Kobbari – Kandi Pachadi (Coconut-Toor Dal Chutney)

I know I’ve been away for a while from my blog. Life becomes hectic sometimes. But I haven’t forgotten my blog and I haven’t stopped cooking too. Whenever I get a feeling to update, some other works come in the way and the posting takes the back seat. That’s why DH always tells me to make a time table of things to do and follow it. Of course, I made such time tables many times but never followed them. I hope to keep my blog updated frequently from now on.

Anyways, let's come back to today’s recipe. As I always tell you, we are great fans of all kinds of chutneys and pickles. So I try different kinds of chutneys at home that go well with rice as well as idlis/upma etc. Today’s recipe is a yummy combo of coconut and pigeon peas (toor dal). It’s a lovely chutney recipe that tastes so great.

Ingredients: 1 cup Pigeon Peas (కందిపప్పు, Toor Dal) ½ cup Coconut Pieces (fresh) (approx. half a shell of coconut) 10 Dry Red Chilies 2-3 cloves of Garlic 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Salt Preparation: Dry roast toor dal + red chilies separately and transfer to a plate to cool. Add toor dal + red chilies + garlic + cumin seeds + salt to a blender jar and grind into a paste by adding little amount of water. Then add coconut pieces + tamarind pulp and run the blender again until the contents grind into a paste. That’s all! Great tasting pachadi is ready to be savored. Transfer the pachadi to a serving bowl and enjoy with steaming hot rice and little ghee. Yummy!! If desired, we can add seasoning to the above pachadi before serving.

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Celery-Carrot-Tomato Chutney (Oil Free)

DH and I love chutneys so much that we won’t finish our lunch/dinner without it. You will find a lot of chutney recipes on my blog. These days DH is combining different vegetables to make chutneys. These are not only healthy but also super yummy. 

Here is one such chutney he recently prepared:

Ingredients: 1 full stalk of Celery, chopped 5 medium sized Tomatoes ¾ cup chopped Carrots 1 cup Spinach stems (without leaves) ¼ cup diced Onion 6 Green Chilies 1 or 2 cloves of Garlic ½ tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Coriander Seeds (ధనియాలు, Dhaniya) ½ tsp Bengal Gram (పచ్చిశనగపప్పు, Chana Dal) ½ tsp Black Gram (మినప్పప్పు, Urad Dal) ½ tsp Lemon Juice (Optional) A pinch of Turmeric Powder Salt Preparation: Add all ingredients to a pan and sauté well until the vegetables become little soft. Turn off the flame and allow the contents to cool down for some time. Later, grind the contents into a smooth paste by adding lemon juice + salt + very little water.  Don’t add too much water as the chutney tends to become watery. That’s all! Transfer the chutney to a serving bowl and enjoy with steaming hot rice or chapathis. This chutney stays good for a week if placed in a refrigerator.

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Almond Avakaya | Badam Avakaya

Great Looking and Great Tasting Almond Avakaya

Avakaya is so popular in Andhra Pradesh. It is a delicious and spicy pickle which is a combination of different spices with raw mango as the primary ingredient. One can say that we have a deep attachment with this pickle as it exists in every Telugu house. Now-a-days this avakaya can be found in many stores, but nothing can beat the taste of homemade avakaya. 

Even though we usually use mango as the main ingredient for this avakaya, we also prepare it using different vegetables such as tomato, cucumber, drumstick and many more. Today’s recipe is from my dear friend Uma (yes, my namesake), who made this recipe with green almonds and give it to us. It tasted super delicious and has similar taste to mango avakaya. So I immediately asked her if I can post the recipe on my blog. She is so nice to share the recipe with us. Thank you Uma!

What are green almonds?

Green almonds are nothing but immature almonds. All almonds look green before they were fully grown. These green almonds are soft inside and fuzzy outside. But these almonds have very short life span so they are considered to be a rare delicacy. Green almonds are popular in the Mediterranean and Middle East. (Source: GreenAlmonds.com)

Here is the recipe as told my friend:

Ingredients: 6 cups Almonds, chopped into small pieces 1 cup Red Chili Powder ½ tsp Fenugreek Powder (మెంతి పొడి, Methi Powder) ½ tsp Asafetida (ఇంగువ, Hing) ½ cup Oil (or more) 1 cup Salt Preparation: Wash the almonds and wipe clean with a paper towel. Make sure there is no wetness on the almonds. Chop them into small pieces and keep aside. In a big bowl, combine chili powder + methi powder + salt + hing and mix well with a big spatula. Now add the chopped pieces to the above mixture and mix well either by hand or spatula. Pour oil on top and allow it to seep through the contents. Cover the bowl and allow it to stand for 1 or 2 days so that the almond pieces absorb the essence. Then transfer the prepared almond avakaya to an air-tight container or ceramic jar to store for a long time without losing fresheness. Enjoy this great tasting and aromatic almond avakaya with steaming hot rice and ghee. Yummy!!

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Broccolette Chutney

Yummy Broccolette Chutney

Have you ever seen the long skinny vegetable that looks similar to Broccoli but has smaller florets and long stalks? I found this interesting vegetable when I recently visited the grocery store. It immediately caught my eye as it looked fresh and cute. Later I searched web to find out what it is and came to know that this is nothing but a cross between Broccoli and Chinese kale. 

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Bottle Gourd Skin Pachadi

Summer is here and kids have started their vacation. So life has become so hectic by hindering me from taking care of my blog. I haven’t posted any recipe last week, so decided to post some recipe this week. Today’s recipe is from my hubby. He made this pachadi to go with rice and it tasted so delicious. 

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Yummy Vegetable Pachadi

This is another delicious pachadi prepared by DH. He made so many yummy chutneys before and I posted most of them previously.

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Spinach Chutney (Palakoora Pachadi)

Ingredients:

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Almond Chutney

This is a delicious chutney prepared using whole almonds and tastes just like Peanut Chutney. Whenever I have these almonds at home, I prepare this yummy chutney to go with idlis or dosas.

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Beerakaaya Thokku Pachadi (Chutney with Ridge Gourd Peels)

This is another yummy pachadi prepared by DH recently. It tasted so good and is so easy to prepare with simple ingredients. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Ridge Gourd Peels (బీరకాయ తొక్కు)
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 6 or 7 (or as desired) Green Chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp Black Gram (మినప్పప్పు, Urad Dal)
• 2 tbsp Coriander Seeds (ధనియాలు)
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• A pinch of Asafetida (ఇంగువ, Hing)
• 1 tsp Oil
• Salt

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + black gram + coriander seeds and sauté well. 

Then add ridge gourd peels + tomatoes + onions + green chilies, mix well and sauté. 

Add tamarind pulp + turmeric powder + asafetida and stir well. 

Keep the contents on medium flame for some time just until the veggies become little soft and then turn the flame off.

Allow the contents to cool down for some time and grind into a smooth paste adding salt and water (very little) as needed. 

Enjoy this great smelling and great tasting pachadi with rice as well as chapathis.

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Urad Dal Chutney (Minapa Pachadi)

This is another simple but great tasting pachadi recipe that we usually make at home. 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Urad Dal (మినప్పప్పు)
• 5 or 6 dry Red Chilies (can be adjusted more or less) (can be replaced with green chilies)
• A pinch of Asafetida (Hing, ఇంగువ)
• 1 tsp Oil
• A small piece of Tamarind (about the size of a Cranberry)
• Salt

For Tempering: (Optional)

• 1 tsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• Few Curry Leaves

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add urad dal. Sauté until the dal turns light brown in color. Then transfer to a plate to cool. 

In the same pan add red chilies and sauté well. Keep aside.

When the dal becomes cool, combine it with red chilies + tamarind + asafetida + salt and grind into a soft paste by adding little amount of water. 

Transfer to a bowl and keep aside.

Now it’s time to do tempering. Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop add cumin seeds + curry leaves and sauté well.

Pour this on top of the prepared pachadi, stir well and enjoy the great tasting pachadi with steaming hot rice and a dollop of ghee. Yummy!!

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Vegetable Medley (A Chutney Recipe)

This is a delicious and spicy combination of many healthy vegetables, prepared by DH. It tasted so delicious and was so aromatic. While I was writing down the ingredients list I noticed that most of the vegetable names started with letter “C”.

Alright, now coming to recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 Capsicum, chopped (Green Bell Pepper)
• 2 stalks of Celery, chopped
• ¼ cup Cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 small Carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium Tomato, chopped
• 10 Green Chilies, chopped
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• A pinch of Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• Salt
• 2 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + all the ingredients except salt and allow cooking for some time.

When the vegetables become tender, turn the flame off and allow the contents cool down for some time.

Then add them to a blender, add salt and grind until smooth.

That’s all!! Great tasting chutney is ready! This chutney goes well with either rice or chapathis. 

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Roasted Plantain Pickle

కాల్చిన అరటికాయ పచ్చడి 

Just like Roasted Cucumber Pickle which I posted previously, this is also very aromatic and delicious pickle. No one can resist the smell and taste of this yummy pickle.

Ingredients:

• 1 Plantain (అరటికాయ)
• A bunch of Cilantro (కొత్తిమీర)
• 3 or 4 Green Chilies
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of Asafetida (ఇంగువ, Hing)
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt

Preparation:

Wash plantain and wipe dry. Roast this on the stove directly on low flame until the skin becomes roasted just like in the picture below. Keep aside to cool.

When plantain becomes cold, peel the skin off and chop it into small pieces.

Heat oil in a pan and roast green chilies + coriander seeds + cumin seeds well. Then add these to a blender along with asafetida + cilantro and grind well.

To the above mixture add the plantain pieces and grind into a smooth paste. Add little amount of water as needed. Add salt as required.

Enjoy this delicious pickle with rice as well as chapathis. It smells great too!! 

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Roasted Cucumber Pickle

దోసకాయ కాల్చిన పచ్చడి

This is a delicious, aromatic pickle made by roasting cucumber on direct flame. Yellow cucumber is used for this pickle. But I tried this pickle with green cucumber which turned out equally delicious.

Ingredients:
• 1 Cucumber (I used green variety)
• 4 or 5 Green Chilies
• A small amount of Tamarind
• Salt as required

For Seasoning/Tempering:
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• ¼ tsp Bengal Gram (Pachi Senaga Pappu, Chana Dal)
• ¼ tsp Black Gram (Minappappu, Urad Dal)
• Few Curry Leaves
• A pinch of Asafetida (Inguva, Hing)
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Wash cucumber and wipe dry. Roast this on the stove directly on low flame until the skin becomes roasted just like in the picture below. Keep aside to cool.

When cucumber becomes cold, peel the skin off and chop it into small pieces.

Heat a little amount of oil in a pan and roast green chilies well. Then add these chilies to a blender along with tamarind and grind well.

To the above mixture add the cucumber pieces and grind into a smooth paste. No need to add water as cucumber already contains water in them. Add salt as needed.

Finally it’s time for seasoning. Heat the rest of the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds + dals + curry leaves + asafetida and sauté well. Pour this seasoning on top of the prepared pickle and mix well.

Enjoy this delicious pickle with rice as well as chapathis.

On a different note, I would like to thank dear Shobha, a sweet blogger who passed me some wonderful awards. I will make a separate post about it soon as I have to select 15 bloggers according to the award rules, which is a bigger task for me :) Thank you Shobha for sharing these awesome awards with me.

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Mung Bean Sprouts Chutney

This is healthy chutney good for the stomach as well as taste buds. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Mung Bean Sprouts
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tbsp Black Gram (Minapappu, Urad Dal)
• ½ tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Menthulu, Methi)
• 1 tbsp red Chili powder
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• A pinch of Turmeric powder
• Few Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp Oil

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds + urad dal and sauté until dal changes color. Then add coriander seeds + fenugreek seeds and sauté well. Transfer the contents to a plate to cool.

In the same pan add mung bean sprouts + curry leaves + turmeric powder and sauté well for some time until the sprouts appear to be cooked.

Allow the contents to cool for a while. Then add the urad dal mixture to the blender first and run until it becomes powdery. 

To this, add mung bean sprout mixture + salt + red chili powder + lemon juice and blend until smooth. Add water only if needed, but very little. 

Transfer the chutney to a serving bowl and serve with rice or chapathis. Yum!!

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Carrot – Radish Chutney

A delicious chutney with a perfect combo of carrots and radishes and other simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup White Radish, skin peeled and cubed (red radishes also can be used)
• ½ cup Carrots, skin peeled and cubed
• ¼ cup Onions, chopped
• 10 dry Red Chilies
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• Salt
• 2 tbsp Oil
• Few Curry leaves (optional)

Preparation:

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and sauté cumin seeds + red chilies + coriander seeds + fenugreek seeds until they turn golden brown in color. Remove from oil and transfer to a plate to cool.

Add rest of the oil and add radish + carrots + onions + curry leaves and sauté well again (at least for 5-6 minutes) until the curries change color. Remove them from the pan and transfer to a different plate to cool.

Later grind them all into a fine paste by adding little water. That's it! Great tasting chutney is ready!!

Enjoy this yummy chutney with rice/chapathis.

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Onion Chutney – Another version

 

This is a slightly different version made by dear hubby which tasted so good. He called it as the modern version of onion chutney.

I previously posted two other versions of onion chutney. You can find them at the following links.

Onion Chutney – Zero Oil (Erra Kaaram)

Tomato Onion Chutney (Oil Free)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized Onion, chopped
• 1 cup fresh Coconut pieces
• • 1 big Tomato, chopped
• 1 stalk of Celery, chopped (makes ½ cup)
• 12 dry Red Chilies
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• ½ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Pour oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds and all the other ingredients except chilies + coriander seeds + salt and sauté well.

Keep stirring until the veggies become little brownish on sides (approx. 5 minutes). Keep the flame on med. low setting.

Finally add red chilies + coriander seeds and sauté well for a minute. Then turn the flame off and allow the contents to cool for some time.

Then grind the contents into a smooth paste by adding a very little water and salt.

That’s it! Great tasting onion chutney is ready to be eaten!!

This chutney goes will with dosas as well as rice.

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Mango – Ginger pickle

Adding ginger to raw mango gives it a distinct flavor and taste. This pickle is one of the famous pickles that are made with raw mango.

Ingredients:

• 1 Green Mango
• A small piece of ginger
• Handful of cilantro
• 5 or 6 Green chilies
• A pinch of Turmeric
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt

For Seasoning/Tempering:

• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of Asafetida
• Few Curry Leaves

Method:

Wash the mango well and pat dry with a paper towel to remove wetness. Then peel and chop into cubes. Keep aside.

Peel and chop ginger into small pieces.

Heat oil in a pan and fry ginger and green chilies for about 5 minutes. Add turmeric and mix well. Transfer to a plate and allow them to cool down.

Then add these fried ginger + green chilies to a blender. Also add mango pieces + cilantro + salt and grind the entire mixture into a smooth paste. No need to add water, but if the chutney isn’t grinding well, then add very little water otherwise the chutney shall become too watery. I added little too much water and the chutney became little thin, though it tasted super delicious. So be careful while adding water.

Now prepare the seasoning by heating oil in a pan and adding all the ingredients under “For Seasoning/Tempering” in the same order. Pour this on top of the chutney and mix well.

Enjoy the delicious flavorful chutney with steaming hot rice. Yummy!!

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Dondakaaya Pachadi (Ivy Gourd Chutney)

Dondakaaya/Tindora/Ivy Gourd/Gentlemen’s Toes/Kovai is a tropical vine grown for its small edible fruits. They may be eaten immature and green, or mature and deep red. The young shoots and leaves may also be eaten as greens. These are extensively used in Indian cooking.

I usually prepare a simple stir fry or stuffed curry or pachadi with these veggies. It’s a family favorite. Today I am posting a recipe for Dondakaaya Pachadi on a reader’s request. This is a very simple way to prepare pachadi and it equally tastes so delicious with rice.

Ingredients:

• Chopped Ivy Gourd – 1 cup
• Green Chilies – 5 or 6 or as required
• Tamarind – a small ball sized
• Garlic Flakes – 2 or 3 (Optional) (I didn’t use these)
• Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in some water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. After a minute add ivy gourd pieces + green chilies + garlic (if using) and sauté well until the ivy gourd appears slightly cooked. No need to cook ivy gourd until soft, half cooking is fine. Turn the flame off and transfer the contents to a plate to cool.

Meanwhile extract juice from the soaked tamarind and keep aside.

Later add all the contents to a blender jar and grind into a smooth paste by adding tamarind water little by little. Don’t add all the tamarind water at once as the pachadi might become too watery. Add enough tamarind water to grind the pachadi into a thick paste. Adjust salt.

Enjoy this yummy and mouth-watering chutney with steaming hot rice and a dollop of ghee. YUM!!

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Banana Flower Chutney (Arati Puvvu Pachadi)

What is a Banana Flower?

It is nothing but a flower which grows at the end of the stem that holds a bunch of bananas. It looks dark purple on the outside with layers of leaves or bracts wrapped tightly around each other that contain rows of thin, pale colored flowers inside. These pale flowers are used for cooking different kinds of dishes.

Picture Courtesy: Recipetips.com

Even though it is a tedious process to separate florets from a Banana Flower, the taste it gives in recipes is so good. We usually make Patoli or this pachadi with this. DH said it tasted exactly like Curry Leaves Pickle.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Banana Flower pieces
• 6 or 7 dry red Chilies
• 1 tsp Sambar Powder
• ½ tsp Tamarind pulp
• Few Curry Leaves
• ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
• A pinch of Turmeric
• 2 tsp Oil
• Salt

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add banana flower pieces. Pour little water and allow to cook until the pieces become soft and cooked.

To this add cumin seeds + curry leaves + turmeric + red chilies and sauté well for some time.

Finally add sambar powder and mix well. Turn off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.

Then grind the mixture into a fine paste by adding tamarind pulp and salt. Add very little water, if needed.

This chutney goes well with rice/chapathi.

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Sweet and Spicy Apple Pickle

This is a super-easy pickle made without any cooking or grinding. And tasted super-yummy too!! Try it yourself to experience the lovely taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely chopped sweet Apple, with skin
• 1 tsp Sambhar Powder (Store-bought is fine too)
• 4 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tbsp Chili Powder
• A pinch of Turmeric
• Salt as required

Preparation:

Make sure the apple is completely dry before cutting into pieces. Wetness will spoil the pickle soon.

To prepare this pickle: just mix all the ingredients together with a spoon.

Cover and leave it for an hour before eating. The pickle will be ready to be eaten in hour after the apple pieces absorb the spices well.

Enjoy this pickle with steaming hot rice and it will be so yummy!!

Even if the apple pieces are little sweet, the chili powder and the other ingredients dominate the overall taste. So it is a delicious combination of little sweetness and more spiciness.

This pickle is reaching Nithu Bala’s “Think Beyond the Usual – Fruits” event.

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