Chettinad Thakkali Thuvayal

Ingredients:
Ripe tomatoes – 5 (diced)
Big onion – 2 (sliced lengthwise)
:- onions need not be sliced finely since we are going to grind them.
Curry leaves – a handful
Dry red chilies – 6-8 (depending on your spice level)
Oil – half cup

Method of preparation:
1.Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok/kadai.
2.Add the curry leaves and red chilies. Saute for a few seconds.
3.Add the onions and saute till they turn light brown.
4.ow add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are semi cooked. Remove from fire and let the mixture cool.
5.Now grind the mixture in the big jar of the mixer grinder to a smooth paste.
:- need not add any water since the tomatoes will release enough water while grinding.
6.Heat remaining oil in a kadai.
7.Pour in the ground mixture.
8.Pour a half a cup of water into the mixie jar and pour the chutney stuck to the jar into the kadai.
9.Cook covered till oil separates.
:- the thuvayal will splash while cooking, so take care.
10.Serve hot with idli, dosa, masala paniyaram or rice.

Happy Cooking :)

Peanut/groundnut Chutney

Ingredients:

Peanuts/groundnuts - 1 cup
Big onion - 1 (diced)
Red chillies - 3
Garlic cloves - 3 (optional)
Tamarind - 1 inch piece
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

For tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2 (broken down)
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
2 tsp

Method of Preparation:

1) Dry roast the peanuts. Remove the skin by rubbing on them on a plate and keep the cleaned peanuts aside.
2) Heat oil in a wok. Add the red chillies.
3) When the red chillies start changing color add the onions and garlic followed by tamarind broken into smaller pieces and fry till they turn golden brown. Remove from heat and let it cool.
4) Once everything is cold grind the onion mixture along with the peanuts and salt to a fine paste adding enough water.
5) Heat oil in a wok again and add the mustard seeds.
6) Once the mustards splutter add the urad dhal, red chillies and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.
7) Pour this over the ground paste and check for salt.
8) Serve with Idli, dosa and if you are anything like me, you would enjoy this heavenly flavored chutney with some hot rice and pappad.

Variation: Use one tomato instead of onion. Saute the tomatoes separately for a few seconds and grind along with the other ing.
Variation: Use onion and tomato.
Variation: Omit both onion and tomato.
Variation: Omit garlic with any other combination.
Variation: Use green chillies instead of red chillies in the grinding ingredients.

Happy cooking :)

Coconut chutney

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Pottu kadalai/roasted gram - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2 small
Tamarind - one tamarind seed size
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Garlic - 4 cloves
Corriander leaves - a hand ful
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Split urad dhal - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method of preparation:
1. Grind in a mixer grinder coconut, roasted gram, green chillies, corriander, ginger, garlic, tamarind and salt to taste. First dry grind. Once they are powdered, add some water and grind them to a paste. Remove to a serving bowl and add enough water to make it chutney consistency.
2. Heat oil in a small wok.
3. Add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the urad dhal, curry leaves, red chillies and when they change color pour on to the ground chutney.
:- Serve with idli, dosa, pongal
Happy cooking :)

Onion Chutney

Ingredients:
Big onion – 1
Garlic cloves – 4 (optional)
Tamarind – ½ inch piece
(Or)
Tomato – 1 small
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tsp

Method of Preparation:
• Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok and sauté the red chillies, followed by diced onion, tomatoes (or tamarind), garlic and half the curry leaves.
• Cool and grind them with salt to taste.
• Heat 1 tsp oil and season with mustard seeds and the remaining curry leaves.
• Add this to the ground chutney.
• Serve with idli or dosa.

Gongura Thokku

Ingredients:
Gongura leaves – 1 bunch
Tamarind – 1 lemon size
Jaggery – small piece
Garlic – 6 cloves
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1/2 cup

Dry roast and pound:
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Corriander seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp
Urad dhal - 1 tbsp
Channa dhal - 1 tbsp
Black sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies – 15


Method of Preparation:

• Pick out leaves alone from the gongura plants, wash and spread them in a cloth for about 1 hour to dry.
• Dry roast mustard seeds, cumin, coriander seeds and sesame seeds individually.
• Then roast the dhals together with the dry red chilies. Spread in a plate and pound everything together with the roasted seeds and keep aside.
• Soak the tamarind in half a cup of water and squeeze out the pulp and keep aside.
• Now heat a wok and saute the gongura leaves without any oil until they change color. Let it cool and grind to a course paste and keep aside.
• Heat half a cup oil in a wok. Add a tsp of mustard seeds.
• Once it splutters add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Then add the tamarind pulp and saute till all the water evaporates.
• To this add the gongura paste followed by the pound dhal mixture.
• Add jaggery, salt to taste, asafoetida and turmeric and saute till the moisture evaporates and oil starts leaving the sides of the mixture.
• Check for salt and remove from fire.
• Cool the thokku and save in a moisture-free air-tight container.

Happy cooking :)

Green Chillies and Coriander Thokku

Coriander leaves – 2 bunches
Green chillies – 15
Tamarind – small lemon size
Garlic – 6 cloves
Mustard – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp

Dry roast and pound:
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Asafetida – 1 tsp

Method of Preparation:
• Clean, wash and drain the coriander leaves.
• Spread the leaves in a cloth until the water dries out.
• Heat oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds.
• Once the mustard splutters add the green chillies, garlic and tamarind, and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Now add the coriander leaves and sauté for 2 minutes.
• Remove from fire and cool.
• Now grind the mixture to a fine paste.
• Add the pound mixture to this chutney and mix thoroughly.
• Store in an airtight container and use as required.

Garlic Thokku

Ingredients:
Garlic – ½ kg
Lemon juice – 1 cup
Chilly powder – ½ cup
Fenugreek powder – 1 tsp
(Fenugreek should be dry roasted and pounded)
Asafetida powder – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp

Method of Preparation:
• Peel garlic.
• Heat oil in a wok and add the mustard seeds.
• Once the mustard splutters add the garlic and sauté on low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Now add the lemon juice, chilly powder, asafetida, fenugreek powder and salt to taste.
• Let the mixture boil until the gravy thickens.
• When oil starts floating on top remove from fire and cool.
• Store in an airtight container and use as required.

Chow Chow Thokku

Ingredients:
Chow chow – 1
Green chillies – 4-5
Tamarind – 2” piece
Grated coconut – ¼ cup
Garlic – 4 cloves
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tsp

Method of Preparation:
• Wash, chop and deseed the chow chow to 1 inch pieces without removing the skin.
• Slit the green chillies.
• Heat oil in a wok.
• Add all the ingredients except salt and sauté for just 5 minutes.
• Let it cool and pound coarsely in a blender with salt to taste.
:- Serve with plain rice, curd rice or as an accompaniment.