: In one mixing bowl, place the Poha or leftover cooked rice and short grain rice and cover with water by at least an inch. In a separate bowl, place the urad dal and fenugreek seeds and cover these with water by at least an inch. Set the bowls aside for at least 5 hours.

Drain the rice, reserving the water aside. Place rice into a blender container and blend, adding only the minimum amount of the soaking liquid needed to make a cake-batter-like texture. Pour this batter into a large bowl and set aside.

Drain the urad dal mixture, again reserving the soaking water. Place the soaked dal into the blender container and blend, only adding in enough of the soaking water needed to make a cake-batter-like consistency, then pour this into the bowl with the rice batter. Cover the bowl lightly and let set on the counter to ferment overnight (to date, my batter has not risen), or at least 8 hours.

If the batter has not risen, add in ½ teaspoon baking soda before making the idli. Stir in the salt, mixing well to combine.

Grease 3½-inch idli molds lightly. Spoon in the mixture just barely filling the molds. Stack the molds and set the rack into a pot large enough to accommodate the idli rack with simmering water that does not reach to the bottom of the lowest idli. Cover and steam the idli for about 8 or 9 minutes, or until they are puffed and spring back when pressed. Or, check as for cake, inserting a toothpick in the center; they are done when the toothpick comes out clean.

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In all the restaurants I have been to try Indian foods, coconut chutney is always there. To date, it has not impressed me at all. Still, it is so often mentioned as an accompaniment to idli, dosa and so many other Indian foods, I had to try it. Still, fresh coconut is not always available this far north, so I did use desiccated coconut shreds. Coconut is called Nariyal, in Hindi and has lots of other names in the many other Indian languages and dialects. I made my own version of coconut chutney and it tastes good. Not great, at least to me - though I truly love coconut. I have been eating it, and enjoying it with idli, dosa and with another pancake-like bread called Adai, recipe coming soon. It is very nice. But I just can't get truly excited with it. It has been the same, no matter where I have tasted it, so it isn't just my recipe. I thought, all things considered, that my recipe was really good, in comparison to some I have tasted in restaurants.

My coconut chutney was green-tinged, due to using a fresh green jalapeno pepper in the mixture. This can be avoided by adding a thinner skinned hot pepper such as Thai chilies or Serrano peppers.  

Coconut Chutney - Nariyal Chatni

Coconut Chutney or Nariyal Chatni

Made 1¾ cups

1 cup desiccated, unsweetened coconut
½ cup water for soaking
1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 teaspoons channa dal / desi chickpeas
2 thin slices fresh ginger
1 green hot chili, more optional
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon tamarind paste

TEMPERING:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 dried red chili
8 - 10 curry leaves, lightly chopped
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 pinch asafetida

Soak the desiccated coconut in the half-cup of water in the blender container while assembling the remaining ingredients. Heat a skillet to medium and add the 1 teaspoon coconut oil, then the channa dal. Stir constantly until the dal has turned a deep golden color. Add this to the blender container, along with the slices of ginger, the green chili (remove seeds for less heat), salt and tamarind paste. Blend finely and check for liquid. It should be slightly runny. Pour into a bowl. (For a whiter chutney, skip the green chili and add another 1 or two red chilies to the tempering mixture below.)

"Tempering" is nothing more than frying together some ingredients that will add lots of flavor, then pouring them into the dish. Heat a skillet and add in the tablespoon of coconut oil. Add in the asafetida, dried chili, curry leaves and mustard seeds and cook, stirring until the seeds begin to pop, then immediately pour this over the chutney in the bowl and serve.

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Another accompaniment for idli is called Idli Podi ("podi" meaning powder, as far as I can ascertain). It is also called Milagai Podi ("milagai" means red chilies), if adding plenty of red chilies to the mixture. This powdered spice is used with oil. dipping the idli or other kind of bread-like item into the oil, then the powder and this acts as a replacement for a liquid chutney, especially if using these for lunch boxes. Or the powder can be used alongside other chutneys and condiments. It is quite delicious and really jazzes up the idli dumplings. 

Making this powder requires toasting a lot of different seeds, lentils and other items to a nice toasty color. The amount of chili to add is completely up to the individual making it.  

Idli Podi or Milagai Podi

Makes about ¾ cup

Idli Podi or Milagai Podi

¼ cup urad/urid dal
¼ cup channa dal/bengal gram
¼ cup dried, unsweetened coconut
¼ cup packed curry leaves
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds  
2 - 10 dried red chilies, to taste
½ teaspoon asafetida
1 - 1½ teaspoons salt, to taste
2 teaspoons palm sugar, optional

Heat a dry skillet over medium to medium low heat. Add in the urad dal and roast them, stirring constantly, until they are a deep golden color. Turn out onto a plate to cool. Repeat this same process with the channa dal and roast until golden brown; this may take a little longer. Turn out to cool with the urad dal. Repeat the process with the coconut, stirring constantly till golden, not burnt (this will happen quickly - be alert), then turn out to cool. Add the curry leaves and stir until they are crisp, then turn out to cool. Add in the sesame seeds and cook, stirring until lightly golden. Add to the plate of cooling spices. Repeat with the coriander seeds until very fragrant and add these to the plate to cool. If you want the extra heat, keep the seeds with the chili peppers, otherwise, crack them open and discard seeds. Toast the chilies until they start to change color, then turn out to cool. Briefly toast the asafetida until it smells of onions, then add to the plate.

Place the spices and dals by batches, as needed, into a spice grinder and grind to preference, from quite coarse to very fine, then add in the salt and sugar and mix well. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Wonderful Chutney Recipe

I am not Indian, nor do I have any link to India in any way. But, I just love Indian food. I continually try out new recipes, and search and research to find what is common to an area. India is a large country with wide ranging climates, so foods eaten up in the northeast of the country will reflect the cooler climates, particularly in the foothills of the Himalayas, whereas southern climes feature fish, coconut and lots of chilies. 

Palak Paneer

When Indian food began creeping into America, the most popular type of food featured was in Mughlai style from the northern areas of India. This style was born out of the Mughul reign and was prominent in the royal households. Mughlai cuisine features lots of bread (roti) varieties, such as naan, parathas, and chapatis, among others, and many rice based dishes such as pulao or biryani. Sauces made rich with spices and nuts make many curries a delight to eat, vegetable dishes and things like Palak Paneer (creamed spinach with paneer cheese) are common (and found on nearly every Indian buffet I have frequented) and Garam Masala is the main spice mixture. Saffron is used widely, Ghee is used very often, dried fruits are used in many dishes. Amchur (dried green mango powder) is used as a souring agent.

Chapati - Paratha - Naan

Back some 15 or 20 years, few in the US seemed to know much about anything so exotic as Garam Masala, and while I had seen and tasted paratha and chapati, it was naan breads that seemed to take everyone's taste buds by storm. Nowadays, most groceries carry Garam Masala in little spice jars as a matter of course, and naan breads are available fresh or frozen. We've advanced far beyond Chicken Tikka. All those years ago, I lamented the lack of ingredients to make some of the recipes I wanted to try, and still, at that time, north Indian cuisine seemed to be all-encompassing. Little did I know!

It wasn't until about 10 years ago that my husband and I went to an Indian restaurant while on vacation, and as I perused the menu, saw some things I was unfamiliar with. Our server asked what kinds of things I liked to eat, and when I mentioned some that were particular favorites, he asked if I had never tried southern Indian cuisine. I asked what that meant - what is different? He laughed and said just about everything! I asked him to suggest something for my meal then, and he did, and it was delightful, though at this remove I cannot recall what it was. But that was the very first time I encountered an indication that all Indian food was not that northern Indian Mughlai style. It was still many years until I found enough of recipes and information to educate myself a bit more on southern Indian cooking.

Meanwhile, I have learned that southern Indians prefer lots of lentils and dal dishes, Idli and crepe-like dosas and appam (instead of parathas, chapatis or naan). Lentils, dal or other soupy style dishes are most common, and are also breakfast fare. Many dishes are made in a very thin soup style, rather than the richer, thickened sauces of the north. Other oils are used for cooking, and mustard oil is common. Tamarind is a common souring ingredient, and curry leaves are often used in dishes.

Last year, I read Padma Lakshmi's book, "Love, Loss and What We Ate." I have

My S.E. Indian Green Mango Chutney

seen Padma Lakshmi on some travel shows and always thought her exotically lovely. I never watched Top Chef, as we never got that channel, but that kind of show does not at all interest me. Knowing Padma was Indian, though not anything more than that, I delved into her book with interest, as I do with any reading material on India. Happily, throughout the book, she talks of her childhood and the things she ate, growing up in Tamil Nadul, furnishing recipes for many of the dishes she describes. I busily scribbled down the recipes that called my attention. One that I made was something she called Kanchanomer Tok. If I misspelled what she wrote, I apologize. It is a mango chutney or "pickle," which appears to generally not be cooked, but packed into a jar and put in the sun, normally. Padma's recipe did cook the chutney, briefly.

I somehow still had a half jar of that chutney left tucked in a back corner of my fridge, when I made an Indian meal for the three fishing buddies that came to stay at our place last week. One of the guys was most particularly taken with that chutney (his palate may be more Indian-aware, as he has Indian neighbors, and opportunities to sample!), and when the meal was done, he kept serving tiny portions more of that chutney and eating it with my naan bread. I finally told him to please just finish it off, as it was really time to start a new batch. He gladly complied! So now, with no chutney left, I felt it was time to look over the recipe and try it again. 

Mango Chutney British Style

One thing about this particular chutney / pickle, is that it is supposed to be made with green mangoes; actual green mangoes, so green that the fruit is crisp and the skin is often left on the fruit when making this chutney. In the US, short of living somewhere where mangoes grow, getting mangoes that green is not really an option. I look for the hardest mangoes available in the stores, but they are rarely completely green in color, being blushed with red already. Still, making do with what I have, the past year's attempt was very good, though very different than the northern Indian / British style Mango Chutney I had made in past. 

Panch Phoron Spices

For starters, southern India uses a spice combination called Panch Phoron, sometimes called Bengali 5-Spice. The seeds are all left whole, instead of ground, as with Garam Masala. Where Garam Masala has "sweet" spices mixed in, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves, Panch Phoron does not, instead using brown mustard seed, cumin seed, fennel seed, nigella seed and fenugreek seed. This makes for a completely different and more pungent flavor profile. 

When researching Kanchanomer Tok, I found almost no mention of this mixture coming from anywhere other than Bengal, and the spelling has so many variations it is hard to keep track. Kanchan Aamer Tok. Kancha Aam er Tok. Kancha Amer Tok. Kanchan Amer Tawk. You get the picture! But apparently, it is made in other areas than Bengal, since Padma is from Tamil Nadu. In looking at the recipe, I chose to do a couple of things differently.

S.E. Indian Green Mango Chutney

Since the mangoes I was using are far from the very green ones called for, I added in both lime zest and juice to add a sour note. I added in some ginger, though I saw it used in only one recipe I saw online. Some recipes I read used only brown mustard seeds, and some used Panch Phoron, as did Padma. Some added in more chili, some less. This time, since this chutney will not quite do for my husband's palate anyway, I added far more chili to the mixture. This is, of course, always optional. Some people used hing / asafetida, and others do not. Sugar is used, though usually jaggery. Brown sugar may be substituted. Though sugar is used, it is still not of the type of sweetness as of my former Mango Chutney. Some people add in a lot of water, making it a soupy mixture, and others use very little, if any. So, finally, here is what I did:

S.E. Indian Green Mango Chutney

S.E. Indian Green Mango Chutney

Makes about 2 - 2½ cups 

1¾ pounds green mangoes
1-inch piece fresh ginger, cut in tiny julienne
1 lime, zest and juice
¼ teaspoon black salt (or regular salt)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon hot pure chili powder, or cayenne
1 tablespoon mustard oil, or other cooking oil
1½ teaspoons Panch Phoron
1 dried red chili pepper, whole
½ teaspoon asafetida/hing, optional
¾ cup jaggery, palm sugar, or brown sugar

Wash and peel the mangoes. Slice off the flesh and cut into long strips, or into small cubes, as desired. Place in a bowl along with the ginger, lime zest and lime juice. Sprinkle on the black salt, turmeric powder and hot chili powder (NOT the chili powder used for making chili con carne). Stir and set aside while preparing the remainder of the recipe. 

Fruit - Spices - Mixing

In a skillet over medium high heat, add the mustard oil. Allow the mustard oil to come to smoke point before adding the Panch Phoron. If using regular cooking oil, do not bring it to smoking point, but add in the Panch Phoron as soon as the oil is hot. Allow the seeds to splutter and crackle. A lid may be needed to prevent them popping out all over the stove. Once the crackling has subsided, add in the asafetida and the whole red dried chili pepper and stir briefly. Pour in the mango mixture and stir. Add the palm sugar and stirring constantly, let the mixture boil and cook quickly for 5 to 7 minutes. The mango will have softened slightly and the sugar will be completely dissolved.

Pour the mixture into a very clean glass jar and seal. Once cooled, store in the fridge. My first batch lasted perfectly for about a year, though this is probably not recommended. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.