Garlic Chutney

Ever since dosa has become an integral part of our menu, I am always looking for easy chutney recipes to serve with it. As neither my husband nor my son likes the podi & ghee combination, I have to whip up something fresh every time I make dosa. This recipe caught my attention while leafing through a half torn ( :)...what can I expect with a kid running around ?) Tarla Dalal handbook. Since the recipe was half gone and only the ingredients section was remaining, I modified and improvised the preparation method.

Read on for the recipe :

Preparation Time - 7-8 minutes

Ingredients - 6-7 garlic flakes, 2 dry red chillis (medium spicy), 1/2 cup sliced coconut, 5-6 curry leaves, 1 pinch

asafoetida, a tiny bit of tamarind, 1 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the crushed garlic, asafoetida, curry leaves and broken red chilli. Fry till garlic

turns light brown in color.

Add the coconut slices and fry for another minute. Remove from flame and allow to cool down.

Once it is cool, take the fried ingredients in a mixer jar (use the small chutney jar), add salt and tamarind. Add a few

teaspoons of water and grind into a smooth paste. (Add a little more water if it is too dry)

Serve with idli/dosa or even with rice, rasam, papad and a little ghee.

Note - The original recipe called for Begdi or Reshampatti chillis which give a nice red color. But since I could not find those I used the normal ones lying in my kitchen.

Bengalgram Coconut chutney

My favorite chutney when it comes to a south indian breakfast. I just adore the simplicity of this recipe. Not too many ingredients nor too many steps to be followed, this one is a breeze. But keep in mind that this tastes best when freshly ground. Once stored in the fridge it loses more than 50 percent of its original flavor.Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10-12 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup bengalgram dal, 1 tbsp split urdal dal, 2/3 cup sliced coconut, 2-3 dry red chilli, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 2 sprigs of curry leaves, 2 pinches asafoetida (hing), 3 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the urad dal first and fry for 2 mins or till it turns a little brown. Add the bengalgram dal and fry for another 1 minute. Remove from the wok (Important else it gets over-fried) into a plate and allow to cool down a bit (I prefer to grind it when it is still warm).

Transfer into a grinder cup along with 1 red chilli and salt. Grind into a fine powder.

Now add the coconut pieces and dry grind first. Then add the required amount of water and grind again. Remove into a serving vessel.

Tempering - Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Add  the mustard seeds and once it starts spluttering, add asafoetida, red chilli and curry leaves. Remove from flame after 10 seconds. Pour this mix over the chutney and stir in.

Serve with Dosa/Idli/Vada/Uttapam.