Tag: spicy

Categories
Condiments Indian Maharashtrian Pickles & Chutneys

Cilantro pesto-Dhaniya chutney

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Do you know anyone who  has the ability to just brighten up the room the minute they enter in. It is their smile, genuine nice attitude or even the way they crack jokes, they just makes the situation nicer.

I cherish such friends, very thankful to have them in my life.

If I had to relate this back to the food, I think condiments are like these special friends. Anytime if it seems like what you have cooked for dinner is just blah, a nice chutney, salsa, dip can come to the rescue and help revive the meal. 

I love condiments of all kinds. I love making yogurt based dips, spicy chutneys, fresh salsas of various kinds. My favorite of all are the spicy condiments.

When my kids were younger everything I cooked was very mild. I am lucky that my kids eat all the vegetables ever since they were babies so I wanted to make sure it stays that way. As a result I would also have to eat very mild food, that was really hard. So I started making chutneys and relishes, these were spicy and complimented the mild food well.

One such chutney is the ‘Cilantro chutney’. You can also call it Cilantro pesto.  My friend Uma taught me this one. What I love about this recipe is all the things needed are usually available easily at home. It takes only a few minutes to make and stays well in fridge for a week, although I must warn you, it is so yummy that it barely lasts a day, usually it is cleaned up quickly.

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup of washed , cleaned Cilantro
  • 1 tbsp roasted peanuts
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 8-10 spicy green chilies ( I use thai chilies since I like it spicy)
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp oil

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Method

  • Dry roast the peanuts
  • Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and turmeric powder
  • Add chopped green chilies and chopped garlic
  • Saute for 30 seconds, don’t let the garlic or chili burn or brown.
  • Add cilantro and turn the heat off.  Add salt. Cover and leave it to warm through.
  • Grind the peanuts to a powder.
  • Add cooled cilantro mixture and grind to a paste. I like to keep it a little coarse and not grind it super fine.

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It can be used in many ways. I love serving it in the pretty yellow bowl. I bought it in Nepal, we visited Bhaktapur darbar. Amongst many other beautiful carvings and handicraft we also got to see beautiful pottery. It was amazing to see the potters turn the wheel and make these beautiful art pieces. 

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1. Mix it with some sour cream, yogurt or Greek yogurt to make a quick dip. I love it with pita chips.

2. Mix it with butter to make a great sandwich spread. I love to add some sliced avocado and make an open faced sandwich. I also like to add alfalfah sprouts to this, add a nice crunch to this already tasty sandwich.

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Categories
Condiments Jam & Preserves Pickles & Chutneys Rajasthani Uncategorized

Lehsun-mirch ki chutney

If you observe food from any particular region,  you can start learning a lot about the people, the weather, the produce available etc. It is very evident in the various cuisines from across India.

One such cuisine is the cuisine of Rajasthan.

I am in love with everything about this place . This land is known for its sand dunes, colorful dresses, camels and palaces. It is the western state of India, the dessert state, water is very scarce here and fresh fruits and vegetables are not readily available all the time, so a lot of the dishes from this region use ingredients that are available easily. Things like lentils, grain flours, dried chilies, dried vegetables and milk products.

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I have been to Rajasthan a few times and fell in love again with its people and food. I have learnt a few recipes on my visits and would be sharing them here.

Today’s recipe- Chili Garlic Chutney

I love spicy food. Today’s recipe is easy and can be made very easily, most of the ingredients should be available in your pantry. It is one of those dishes that can perk up any dull meal or add a bit of spice to it.2015/03/img_2445.jpg

Ingredients:

10-15 Red Chilies

6-8 fresh garlic cloves

2 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp tamarind pulp( optional)

Method:

Some people also add onions, I feel that they make the chutney sweet so I don’t add it.
Soak dry red chilies in warm water for 1 hour.

In a blender grind the garlic & soaked chilies with little water.

Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds. When they splatter, add the cumin seeds. Add fenugreek seeds and fry for 10 secs. Add the red chili powder. Add the chili garlic paste. cook till you see oil separating,mix salt & sugar and mix well. Add tamarind pulp to taste.

Chutney is ready, serve it with any Indian meal.

Note:

I mix it with greek yogurt and use it as a dip for fresh vegetables.

I also mix it with a little bit of butter and use it as a spread for sandwiches.

 

 

 

Categories
Chicken Curry Maharashtrian Masala (Spice Mix)

Kolhapuri chicken- A fiery treat

Kolhapuri chicken rassa- a fiery treat that you can not stop eating.

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I like to eat it with Jowar Bhakri, raw onion and raw methi & white butter ( makhhan).
Recipe:
2 chicken breast- chopped
1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp lime juice
4 tbsp Kolhapuri masala
2 tbsp Bedgi chili powder.
Oil
1 medium onion chopped


Method
Mix ginger garlic paste, salt and lime juice with chicken and keep aside for at least an hour.

Take oil in the pan. Saute finely chopped onions till they are brown.

Add the red chili powder. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 30 sec. Add the masala paste and saute more. Add salt to taste.
Add hot water to get the consistency you desire. Cover and cook for a few mins.
This actually works better with the mutton but since my husband prefers chicken, I make it more often

 

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Categories
Condiments Indian Kashmiri Pickles & Chutneys

Smoked Walnut chutney- a treat from Kashmir

Indian food for non-Indians is naan, butter chicken, chole, saag, as that is the only food they have been exposed to in the restaurants. You would think Indians would know everything about different types of indian foods but Indian food is so diverse and regional that many a times you only know about the food from yours and may be neighbouring region. So even though I grew up in India, there are many indian delicacies that I had not even tasted. For example, Assamese food, Bengali Food or Kashmiri Food.

So when I came to think country, I not only learnt about different cuisines of the world but also different regional cuisines of India as well. The Indian grocery stores here carry things that are used in Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and many other Indian cuisines. One such item was ‘Lotus Stems’, growing up I had never eaten a lotus stem. It is very commonly used in Punjabi & Kashmiri cuisine. In Kashmir they call it ‘Nadru’. So when I started reading about how to cook Nadru, I came across many Kashmiri delicacies. I make many kashmiri dishes now, and I will be sharing a few here.

Today’s recipe however is from a facebook food group. When I saw this post, I knew I had to make it.

I love anything smoked, I love onion, green chili and I love walnuts…so this recipe was just too good to ignore.

Smoked Walnut Chutney

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It is so simple to make yet fantastic flavors

Ingredients

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1/2 cup walnuts

1/3 cup onion chopped

2 green chilies

1/2 tsp crushed red chilies

1 tsp jeera

1/2 cup or more chopped cilantro

salt to taste

For smoking:

1 piece of coal

Few drops of mustard oil

 

Method:

Dry roast the walnut and jeera slightly.

Add all the ingredients to a mortar and pestle. On a related note, I am obsessed with the mortar & pestles, I have many in my collection 🙂

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Pound all the ingredients till you get a coarse paste. I feel that the coarse texture add to the taste of this dish.

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Now take out the chutney in a bowl.

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Cover the bowl with a leaf. If you don’t have a leaf, you can use a aluminium foil and poke a few holes in it.

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Now take a piece of coal and burn it on the gas flame till it is bright red.

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Now place the coal on top of the leaf.

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Pour a couple of drops of mustard oil and cover immediately with a bigger bowl.

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You will see that it smokes up quickly.

 

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After a few minutes when the smoke has died down, open carefully and enjoy. The recipe looks very easy, but I was amazed how delicious it tastes. Give it a try.

You can even serve it with pita chips as a dip.

 

 

 

Categories
Condiments Tunisia

An amazing condiment- Harissa

As I started exploring new foods and new cuisines, i started noticing the similarities between these cuisines and the Indian Cuisine I grew up with. For example the cuisine of North African countries, be in Morocco or Tunisia, there were many dishes that looked identical to what I have seen in some parts of India like Rajasthan . In such areas where the water is scarce, there is abundant use of dry spices and dry vegetables. That cuisines also uses a lot of lentils. So when I stumbled upon Harissa, it reminded of the garlic chutney we typically get in Rajasthan, the desert state of India.

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So anytime I see fresh red chilies in the market, my first thought is, let’s make harissa.

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As with many dishes, there are many variations of Harissa. My version is based on what I ate and then added some more heat since I love spicy food. I have made it with just fresh chilies and a mixture of fresh and dried chilies. I like the version with the dried chilies better. If you make it with just the fresh chilies the color is a vibrant bright red, whereas if you add the dried chilies, you get more of a brick red color.  I also add roasted bell pepper sometimes if I want a mellower harissa.

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Ingredients:

2 Dried guajillo chilies

1 Dried Chipotle chili

1 dried ancho chili

1 dried Negro chili

2 cup of boiling hot water

7-8 fresh red chilies

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp caraway seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

Olive oil

salt to taste

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Method:

In a large bowl place all the dried chilies and pour the hot water over these. Let them sit and get soft for about 20 min. I love using the dried smoky chipotle and guajillo, these lend not only the heat but a nice smoky flavor to the dish. I also use these chilies in the enchilada sauce I make

Chop the fresh red chiles, try and shake off as many seeds as you can. If you don’t like much spicy food, you can remove all the seeds.

Dry roast the caraway seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Using mortar and pestle make powder.

Take out the stem and seeds from the dried-rehydrated chilies. In a food processor blend the dry chilies,fresh red chilies, garlic with salt. Add as much oil as needed.  Add the roasted and ground spices.

Your Harissa is ready.

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I will be making a couple of things with it-

Chicken kabob with yogurt and Harissa

Shrimp-pumpkin curry with harissa

Harissa Cheese Muffins

Variations:

A. With Red bell pepper- You can add a roasted red bellpepper to make a milder version of Harissa

1 Red bell pepper

Roast the red bell pepper on an open fame till it has black spots, turning occasionally to get a good roast all around. Cover them in a bowl, this makes removing the skin easy. Add with the rest of the chilies in the food processor.

B. Mint:

I love mint, sometimes I add 1/2 tsp of dried mint to my Harissa. You can add it at the end with the rest of the ground spices.

Categories
Indian Pickles & Chutneys

Stuffed spicy green chilies

I come from a place where we eat spicy food. I can not have a meal without a green chili and I am always looking for recipes that use fresh green chilies. This is one of my favorite recipes. Those days when your subji just does not come out tasty or you need something to perk up your leftovers or you need an accompaniment to your curd rice, this stuffed mirchi comes to the rescue.

I make it with these thin thai chilies. In summer we get beautiful produce in the farmer’s market and this is one of the recipes that allows you to enjoy the fresh bounty.  These are somewhere between thai chilies and serrano, and they do pack a good amount of heat. This dish is somewhere between subji and pickle. If you are a chili/ spice lover and if you want to bring some heat to the table, this is a perfect dish for you. you will love them!

Stuffed Green chilies…spicy yet you can not stop eating it.

stuffed green chilies

Ingredients:

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Dry coconut- ½ cup
Coriander seeds- 2 tbsp
Methi seeds- 0.5 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Ginger-garlic paste( I grate it)-1 tsp combined
Lime juice to taste
Sugar – 1 tsp( to taste)
Salt

Method:

Dry roast  the first three ingredients coriander seeds, mustard seeds, methi seeds on a low flame. Make sure you add the methi seeds at the end so they dont burn. If the methi seeds are over roasted they will be very bitter.

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Dry roast coconut until golden brown, take it out on a plate and let it cool.

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Grind the roasted spices along with the coconut into a fine mix.

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Mix in the rest of the ingredients to the ground spices. Add Salt , sugar and lime juice  as per your taste.

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Wash and dry the green chilies. Make a slit and fill it up with the spice mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

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 If the chilies are spicy you will need these to balance the spiciness of the chilies. I always make extra masala since everyone loves the masala. I like to eat it with ‘curd rice’.

Add about a tsp oil( for 15-20 chillies) in a pan and heat till warm. Layer the chilies gently and cover with lid, cook on low flame. You do not want the chilies to burn , and they should cook. After 5-7 min turn them over gently with a pair of tongs. After another 3-4 min, add the extra masala and add a tsp of water. Cook for another 3-5 mins.

 

 

Categories
Andhra Rice

Tamarind Rice ( Puliyodharai)

I love authentic, traditional recipes. Agreed that sometimes they can be very involved and time consuming but I feel the taste after all that effort is unbelievable. Some of the old methods of cooking or prep work may look tedious, but those also have a great way of bringing people together. Imagine making raviolis together, or making papad in summer, or making pickles together, when you are working together teh work does not seem boring.  So i love collecting recipes that are authentic, passed down from generation to generation, this is my way  of preserving my culture and heritage, hoping to pass it to the future generation.

Today’s recipe is something I learnt from my friend Usha, who had leant it from her Ammamma( grandma).

Tamarind rice is very popular in Andhra Pradesh as well as Tamilnadu. This version I feel has both Andhra and Tamil influence on it. It is a typical brahmin recipe, and is used as Naivadyam on many auspicious ceremonies. I had eaten this the very first time in the famous Tirupati temple, so anytime I make it invokes the same feelings.

Although the recipe may look complicated it is not, it is complex. I will try to simplify the instructions as much as possible.

Tamarind Rice

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There are four steps to the recipe.

Step 1:

Make a tamarind chutney – This chutney is pretty much jam like consistency.

Part A ( tempering 1)

2 tbsp oil

2 tsp mustard seeds

6 red chilies

Few curry leaves

Part B   (Wet ingredients)

1 handful dry tamarind, cleaned and soaked in  2 cups of hot water

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp jaggery ( gud), you can substitute dark brown sugar as well.

Extract the tamarind pulp and discard any seeds or hard shells. Mix jaggery and turmeric in it.

Part A & Part C Wet ingredients & Tempering 1 (Part A & B)

Part C ( Dry powder)

1/2 cup coriander seeds

6 dry red chilies ( or more if you like it spicy)

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cumin(jeera) seeds

1 tsp fenugreek( methi) seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp chana daal

1 tbsp urid daal ( skinless)

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp asafoetida( hing)

Dry Masala Powder Dry Masala Powder ( Part C)

 

Dry roast the these and grind it in a coffee grinder( or a blender) to make a fine powder. Make sure you add fenugreek seeds and hing towards the end else it will burn and give bitter taste

To make chutney:

Tamarind chutney

Heat the oil for tempering, add the red chilies until they are nicely browned. Add the remaining things and saute till the mustard seeds splutter( Part A). Now add the tamarind-jaggery mixture( Part B). Cook this on a low flame until you get a nice jam like consistency.  Add the dry masala powder ( Part C) and mix well.  Keep it aside.

Step 2:  

1 .5 cups of rice

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp turmeric

Cook rice with salt and set aside to cool. Once cooled add a  tsp oil and turmeric and mix well.

Step 3: Make  tempering 2

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Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil

1 handful ( or two) peanuts

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp urid daal

1 tbsp chana daal

1/2 tsp asafoetida

A few curry leaves

Roast/fry the peanut in oil on a low-medium heat. Add mustard seeds, urid and chana daal and saute well. Now add curry leaves.

 

Step 4: Mix it together

Mix the cooked rice with a few tbsp of the prepared Tamarind chutney. Typically 4-5 tbsp chutney is enough for 1 cup raw rice cooked.

Add Tempering 2. Mix well.

Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.

You are done. Enjoy the authentic Pulliodarai

 

Notes:

This tamarind chutney lasts a while even outside and if you refrigerate it, it can last upto a couple of months.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Masala (Spice Mix) Recipes

Kolhapuri Masala

I come from Maharashtra, a state in Western India. It shares its border with other states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Gujarat. Needless to say, you can see the influence of different states on the local cuisine in the cities on the border. Kolhapur, a town which is closer to Karnataka, is famous for four things: Goddess Mahalakshmi Temple, handmade leather shoes, beautiful Maharashtrian jewelry  and its fiery cuisine.

Today, I am sharing a recipe for making a masala (a mixture of spices) that is used to make famous Kolhapuri Mutton. You can also use it for vegetarian dishes such as Kolhapuri Misal( I will post my recipe for this soon) and Veg Kolhapuri.

This is my Mom’s recipe, I think she is the best cook in the world.

Kolhapuri Masala

 

 

Ingredients

 

Ingredients

 

 

 

Dry Masala

 

1 cup coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 cup shredded dry coconut

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1/2 tbsp black peppercorns

1/2 inch cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

 

 

 

Wet Masala

1/2 cup onions, roughly chopped

8-10 garlic cloves

1 cup cilantro leaves chopped

2 tbsp oil

 

1 cup red chilli powder

 

Method:

 

1. Toast all the dry masala in a dry pan. Let it cool.

Dry Masala

 

2 Saute onion & garlic in oil till nicely browned. Add cilantro and turn off the heat.

Wet Masala

 

3. Grind the dry roasted spices to a fine powder (I use a coffee grinder)

 

4. Grind the wet masala separately. Now mix the wet and dry masalas with the red chili powder.

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5. Once cooled, keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

 

This mixture should be used within 7 days. If you would like to keep it  for longer, use deep fried or dried onion and leave out the cilantro.

 

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