Fried gram dal chutney - Udaithakadalai chutney

Ingredients:

Fried gram dal - Udaithakadalai - 1 cup
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos.
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Grind fried gram dal, grated coconut, green chillies and little salt with some water.

Fried gram dal chutney is ready to be served. It can be served for 2 people. It requires 10 minutes to prepare.

Note: Add only required amount of water.

Optional: Red chillies can be used instead of green chillies. One pearl onion can be added for taste.

I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is two weeks

Totie Fields

Onion chutney - Vengaya chutney

Ingredients:

Onions - Vengayam - 2 nos. (Large size)
Pearl onion - Sambhar vengayam - 4 nos.
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 5 nos.
Black gram dal - Ulutham Parupu - 1 table spoon
Bengal gram dal - Kadalai Parupu - 1 table spoon
Tamarind - Puli - small lemon size
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Peel off the skin and cut onion into big pieces. Keep other required ingredients ready.
   Heat oil in kadai/pan and add red chillies, black gram dal, bengal gram dal, tamarind, salt and finally onions. Deep fry them.
2. Allow the mixture to cool, and grind in a mixie.

Onion chutney is ready to be served. It can be served with idlys, dosa, chappathi, rice balls. It can be served for 2 people. It hardly takes 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Grind the fried onions only after cooling off and add only required amount of water. Always be careful in adding salt, if it is more we can't eat, if there is no salt we can't imagine of serving. So be patient while adding salt.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals desire.

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.

James Beard

Mentha/Mint thuvayal - Pudhina thuvayal

Ingredients:

Mentha/Mint leaves - Pudhina leaves - 1 bunch
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 5 nos.
Tamarind - Puli - small quantity
Black gram - Ulutham paruppu - small quantity
Grated/Shredded coconut - Thuriviya thengai - small quantity
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash mint leaves 3 times. Keep other ingredients ready in a plate.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add red chillies, black gram, grated coconut, salt and finally mint leaves and fry for 10 minutes.
3. Once it is fried allow it to cool if off. Grind in a mixie adding very little water (Only the required amount).

Mint thuvayal is ready to be served. It can be served for 2 people. It requires 15 mintes to cook.

Note: Always use fresh mint leaves. Clean tamarind before using.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or reduced according to taste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha

You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car.

Harvey Diamond

Corriander/Cilantro chutney - Kothamali chutney

Ingredients:

Cilantro/Corriander leaves - Kothamali - 1 bunch
Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Small)
Tomatoe - Thakkali - 1 no. (Medium)
Tamarind - Puli - small quantity
Ginger - Inji - 1 table spoon
Garlic - Poondu - 1 no. (Medium)
Coconut (grated) - Thuriviya thengai - 1 spoon
Fenugreek - Vendayam - 1 tea spoon
Pepper - Milagu - small quantity
Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - small quantity
Red chillies - Kaintha milagai - 4 nos. (Medium)
Green chillies - Pachai milagai - 2 nos. (Small)
Bengal gram - Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 tea spoon
Black gram - Ullutham paruppu - 1/2 tea spoon
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Sesame oil - Nalenai - 2 table spoons
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut corriander leaves and keep ready in a plate.
2. Cut onion, tomatoes and keep other required ingredients in a plate.
3. Heat oil in a pan and fry bengal gram, black gram, pepper, cumin seeds, fenugreek, tamarind, ginger, garlic, red chillies, green chillies, onion, tomatoes, add asafoetida and salt and fianally add cilatro leaves, fry for some 10 minutes and allow it cool it off.
4. Grind all the contents adding a little water in a mixie.

Enjoy cilantro chutney!!! Yummy!! Yummy !! It can be served for 3 people. It requires some 20 minutes to cook.

Note: Always use fresh corriander leaves. It is very good for digestion.

Optional: Ingredients can be added or removed according to individuals wish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriander

Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody.

Samuel Pepys

Ginger Thokku - Inji thuvayal

Ingredients:

Ginger (Grated) - Inji - 1 cup
Red chillies - Kancha milagai - 5 nos.
Green chilly - Pachai milagai - 1 no.
Garlic - Poondu - 1 no. (Medium size)
Fenugreek - Vendayam - Small quantity
Tamarind - Puli - small quantity
Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch
Sesame oil - Nallennai - 3 spoons
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Peel off the skin, wash and keep grated ginger ready.
2. Heat oil in a pan/kadai and add tamarind, red chillies, green chillies, garlic, fenugreek, asafoetida, salt and finally grated ginger. Fry these contents for some 5 minutes.
3. Then we have to cool off the contents and finally grind to a paste adding only little water (Required).

Enjoy Ginger Thokku/Thuvayal! Yummy Yummy!!!! It goes will all tiffin items and rice items. It can be preserved in a fridge for 1 week. It takes only 15 minutes to cook.

Note: Always use fresh spices (Ginger) to make these if you want to preserve it for some time. Keep in a medium flame while frying. Add only little water for grinding to a paste. The contents must be cooled off before grinding and hot contents must not be grinded in a mixie.

Optional: Grated jaggery (Vellam) can be added according to their wish. Finishing step that is seasoning can be done before serving. Heat 1 spoon of oil and add mustard, once it splutters, add black gram, bengal gram, curry leaves and grated jaggery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger

I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation.

Madam Benoit

Mint/Mentha chutney - Pudhina chutney

Ingredients:

Mint - Pudhina - 2 bunches

Onion - Vengayam - 1 no. (Small)
Tomato - Thakkali - 1 no. (Medium)
Ginger - Inji - small piece
Garlic - Poondu - 1 piece

Green Chilly - Pachai Milagai - 2 nos
Red Chilly - Varuttha Milagai - 3 nos.
Fenugreek - Vendhayam - 1 tea spoon

Bengal gram - Kadalai paruppu - 1 tea spoon

Black gram - Ulluntham paruppu - 1 tea spoon

Pepper - Milagu - 1 tea spoon

Cumin seeds - Jeeragam - 1 tea spoon

Asafoetida - Perungayam - a pinch

Tamarind - Puli - small lemon size

Curry leaves - Karuvepilai

Salt to taste

2 spoons of oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash Mint Leaves (2 or 3 times).
2. Slice required amount of onion and tomato.
3. Fry in a pan or kadai adding little oil with the following contents:
   Bengal gram, black gram, tamarind, ginger, garlic, green chillies and red chillies, fenugreek, pepper, cumin seeds, curry leaves, onion, tomato and finally mint leaves, add salt and hing to taste (Grated coconut can be added according to taste)
4. Keep heat at optimum level. When the fry turns brown transfer the content to another vessel to cool it off (for some 2 minutes). Use a chopper to grind the contents.

Enjoy your Mint chutney! It can be served for 2 people. Requires some 15 minutes to cook.

Note: Use only required amount of water while grinding, not too much, as it will become very dilute.

Optional: Can fry mustard, curry leaves and black gram in 1 teaspoon of oil and add to the required contents if required - Seasoning (Traditional finishing step - Thalippu)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mint_leaves

A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods. He must be a perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end.

Walter Savage Landor