Capsicum Onion Chutney | Thogayal

Capsicum is a flavourful vegetable. Also known as Bell Pepper, this vegetable has now taken an important place in cuisines worldwide. Added to a dish, it makes it colourful, flavourful and inviting.

How to select Capsicum :- It should be Firm, Glossy and well shaped. The stems should be looking green and fresh. Should be blemishless. Should be heavy.

We can make a wide variety of dishes using this vegetable, starting from humble sambar and khadi, it makes it's way into the continental , customised and fastfood dishes as well.

Sharing with you a simple and easy chutney using Capsicum with Onion which can make it an excellent side dish for Dosai, Idli and Rice.

Ingredients :-

Serves : 2 people

1. Capsicum (Bell Pepper) - 1/2 Cup
2. Onion - 1/2 Cup
3. Urad - 1 Tbsp
4. Red Chillies (Dried) - few nos.
5. Tamarind - few pieces
6. Salt to taste
7. Oil - 2 Tsp

Video Recipe is here :- 

Process :-

• Heat a wok, add 2 tsp oil and fry the tamarind and red chillies together till the chillies are roasted well and puffs up. Transfer to a plate to cool.

• Add whole Urad (Whole urad will roast evenly than the split ones). Fry till golden brown. Transfer to a plate.

• Add Capsicum and Onion, stir. Add salt, mix. Cover and cook till done, while stirring in between. Transfer to a plate.

• Let the friend items cool completely and then grind to a smooth paste (without adding water).

• Flavourful Capsicum and Onion chutney is ready!

Green Chutney with Pudina (Mint)

During Summer time, we can opt for no cooking recipes wherever possible to cut our sweating time in the kitchen.  Sharing with you one such wonder recipe for this Summer.

There are variety of Chutneys prepared through out the country and many of them can also be used as a DIP.

So, today I am sharing a Green Chutney recipe which is Colorful, delicious and Flavourful. It is good to include greens in our diet. Coriander and Mint are such lovely greens that has lot of health benefits. Hence this no cooking recipe makes it more healthy.

I tasted this super spicy chutney in a street food vendor cart where they were making & selling hot vadapav and bread bajji. 

You will need :-

1. Pudina (Mint) leaves - 1 cup
2. Coriander leaves - 1 Cup
3. Green Chillies - 3 Nos. (or as preferred)
4. Garlic Pods - 3 Nos.
5. Ginger - 1/2" piece (optional)
6. Sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)
7. Salt to taste
8. Lemon juice (optional) - 1 tsp

Procedure :-

• Grind everything together by adding little water to a fine paste. 

Suggestions :-

• This chutney tastes superb when fresh. 
• It Can be refrigerated and used for one day only as it may lose its fresh aroma as it gets old. So prepare it fresh.
• This chutney can be served as an accompaniment to Idli, Dosai
• Can be used as a spread instead of Mayo for a healthy eating. 
• Can also be used as a bread sandwich Chutney.

Peanut Coconut Chutney Kadalai Chutney Moongphali Chutney

There are variety of chutney that is made and served for Idli and Dosa. Sharing with you today another version of chutney such Chutney using "Rosated" peanuts / Groundnuts / Moongphali / Shengdana / Verkadalai/Kappalandi.

Roasted groundnut is used to replace coconut in traditional recipes. In this recipe, I am  using combo of groundnut and coconut.  Roasted peanuts is very healthy for heart. If you are looking for low glycemic index food this chutney is very good (Just replace coconut completely and use roasted peanuts). If you don't like garlic, just exclude that form your ingredient list.

A QUICK AND EASY Yummilicious CHUTNEY recipe!!

 Ingredients :-

1. Roasted Groundnut - 1/2 cup
2. Grated coconut   - 1/4 cup
3. Green Chillies - 2 Nos. (or as per your preference)
4. Garlic Pod - 1 No. (optional)
5. Curry Leaves - 5 Nos.
6. Salt to taste
7. Water as requried

• For tempering :-

1. Oil for tempering - 3 tsp
2. Mustard seeds  - 1 tsp

Procedure  :-

• Put ingredients 1 to 6 in a blender and adding water grind to a smooth paste. 

• You can add the water as per your required consistency to make it thick or thin or medium.

• In a tempering pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. After they splutter add it to the chutney and mix well.

• Yummy Nutty Chutney is ready!

Chashni Ki Chutney / Sweet Chutney

This sugar based sweet chutney can be served with snacks viz., samosas, kothimbir vadi, methi vadi etc... and the most important street food of mumbai - the 'Vada Pav'

You will need :

1. Sugar - 1/4 cup
2. Water - 1 tbsp
3. Deggi Mirch Powder -  a pinch (or as per taste)
4. Roasted cumin seed powder - a pinch
5. Black salt - a pinch (or as per taste)
6. Orange food color - less than 1/2 pinch measure

• Dissolve sugar in water and bring to boil. Add all other ingredients and boil till it thickens slightly.

•  Cool and use 

• You can adjust the seasoning as per your taste preference. For a change you may add a pinch of chat masala too.

• If you use deggi mirch or kashmiri mirch powder, the use of food color is optional.

I apply it on the pav for my vada pav along with green chutney and garlic chutney :-) 

You may check the cookbook label on the right hand side or use search option for the vadapav, batata vada recipes.

Coconut with garlic chutney

A flavourful coconut based accompaniment which goes well with Idli, Dosa, Upma, Vadais, Kozhukattai (dumpling)

Ingredient :

Grated Coconut - 1 Cup
Roasted gram - 1/2 cup (Pottukadalai / Putana / Chutney dal)
Green Chilli - 2 Nos.
Garlic pods - 2 Nos
Curry Leaves - 5 Nos
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Salt to taste
Little water for grinding

For Tempering :-

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

Procedure :- 

• Grind everything together in a mixer or blender to a nice paste.

• Heat oil, add mustard seeds. 

•  After they start crackling, add asafoetida 

• After the mustard stops crackling, add it to the prepared chutney, mix well.

Chenai Masiyal / Suran Chutney / Elephant Yam chutney

Elephant Yam / Suran / Chenai is a root vegetable which is even given to new mothers who have given delivery because it is such a safe vegetable and easy to cook and is very tender.

Various dishes can be prepared using it. I am now sharing a traditional mouth watering recipe with you. As I said traditional recipe it means we use coconut oil for it. But you can use the oil of your choice. If you like the flavour of coconut oil, you will find it even more delicious.

Chenai Masiyal 

Ingredients :-

1. Elephant Yam - 1/4 kg
2. Lemon - 1/2 
3. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs (reserve one for tempering)
4. Red chilli -  2 Nos
5. Green Chilli - 1 no.
6. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7. Urad whole - 1 tsp
8. Hing - 1 pinch
9. Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
10. Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
11. Ginger - 1" piece
12. salt to taste
13. Coconut oil - 3 tbsp (reserve 1 tbsp for garnishing)

Procedure :-

• Peel, wash thoroughly and dice them

• Boil water, add salt and turmeric powder, put the diced yam and bring to boil, lower the flame and let it cook till it becomes tender.

• Drain (you can use the water for other cooking purposes or dilute and drink like soup and let it cool

• In a mixer grind the grated coconut, curry leaves, ginger, greenchilli coarsely (without water).\

• When the yam cubes cools down, mash them or just put in a mixe and whip it.

• Heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds, urad, red chilli and hing powder. 

• When the mustard splutter, urad turns nice red in colour, add curry leaves and then add the mashed yam and grated coconut masala.\

• Mix well for 2 minutes

•  remove from fire 

• when it cools down a bit, squeeze in juice of half a lemon, the remaining 1tbsp of coconut oil and adjust salt if required. Mix well.

• Mouthwatering and flavourful masiyal / chutney is ready!

It goes well with plain hot white rice (as a main dish), and as side dish with chapathis and other rices varieties. A very good accompaniment for curd rice.

Garlic Groundnut Chutney Powder

Garlic Groundnut Chutney powder is a Maharashtrian Recipe which goes well with Chapathis, Rice and is also used in the very famous vada pav for garnishing. The advantage of the chutney powders is they have long shelf life of two to three months and comes handy. A simple yet lip smacking recipe.

Ingridients :-

1. Ground Nut - 1 cup
2. Garlic - 5 pods
3. Red Chillies - 5 nos
4. Salt to taste

Procedure :-

• Roast the ground nut and red chillies separately, allow them to cool.
• In a mixer add red chillies and garlic pods, grind.
• Add the roasted groundnut, salt and use whipper and grind coarsely giving frequent breaks and open the lid of the mixie jar to let the hot air out. (this is to prevent the oil oozing out due to heat generated during the grinding process)
• Cool and Store in an air tight container.

Idli Milagaipodi / Idli Chutney Powder / இட்லி மிளகாய் பொடி

A South Indian chutney powder also known as gun powder, goes well with tiffin items like Dosai, Idli and Upmaa when you don't have time to make chutney or sambhar.

Ingridients : 

1. Whole White Urad - 1 tea cup (black gram)
2. Channa Dal - 1/2 tea cup (bengal gram)
3. Black Til - little less than 1/4 tea cup
4. Red Chillies - 16 - 20 Nos. or as per preference
5. Hing powder - 1 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Gingelly Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure :

• Heat a Pan / Kadai and add gingelly oil to it
• Add Urad and fry till it turns into golden brown & transfer it to a plate
• Now in the same pan / kadai, add channa dal & roast till it becomes crispy and changes colour slightly, transfer it to the plate containing urad.
• Roast black til till it pops & add it to the fried dals
• Roast red chilli add it to the dals and let it cool.
• In a mixie jar add the fried items & grind it for 30 seconds.
• Add salt and hing and powder them. (A coarse texture will give it a crispiness while chewing)

Variation :-

You can alter the quantity of black gram (urad) and Channa dal (bengal gram)  which gives different flavour & taste to this preparation. I alter them to bring change in taste.

Suggestions :-

• Instead of chutney or sambhar, you can have them with this power mixed in little oil into a pasty texture. Can be consumed without mixing oil too.
• Oil used for deep frying, when reaches the smoking point once, is not good to use it again for frying purposes. That oil can be used for mixing it with the chutney powder and makes the molagaipodi even more tastier.