Nellikai/Amala Chutney/Thokku/ Gooseberry Spread

Everybody knows about the goodness of gooseberries/nellikai/amla. They are rich source of Vitamin C and are known for their numerous health benefits.

Knowing and speaking of the health benefits sounds very good, but I am not a big fan of these. Neither do I like them raw nor the pickle. The only form I eat them is in the dried candied form.

But that was until I tasted this version of gooseberry chutney. Recently my aunt prepared this chutney and got it for me, not knowing that I am averse to gooseberries. I did not have the heart to not taste something which my aunt had got with so much love. I did a taste check and I loved it. Tasted yum with curd rice. It was a super hit with all the elders in the family; of course kids did not taste it as it was very spicy.

The next I had it as a spread with bread. I also had it for lunch mixed with some hot white rice and a spoon of sesame oil and it tasted just awesome. These are some of the other ways this chutney/ thokku can be had. Try this and tell me how you had it.

Makes approx 1 Kg of chutney

What you'll need

1. Gooseberry/Nellikai/Amla – 1 kg, 8 cups, ground in mixie without adding water
2. Green Chilies – 200 gms
3. Sesame oil – 1 cup
4. Mustard seeds – 1 tbsp
5. Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tbsp
6. Asafoetida – 2 big pinches
7. Turmeric Powder – ¾ tsp
8. Salt as required (approx ½ cup) (add more if required)

Method

1. Wash and pat dry the gooseberries and green chilies.
2. Cut the gooseberries and grind them without adding water. It is ok if one or two pieces remain.
3. Also grind the green chilies.
4. Mix the ground gooseberries, chilies and salt and keep aside.
5. Powder the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. No need to roast.
6. Heat a Kadai with oil, lower the flame and add the asafoetida and turmeric powder.
7. Remove from flame and add the ground gooseberries, chilies and mix well.

Store in air tight glass containers and keep refrigerated.

Varathu Aracha Kuzhambu

Here is another very flavorful Kuzhambu from my SIL’s mother’s kitchen. A regular in their house, it has become our family favorite too. The aroma and flavor of the roasted and ground coconut and spices makes this kuzhambu really special. A perfect accompaniment with plain rice and a simple stir fry and few pappads. It also pairs very well with idly and dosa.

I have used Pumpkin and ashgourd in this recipe; you can also use drumstick and lady’s finger. If using lady’s finger, sauté lightly and then use. Off to the recipe:

Serves - 3 to 4

What you'll need

1. Pumpkin – 1 cup, cubed
2. Ashgourd – 1 cup, cubed
3. Tamarind – a small gooseberry sized ball
4. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
5. Salt to taste

Roast and Grind

1. Urad Dal – ½ tbsp
2. Bengal Gram Dal/Channa Dal – ¼ tbsp
3. Fenugreek Seeds – ¼ tsp
4. Dried Red Chillies – 2 or 3
5. Fresh Scraped Coconut – 1 cup, tightly packed
6. Oil – 1 tbsp
7. Curry Leaves – few

For Tempering

1. Coconut Oil/any refined oil – 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in one cup of water for 10 minutes.
2. Squeeze and extract the pulp from the tamarind.
3. Add another cup of water to it.
4. Add the chopped vegetables, salt and turmeric powder.
5. Bring to boil, cover and cook till the vegetables are cooked.
6. In the meanwhile, heat a kadai with a ½ tbsp of oil, and roast the urad dal, channa dal, fenugreek seeds and red chillies, finally add the scraped coconut and roast.
7. Add the remaining oil and roast till the coconut turn light brown.
8. Add the curry leaves, mix well and remove from flame.
9. Grind this into a smooth paste adding about ¼ to ½ cup of water.
10. Once the vegetables are cooked, add this ground paste to it and mix well. Add more water if necessary and adjust seasoning..
11. Simmer till the gravy starts to froth, do not allow boiling. Remove from heat and garnish with some more curry leaves.
12. Heat a small frying pan with 2 tsps of oil, and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters pour it over the kuzhambu.

Delicious Kuzhambu is ready. Serve with plain rice and stir fry of your choice.

Note:

1. Don't reduce the amount of coconut as it is one of the main ingredients.
2. The gravy tends to thicken a bit on cooling.

Eggless Pineapple Cupcake

From the moment, we Groovies decided on cupcakes for this month, I was very excited and eager to bake and post my first cake on this space. But somehow, things did not work the way I wanted it to. The baking of these cupcakes got postponed until yesterday evening and I had to hurriedly take a few pictures, saving the cupcakes from my kids, who just could not wait to grab one. So pictures are not very great. Hope to update with better pictures sometime.

Some of my friends might know that I recently got an OTG oven. It is one the best appliances I own. Ever since I got it, I have been baked many cakes, and I can’t get enough of it. I am yet to try my hands on breads and cookies. I am also a novice at frosting. After the birthday cake I made for my daughter, this is the second attempt at frosting and am yet to learn to make that classic swirl with perfection.

So here is my first cupcake post. My kids and the whole family simply loved these delicious cupcakes with a tiny bits of pineapple bite here and there. Do try them, they will not let you down.

Makes about six big cupcakes

What you’ll need

1. Whole Wheat Flour – ½ cup
2. All Purpose Flour – ½ cup
3. Yoghurt – ¾ cup
4. Sugar – ½ cup
5. Baking Powder – ½ tsp
6. Baking Soda – ½ tsp
7. Salt – a pinch
8. Sunflower oil – 1/3 cup
9. Tinned Pineapple – 2 rings, finely chopped
10. Pineapple Essence – ½ tsp

For the Frosting

1. Butter – 2 heaped tbsp
2. Sugar - 4 to 5 tbsp
3. Pineapple Essence – ½ tsp

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C for 10 mins.
2. Grease or line the muffin tray and set aside.
3. Sift the flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda, twice and keep aside.
4. Whisk together sugar and curds until sugar is dissolved.
5. Next whisk in the oil and essence until well blended.
6. Now gently fold in the sifted flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Do not over beat.
7. Finally add the chopped pineapple pieces and mix lightly.
8. Fill in the muffin liners upto ½. Tap gently 2 to 3 times to deflate and air bubbles.
9. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. Mine were done in 20 minutes.
10. For the Frosting
11. Beat butter using a hand mixer until light and fluffy for about 4 to 5 minutes.
12. Now add the sugar little by little until well blended and stiff.
13. Add the essence and blend again for few seconds.
14. Transfer into piping bags and pipe out the swirls or apply the frosting with the help of a flat knife or spatula.

You can decorate with finely chopped canned pineapples.

Note:

1. You can use only APF too.
2. Make sure the yoghurt is at room temperature for the cake.
3. Also, make sure that the butter used for frosting is soft, if you try to frost with hard butter, you will never get the right consistency for the frosting.

Tomato Dosai

Dosas are one of my favorite breakfast and dinner items. In fact, once the idly/dosa batter is ground; it would be idly on the first day and then dosai on the following days, until we’re done with the batter. It is only on days when we don’t have the idly/dosai batter at hand that I have to look for some other dish for dinner.

Tomato dosai is a nice variation to the regular dosai. I came to know about these from my SIL who is from Trivandrum. Her mother has many interesting recipes up her sleeve. My kids were thrilled to see pink dosas, (pink being my daughter’s favorite color) and gladly had a couple of them without any fuss.

So if you run out of your regular dosa batter, give this one a try.

Makes about – 15 to 16 dosais

What you’ll need

1. Raw Rice – 2 Cups
2. Urad Dal – 2 tbsp
3. Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tsp
4. Tomatoes – 5 Medium sized
5. Dried Red Chillies – 1 or 2
6. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
7. Curry Leaves – finely chopped (optional)

Method

1. Soak the rice, dal and fenugreek seeds and red chilly for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Drain and grind into a smooth paste adding water as and when required. Do not add too much water as the tomatoes also will add to the liquid.
3. Grind the tomatoes separately and mix along with the ground rice.
4. Add asafoetida and salt to taste.  Also add the finely chopped curry leaves. Mix well. Add water if required and adjust batter into a pouring consistency. If the batter is thick you will not get thin dosas.
5. Heat a Tawa/Dosa Pan, pour a ladle full of batter and spread like spreading a dosai, from center to outside. Drizzle little oil on the sides of the dosai. Cook on medium heat.
6. Flip and cook the other side as well.
7. Serve immediately with chutney, sambar or milagai podi.

Note:

Dosa becomes slightly hard on cooling, so for best taste, serve hot.

Baingan Ka Bhartha

I’m here with another brinjal recipe. Baingan ka Bhartha is a very popular spicy North Indian dish made of baingan or Eggplant. Traditionally the whole eggplant is charred on open gas flame and the whole dish has a very smoky flavor. I am not a lover of the smoky flavor. So I never liked Baingan Bhartha. Then I came to know of this wonderful alternate of cooking the eggplant in an oven. I loved this idea as it gave the same end result minus the smoky charred smell. It really works well for me.

This is dish is generally very spicy and tangy and goes very well with any Indian flatbread or even plain rice. After I got to know of this oven method, it has become a regular in my house and is a favorite with all at home.

What you'll need

1. Big Eggplant – 1 (Medium Sized)
2. Onion – 2 big
3. Tomatoes – 3 Medium sized
4. Green Chillies – 2 to 3
5. Ginger – 1 inch piece
6. Garlic – 2 cloves
7. Fresh Coriander Leaves – 2 tbsp
8. Coriander Powder – ½ tbsp
9. Red Chilly Powder – ½ tsp (adjust according to taste)
10. Amchur Powder – ½ tsp (optional)
11. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
12. Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 230C.
2. Wash and pat dry the eggplant. Make a couple of slits on the eggplant. Apply oil all over it.
3. Place the eggplant on a tray and bake at 230C for 30 to 40 minutes. Turn once in between for even cooking.
4. If you like the charred smell and taste, set the oven at broil and broil for 10 minutes. ( I did not do it)
5. Or cook it on the gas stove in an open flame, turning once in a while with the help of the stem, till the skin gets completely charred on all sides.
6. Remove the eggplant and allow to cool. Peel the skin and mash well. Keep aside.
7. Heat a Kadai with oil. Add cumin seeds.
8. Once the crackle add, finely chopped onions, and sauté for a couple of minutes.
9. Add grated ginger, finely chopped garlic and green chillies.
10. Fry for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat till the onions turn light brown.
11. Add finely chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy and everything comes together.
12. Now add the red chilly powder and coriander powder. Mix well and fry for a minute.
13. Now add the mashed eggplant and mix everything very well. Add salt and check for seasoning. If you feel you need more tang then add the amchur powder else skip it. I added.
14. Mix well. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
15. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with phulkas.