1001 Fresh Indian Chutneys

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Anything edible blended to a paste with chilies, lemon juice / tamarind would taste good seems to be the logic behind chutneys. A variety of bases (column 1) are blended with a variety of souring agents (column 3) and flavoured by various spices (column2) to create an array of chutneys. 

It is probably one of the easiest dips to make – just throw everything in a blender and blend to a paste – how much simpler can it get ? 

South India is the chutney capital, with a mind boggling array of chutneys. Thuvaiyal, Masiyal, Thayir Pachadi – all belong to the chutney family. Thuvaiyals are made by blending raw / boiled vegetables / roasted pulses with red chili and tamarind. Masiyals / Kotsu are cooked chutneys made by blending boiled vegetables with green chilies and lemon juice. Thayir Pachadis are made by mixing raw / boiled vegetables with seasoned yogurt.

The equivalents of Indian chutneys exist in many cuisines. Many foreign ‘chutneys’ omit the chilies and use vinegar / lemon as a souring agent. Toasted sesame seeds blended with olive oil, lemon and salt give the famous Tahini or Sesame chutney.  Mustard when ground to a paste with turmeric, salt and vinegar / wine becomes the delicious mustard dip, so popular in the west. We'd probably call it mustard chutney. If Avacados had been known in India, we'd certainly have had Avacado chutney by pureeing its flesh with salt, chili and lime juice. But now, we only know it as Guacamole. Walnut chutney or Muhammara is made by blending walnuts, chili, garlic, lemon juice, salt and olive oil.

Chutneys can be sweet or sour, spicy or mild, thin or thick, chunky or smooth, cooked or uncooked. They can be made with fruits, salad vegetables, cooked vegetables, roast lentils, nuts or seeds.  Mango, apple, pear, tamarind, onions, tomato, raisins, groundnut, chana dal, coconut, garlic, ginger, mint, cilantro, chilies - all are used across the country as a chutney base. This base is usually blended with a souring agent (lemon / tamarind), chilies (fresh green / dry red) and salt into a thick paste.  Chutneys traveled with the British to their colonies and to Britain, where they have become increasingly popular. The fresh chutney, with its short shelf life was not ideal for mass production. Hence most supermarket chutneys are now a kind of jam / pickle, being cooked with sugar & vinegar. Fruit chutneys (Mangos, apples, onions, raisins) are simmered with vinegar, sugar, spices and bottled, giving rise to a 'chutney' which is almost never eaten in India, but fill the supermarket shelves abroad. These spicy fruit jams masquerading as chutneys are also popular in the Caribbean, South Africa and in US. Taste a freshly blended coconut chutney / cilantro chutney and you'll see how little effort is needed to create this delicious dip and how much more flavourful they are compared to the packed versions.

Cooking solo for 500 - Game plan & Insider's tips

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Cooking for 500 - The game plan

This cookbook lists 10 recipes that I’m cooking for the Cooking Solo for 500 event. The event showcases the unity of South Indian cuisine and promotes One page cookbooks. The following recipes would be served in the Jan 17 cookout in Chennai.  All are invited ! 

1.: Cabbage Kootu (Cabbage – coconut – lentil curry) ( Palghat Iyer recipe)

2.: Drumstick Sambar (Tamarind – lentil stew) (Tamilnadu)

3.: Mysore Rasam (Lentil stock- tamarind thin curry)  (Karnataka)

4.: Dali Thove (Flavoured lentils) (Karnataka).

5.: Tomato Pappu (Tomato – lentil stew) (Andhra).

6.: Shunti Tambli ( Coconut - ginger - yogurt blended curry) (Konkani).

7.: Boondi Thayir Pachadi ( Fried gram flour droplets in yougrt) ( Tamilnadu)

8.: Semia Payasam ( Vermicelli pudding) ( Tamilnadu)

9.:  More Milagai (Fried, sun dried chilies) ( Tamilnadu) 

10.: Paruppu (Mashed lentils)  

10 fresh Street food Chutneys

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This cookbook lists 10 street food chutneys listed below :

1.:   Khatta Meeta chutney  ( Sweet & Sour Chutney)

2.:   Sweet chutney

3.:   Red chutney

4.:   Green chutney 

5.:   White chutney 

6.:   Brown chutney

7.:   Mint chutney 

8.:.  Chili chutney 

9.:   Onion - Tomato chutney  

10.: Tamarind chutney  

10 Non veg stuffed parathas

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This cookbook lists 10 simplified non veg stuffed parathas listed below :

 1.: Egg Paratha  

2.: Salami Paratha  

3.: Prawn Paratha 

4.: Chicken Paratha

5.: Kheema paratha

6.: Fish Paratha  

7.: Crab Paratha 

8.:  Dry fish paratha

9.: Beef / Pork Paratha

10.: Preserved meat paratha    

10 South Indian Lentil Recipes

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10 Simple South Indian Lentil Recipes :

All the recipes listed in the One page cookbooks give just the essence of a recipe, without getting into details. They are designed to minimise mistakes and reveal the big picture at a glance. With the overall idea in mind, do take a look at more detailed recipes from fellow bloggers listed below and cook up your own variations.

1.: Paruppu ( Plain boiled lentils) – the simplest dal of them all. Plain tuvar dal/ Mung dal is boiled with a dash of turmeric powder and eaten mixed with hot rice and ghee. This is traditionally eaten at the start of a meal. Most Brahmin kids still grow up on ‘Pappu Mammu’. There are versions which call for spicing up the dal. This curry is so basic, that I’m unable to find any recipe online !

2.: Dali Thoye (Spiced lentil curry)
This is a spiced up Tuvar dal curry much loved in Mangalore / Konkani regions.

3.: Paruppu Podi (Lentil - chili Powder)
Lentils cooked in numerous ways are consumed across South India. This recipe and the next one use roast and ground lentils. Paruppu Podi is just roast tuvar dal ground into a powder with red chilies and salt.

4.: Paruppu Thogayal (Blended lentil curry)
Paruppu Thogayal is just roast tuvar dal ground into a paste with coconut, red chilies and salt. A bit of tamarind paste is also occasionally blended in.

5.: Kosambari (Soaked lentil salad)
Here's a recipe which uses soaked, raw lentils. Mung dal tastes delicious when just soaked in water. Tuvar dal does not. So this is the only recipe where they cannot be used interchangeably.

6.: Nimmakkaya Pappu (Sour lentil curry)
A much loved lentil dish in Andhra, this is just boiled lentils mixed with lemon juice. A variety of vegetables can also be boiled along with the dal giving rise to variations like Dosakkaya Pappu, Mamdikkaya pappu etc.,

7.: Paruppu Rasam (Thin lentil curry)
A thin soupy curry, this is nothing but spiced up lentil water. Some recipes call for a dash of lemon juice mixed in with Paruppu rasam. Contrary to popular belief, a Rasam or Sambar need not always have tamarind or need not always use Sambar powder / Rasam powder for flavouring.

8.: Paruppu Sambar (Sour Lentil curry)
A thick, chunky curry, Paruppu Sambar is just a thicker version of Paruppu Rasam. It took me quite a while to accept the fact that Kulambu and Sambar are just thicker Rasams !

9.:. Paruppu Kootu (Lentil - coconut - cumin curry) When coconut, cumin and chili paste is mixed with boiled tuvar dal, we get the delicious Paruppu Kootu. A variety of boiled vegetables can be aded to this Kootu.

10.: Molagootal ( Mixed lentil curry) When coconut-chili-cumin paste is cooked together with tuvar dal and vegetables and flavoured with coconut oil, we get the Kerala Brahmin special, the Molagootal.

And that goes to Srivalli's MLLA, an event started by Susan.

1001 Rasam ( Thin South Indian curries)

Rasam meaning ‘extract / essence’, is a clear , thin South Indian curry. Though normally eaten mixed with hot cooked rice, It can be and is usually drunk as a soup.It is usually made from lentil stock ( the water in which tuvar dal has been boiled) and tamarind paste.The famous Mulligatawny soup of the Western world is actually a rasam (Mulligatawny is actually Milagu Thanni or Pepper water) .

Called Chaaru in Telugu and Saaru in Karnataka, Rasams are cooked all over South India, with minor variations across regions. Iyengars elevate it to the status of ambrosia calling it amudhu.

Tamilnadu and Karnataka take their rasams seriously and serve them at every meal. Some of the most innovative Rasams come from Karnataka. It is here you'll find chopped onions, green beans, spinach and coconut in Rasams. It is in Karnataka we see vegetable stock (water in which vegetables have been boiled) being used for making the delicious Rasam called Bus saaru.

Rasam is nothing but a clear sambar / kulambu. The most basic rasam is just flavoured tamarind water. In fact, the early rasams were nothing more than boiled tamarind water served with a pinch of salt and pepper. Rasams are still known as Puli Charu (tamarind juice) in pockets of Tamilnadu. Later, mashed lentils or lentil stock (the water in which lentils have been boiled) was added to fortify the rasam, thus creating the rasam we know and love today.

The defining characteristics of a Rasam are sourness, flavouring and its clear, watery consistency.
The sourness comes usually from Tamarind, flavour from rasam podi / Sambar podi. By varying the sourness, flavouring and the goodies added, we can cook up scores of rasams. The one page cookbook summarises many of these variations.

Change Souring agent
Change the souring agent and new families of rasams appear. Replace tamarind with tomato and you have Thakkali rasam. Use Mango and you have Manga rasam. Use buttermilk and you have more rasam and so on
Tamarind juice can be mixed with other juices to make more rasams. Mix in orange juice with tamarind and you have Orange rasam, mix in coconut milk with tamarind water and you have coconut milk rasam and so on. Feel free to experiment with a variety of juices.

Change lentils
Change the lentils used and you have the tuvaram paruppu rasam, pasi parppu rasam, Chana dal rasam, Horse gram rasam or masoor dal rasam.
Column 1 lists the types of rasams you can cook up by changing the souring agent and the lentils.

Change flavouring
Change the flavouring style and new classes of rasams like thalithu kottiya rasam, podi potta rasam, poricha rasam, seeraka rasam, milagu rasam etc., spring up.
Column 2 summarises these changes. Feel free to add a pinch more or less of flavouring to your taste.

Change goodies
Change goodies used and more rasams appear. Use garlic and you have poondu rasam. Use rose petals and you have paneer rasam, use lentil balls and you have Paruppu Urundai Rasam and so on.

Thus, a staggering array of rasams can be cooked with minor variations of the basic building blocks.

As Rasam is a thin clear soup, all rules of soup making apply. The western world has a range of soups and you can borrow techniques from these soups to make rasam tastier.
Tip 1 : Using stock
Instead of using plain water, you can use vegetable stock (the water in which veggies have been boiled). This would give rasam a depth of flavor. For a clear rasam, use a fine mesh filter and filter out the solids just before serving. Add garnish to this clear rasam and serve. Non vegetarians can experiment with a range of meat stocks.
Tip 2 : Using bouquet garni
A popular flavouring technique is to tie herbs / spices in a cheesecloth bundle which is steeped in the cooking liquid to flavor it. This technique is ideally suited for Rasams. Experiment with a variety of herbs / spices to cook up a range of exotic rasams.
Tip 3 : Garnish & Presentation
The techniques of garnishing and presenting a western clear soup work great for all rasams.

Understand these basic building blocks and you have a supply of Rasams to last a lifetime.
Happy cooking !

And that goes to Lisa's No Croutons required event.

10 Simple Awadhi Recipes

TThis cookbook lists 10 Awadhi curries, greatly simplified, so that a first time cook can easily cook them. The following recipes are listed in this cookbook:

1.:  Boondi Raita (Yogurt dip)  

2.:  Baingan ka raita ( Eggplant yogurt dip) 

3.:  Nawabi Guchhi (Rich Mushroom curry)  

4.:  Akbari Sabji ( Mixed vegetables with nuts and raisins) 

5.:  Aloo Tamatar Shola (Potato - tomato curry) 

6.:  Paneer Korma (Cottage Cheese curry)

7.:  Lachcha Paratha 

8.:   Warqui Paratha ( Rich layered flatbread )

9.:  Muglai Paneer (Cottage cheese sour curry)

10.: Sultani Dal (Rich lentil curry)

Awadh/ Oudh

 Today's Lucknow and surrounding regions were a province of the ancient Hindu Kosala kingdom. After Lord Rama's coronation, it is believed they were gifted by Him to Lakshmana and was called Lakshmanpur. It fell to the Moguls in the 1100's and came to be called Awadh / Oudh (probably from Ayodhya, the Kosala capital). It was administered by a series of Nawabs (governors). It later became a separate kingdom with the support of the British and was ruled by a succession of Kings (Haider and Shahs).

Awadhi Cuisine

The princely Awadhi cuisine is characterized by the use of expensive spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, saffron), nuts, dried fruits, milk, cream and the choicest cuts of meat. These are used to cook up rich, mild, slow cooked curries. The presentation is equally flamboyant, with the use of wafer thin, edible varq (silver and gold leaf).  

Use of deep fried onion and fried onion paste, prolonged slow & gentle cooking in sealed clay pots, extensive use of grilling are all hallmarks of Awadhi cuisine. Flavouring by asafetida & fried black mustard, common in Indian cuisine is completely avoided. Butter / ghee / matured mustard oil are used for cooking. Cooking rice with meat / vegetables (Biriyani) & making rich layered parathas are techniques perfected by Bawarchis (Royal cooks) who served these at the  Dastarkhwan ( Awadhi feast).

Infusing a smoky flavour:  Place a betel leaf on the curry. Place a small live charcoal on it. Pour a spoon of ghee and keep the curry covered for 10 minutes.

And that is for Siri's RCI- Awadh,  an event started by Lakshmi.

1001 Indian Potstickers

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This cookbook lists 1000 simple Pot Stickers designed to be cooked in an Indian kitchen. 

Potstickers are Chinese dumplings, pan-fried on one side and steamed on the other. With a crunchy side and a soft side, they have a great mouth-feel. China probably has more varieties of dumplings than the rest of the world combined. Chinese dumplings are boiled (shujiao), steamed ( zhengjiao), shallow fried ( jianjiao), deep fried (goutie) or use a combination of these cooking techniques. Pot stickers (so named as they stick to the pan on cooking) are also known as wortip / Peking Ravioli or pan-fried dumplings.

 Modak ( kozhukattai) is the closest equivalent to potstickers we have in India as the combination of pan frying and steaming is not commonly used in Indian cuisine. This delightful combination of techniques from the Chinese cuisine can be adopted for creating a wide variety of Indian potstickers. Though traditional potstickers use just wheat flour, we can apply our roti making expertise to combine an array of different flours with different flavourings and fillings to create a huge array of Indian potstickers. If you’ve learnt to make a roti, you can make a pot sticker. And if you are in a rush, you can use any dry curry as a quick filling.

And that goes yto Pallavi's Sunday Snacks.