Strawberry and apple chutney | Spicy Strawberry Chutney | Sweet n Sour Strawberry Dip : A Vegan Dip Recipe

Learn how to make strawberry chutney with a twist. I have adapted the bajji/gojju recipe of South Canara and given a twist to the regular bajji. You can call it strawberry gojju too...

I bought 2 big boxes of strawberry during one of the trips to the supermarket. After coming home, I tasted them and it was a huge disappointment. The strawberries were too sour to my liking. I made milkshakes, lassi with them, but the amount of sugar that went in making the milkshake turned me off. So, I freezed them for later use.

Now that its been a couple of months that I freezed the strawberries, I wanted to finish them as early as possible.. So started making new and interesting experiments using the sour strawberries. I made this chutney last week. We liked the chutney so much that I made it again yesterday. Try it to believe!

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 4-6 (Makes about 1.5 cups of chutney)

Notes:

• If the strawberries are very sour, I recommend adding only 4-6 strawberries. Adjust the number of strawberries accordingly. I used only 6 strawberries.
• If the strawberries are too sweet, you could use 8 strawberries and to make the chutney sour, you could use a Granny Smith Apple to add the tart to the chutney.
• Do not use Granny Smith apple and very sour strawberries. You get the point right? We need to add some natural sugar to this chutney.
• I use any other variety of apple (like Fuji apple, gala apples, red delicious apple etc) to make this chutney. The apple adds an extra texture and sweetness to the chutney.
• For a very mild chutney, you could add 1 jalapeno with the seeds removed. I use 2-3 Indian spicy green chilies. We like our chutney spicy.

Ingredients:
For the chutney:
Strawberries: 6-8 nos, refer notes
Apple: 1 no, refer notes
Green bell pepper: 1/2 no or 1 small
Green chilies | Jalapenos : 1-3 nos, adjust according to your spice levels.
Salt:As needed
Cilantro | Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, roughly chopped
Curry leaves: 4 nos, torn
Asafoetida: 1/8 tsp
Jaggery | Brown Sugar: 1-2 tsp, to suit your needs
Salt: As needed
Grated coconut: 1/4 cup, fresh or frozen
Water: About 1/3 cup, more or less

For the tempering:
Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 2-3 nos, torn

Method:

Wash the apple thoroughly. Deseed the apple and roughly chop the apple. You can keep the skin of the apple.
Wash the strawberries and roughly chop them.
In a sauce pan, add all the ingredients (except grated coconut) mentioned in the chutney section. I repeat, do not add grated coconut. Bring it to a boil on a medium heat for about 7-10 mins. Do not add too much water. The fruits need to get cooked.

Allow the cooked mixture to cool.
Once cool, add coconut to the mixer and add this cooked mixture. Use the boiled water to make the chutney/dip. The water would be very flavorful. Do not discard the water. That is the reason I asked you to add little water in the beginning, remember?

Grind it to a medium coarse paste. Do not grind it very fine. We need some texture to our chutney.
Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small wok, when oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When leaves wilt and seeds splutter, turn off the heat. Pour the tempering over the chutney.
Serve the chutney as a side dish with rice, Indian flat breads, ragi rotti, gluten free sprouts bread or any dish of your preference.

Heerekai Chutney | Ridge gourd Chutney | Thurai Chutney | Beerakaya Pachadi : South Indian Chutney Recipe

Wishing all my readers a very happy and a prosperous new year. Hope you all have a wonderful year.

The first week of  2015 was eventful. We hosted a Vishnu Sahasranama Chanting on 1st Jan at our house. I cooked palahara and the chanting went as planned. The very next morning, I got a call from my sis and bro. They informed me that our grand mom(mom's mom) passed away. I was heartbroken and speechless. I could not control my emotions. I will not write more as I can go on for hours about my relationship with her. RIP ajji is all I say.

Now back to the recipe.

Heerekai Chutney is a very simple and flavorful chutney that can be cooked under 20 mins. And the best part is, you can use the skin of the ridge gourd too for this chutney.

Preparation Time: 3 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Roughly chopped ridge gourd: 1 cup, with the skin
Green chilies: 3-4 nos, refer notes
Tamarind : 1/2 tsp, tightly packed
Salt: As needed
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Jaggery or brown sugar: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a small pinch
Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, torn
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Water: As needed
Grated coconut: 1/2 cup, fresh or frozen, refer notes

For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp, refer notes
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Urad dal | Black gram dal: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: a pinch
Curry leaves: 2 nos, torn

Method:
Add the ridge gourd, green chilies, tamarind, jaggery, curry leaves, asafoetida, coriander leaves, and turmeric to a sauce pan.

Add enough water to cover the vegetables and boil until the vegetables are tender and cooked. Turn off the heat.

Allow the mixture to cool. Once cool, grind it along with the coconut to make a smooth paste.
Scoop out the paste on to a serving bowl.

Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the black gram dal and roast till the dal turns golden brown. Throw in the curry leaves and when leaves wilt, add the asafoetida and turn off the heat.
Pour the tempering over the scooped chutney.
Mix well and serve it with chapathi/poori/rice or roti.

Notes:

• Instead of fresh or frozen coconut, you could use dry coconut powder that is available at Indian stores.
• I have used Serrano peppers and Indian green chilies for this chutney. 
• If you do not wish to use coconut oil, you could use any other cooking oil of your choice.
• Do not add too much water to cook the ridge gourd. Just add enough water so that you could use the boiled vegetable water for making the smooth paste. In that case, you don't waste any boiled vegetable water which is filled with nutrition and flavor.

Doddapatre Chutney | Coleus Aromaticus Chutney | Sambrani soppina bajji

Myself & my son are having a gala time this summer. We both sleep late at night & get up around noon everyday :) Some people might find it odd, but for me..., it is bliss. We skip our breakfast & I cook something very quick. One of these days, I made this doddapatre chutney to go with rice.

I'm lucky that I could get these leaves here too. When my friend moved back to India, she gave her plant to me :)  This bajji or chutney will not take more than 5 minutes of your time & yet tastes so delicious. If you have frozen coconut, it could be done in 5 minutes!!

You can read about the medicinal values of these leaves here.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 2-3 mins
Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients:
Doddapatre leaves: Around 15 nos, washed & roughly chopped
Grated fresh coconut: 3/4th cup
Green chillies: 2-3 nos
Plain Yogurt: 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Water: Around 3 tbsp, adjust according to your needs.

Method:
Heat oil in a small saute pan. When oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, add the green chillies & the roughly chopped doddapatre leaves. Saute till the leaves wilt. (Might take about a minute or two).
Remove the leaves from the heat & allow it to cool.
Add the coconut, salt, cooled leaves along with the chilli & the cumins seeds to the food processor jar. Add couple of tablespoons of water, yogurt & blend well to a slightly coarse paste. Add little more water if needed.
Scoop it out & serve it with hot rice & fritters.

Notes:

• If you prefer, you could add additional seasoning (with some curry leaves & mustard seeds).
• We prefer our chutney thick & not very spicy. So, I have added less chillies. 

Sutta badanekai bajji | Sutta badane gojju | South Indian Smoked eggplant Curry : Vegan eggplant side dish

.................a South Indian baingan bharta or Smoked eggplant curry!

This sutta badanekai gojju is my mom-in-law's recipe. She makes it often to go with rice. It uses very less ingredients and yet tastes delicious! It is quite healthy too. This could be used as a side dish to rice, roti, phulka or akki rotti.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: An hour for smoking the eggplant
Serves:2-3

Ingredients:
One large eggplant: about 1 pound
Finely chopped red onion: 1/2 cup
Finely chopped green chilli: 4-5 nos
Brown sugar/jaggery/bella: 1 tbsp
Tamarind water: 1/4th cup (extract from a small lime sized taramind)
Salt: As needed

For tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-5 nos, torn
Hing/Asafoetida: a big pinch

Method:
Wash the eggplant & pat dry. Prick the eggplant using a knife at several places. Roast the eggplant on a stove top or in an oven. I normally roast it in the preheated oven at 375‭⁰F for about an hour.
Let it cool. Once cool, peel the skin & finely chop the flesh of the eggplant.

Add the chopped onion, green chilli, jaggery, tamarind water, salt to the chopped eggplant.

Get your hands dirty now. Mash the whole thing thoroughly until the spices mix well.

Let it sit aside for 30 mins for the flavors to develop.
Prepare the tempering. Heat the oil, once hot, drop in the mustard seeds & curry leaves. When the leaves wilt, add the asafoetida & turn off the heat.
Pour the tempering over the eggplant mixture. Mix well & serve.

Notes:

• You could roast the eggplant on the stove top. Stove top method of roasting the eggplant takes much less time than roasting in the oven.
• I do not add coriander leaves to this curry recipe as I do not want any other herbs to overpower this dish.

Bendekai Gojju | South Indian Bhindi Curry | Indian Okra Sauce: Karnataka Recipes

...Okra in a sweet, sour 'n' spicy sauce....

Tender, fresh, light green colored, smooth skinned & small sized okra always tempt me to buy them. I'm also lucky to get fresh okra in the nearest Indian stores here. My son loves bhindi/okra & he always tempts me to buy them. He used to love the bhindi besan & nothing else from okra. This time I convinced him for this gojju & told him that it is amma's classic gojju recipe. He loved every bit of it. In the coming months, it will be only bendekai gojju at my home & you know why ;)

Bendekai gojju / Bendekayi gojju is a Karnataka specialty. It is spicy, sweet n sour & blends beautifully with the stir fried okra. Each & every member of my family/extended family prepare this gojju & I haven't heard from any of them not liking it.. Some love to eat them with akki rotti, some with white rice & some more with chapathi/roti. I love to eat them with all of them.

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-3 

Ingredients:

Okra/Ladies Finger/Bendekai : 1 lb (around half a kilo)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Brown sugar/Jaggery/bella: medium lime sized
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp*
Salt: As needed 

For the spice paste:

Oil: 1/2 tsp

Gram dal /Channa dal /Kadalebele : 1 tbsp

Black gram dal/ Urad dal/Uddinabele : 1/2 tbsp

Sesame seeds: 1 tsp
Green chilies: 4 nos
Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup, tightly packed
Grated coconut: 1/4th cup, fresh or frozen

For the tempering:
Oil: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn

Method:
Chop the okra into thin slices.(about 1/4th of an inch). If you are handling the okra for the first time, refer to the notes below before doing anything. It is that important!!

For the spice paste:
Heat the oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, throw in the channa dal & urad dal. When they turn light brown, add the sesame seeds & broken green chilies. Turn off the heat after 30-40 secs. Let it cool.

Throw in the coriander leaves, grated coconut & the roasted dal + green chilies to a food processor jar. Add  about 2-3 tbsp water & grind it to a smooth paste.
In a broad pan, add oil & saute/stir fry the okra slices on a medium-high heat until the okra is soft & crunchy.
Transfer the fried okra to a bowl.

Take another sauce pan, to prepare the gojju. Heat oil. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds & curry leaves to it.

When seeds crackle & leaves wilt, scoop in the spice paste, add the salt, jaggery, tamarind extract, and add around half a cup of water to it. Cook on a low-medium heat until the raw smell of the jaggery & tamarind disappears.

Throw in the fried okra to the sauce & boil it on a medium heat. Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat.

Serve it hot with rice, roti or akki rotti.

Notes:

• As okra is used in a sauce, it is very crucial to remove the slime from the okra. Below are some tips to remove the slime from the okra. 
• Never cut a wet okra. Keep the chopping board, knife & the okra completely dry. 
• After washing the okra, dry them on a kitchen towel & wipe them all dry again before using. 
• Use a broad pan to saute the okra. Add more oil & saute it on a high heat to remove the slime & keep the okra crisp. 
• Adding a pinch of amchur powder/mango powder (easily available at Indian Stores) while sauteing the okra does the trick of removing the slime too.
• My other tips on how to remove the slime could be found here. 
• Adjust the consistency of the sauce as preferred by your family. 

Tomato Thokku | Tomato Chutney

When I am in no mood to cook elaborate meals, I make some thokku or gojju which stays good for couple of days. They are very versatile & tastes great as a side dish with many things. They kick up your taste buds too.My son loves mixing the tomato thokku with plain rice, my hubby eats it with chapathi or paratha (Indian breads). I use it as a side dish for idli, dosa, or akki rotti :)

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
Tomatoes : 7 nos, medium sized
Oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 6-8 nos, torn
Fenugreek seeds: a pinch
Turmeric powder: a big pinch
Chili powder: 1 tsp
Jaggery: 1/2 tbsp
Taramind concentrate: 1tsp
Salt: As needed

Method:
Finely chop the tomatoes & keep them aside.

Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds.

When mustard seeds splutter, add in the torn curry leaves & fenugreek seeds.

When fenugreek seeds turn golden brown, add in the tomatoes & mix well.

Throw in the red chili powder, tamarind concentrate, salt, & jaggery.

Mix well & cook the tomatoes on a medium heat for another 20-30 mins, until the tomatoes are soft & mushy.
Turn off the heat & serve it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
I kept the thokku little watery instead of making it very thick, since my family prefers it that way!
You could cook for some more time to get a very thick gojju/thokku.

Sambandha | Indian Mixed Vegetable Medley: Karnataka Recipes

Weather is getting colder as days are passing. I am all excited to watch my first snow & at the same time a bit scared too. Currently enjoying the fall to the fullest. My throat keeps itching for something hot/warm these days. The last couple of months, I have literally stopped making the amazing tambuli. Hence for a change on a warmer day, I made this sambandha/gojju/bajji. It is a great side dish for boiled rice.

The literal meaning of sambandha (in Kannada) is relationship. I don't know how this dish got the name "Sambandha". Is it because, it binds many vegetables together :p You could add any vegetable to this dish & it always turns yummy!

Pardon the poor images. Will try to get better pictures next time!

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins

Recipe Source: Mother-in-law.
Ingredients: (For around 3 cups of the gojju)
Vegetables used:

• 2 inch zucchini
• 1 tomato
• 2 inch ridge gourd ( no need to peel the skin)
• 2 tbsp chow chow
• a fistful spinach leaves
• 1/4th medium carrot
• 1/2 potato, peeled
• 1 small piece of red pepper/capsicum
• 4 green chillies
• 5 nos of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves
• Salt: 1 tsp, more or less
• Turmeric powder: a big pinch
• Tamarind extract: 1 tsp, thick
• Jaggery: 1 tsp
• Asafoetida: a big pinch.
• Grated coconut: 3 tbsp, fresh or frozen
• Water: 1 cup, more or less

Method:

Dice all the vegetables. Add water & turmeric powder to the vegetables. Cook it on a medium-high heat uncovered until all the vegetables are soft. (Takes about 10 mins).
Add salt, tamarind extract, jaggery, asafoetida, to the cooked vegetables & continue boiling the vegetables for another 5 minutes on low-medium heat.Finally add the grated coconut & turn off the heat.
Allow the vegetables to come to room temperature.
Once cool, make a coarse paste of the cooked vegetables. Scoop it out & serve!

Notes:

• Any quick cooking vegetable could be added to make this dish. Some other options would be brinjal, ivy gourd, broccoli, any squash, green apple etc.
• Do not add onion, ginger or garlic to this as these will over power the flavor of this gojju!

Erulli kaavu gojju/Sping Onion Curry Recipe

First of all, a very happy & a prosperous new year to all. I know, I am late in wishing. But, I have so many valid (really?!) reasons behind it. Anyways, better late than never. Enjoy twenty-twelve in your way!

(Photo courtesy:  http://myfrencheasel.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-2012.html )

Back to the recipe. Spring onions or green onions are called erulli hoovu or erulli kaavu in Kannada. My mom makes a tasty gojju/curry with this & I love it. This time, mom picked up the spring onions from my native & I made the curry as per her instructions. We all loved it with akki rotti & rice!

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15-20 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
Spring onions/erulli kaavu: Around 600gms
Thick tamarind extract: 2 tsp
Jaggery: 2 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 8-10 nos
Salt: As per needs

For spice paste:
Roasted channa dal/hurigadale: 1-2 tbsp
Red chillies: 8-12 nos, non spicy one
Sesame seeds/ellu/til: 3 tsp
Urad dal: 2 tsp
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Grated coconut: 1/2 cup, fresh/frozen
Oil: 1 tsp

Method:

• Prepare the spice paste first. Heat oil in a medium pan. When oil is hot, add urad dal followed by sesame seeds. Saute the sesame seeds on low heat for 20-30 secs. Throw in the red chillies & saute till the aroma of the red chillies fill the kitchen (or till the chillies become crisp & change its color).
• Allow the chilli mixture to cool. When cooled, throw it in a blender along with roasted channa dal, coriander leaves & grated coconut. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and prepare a smooth paste out of it. Scoop out the paste  keep it aside.
• Cut the green onions length wise ( 1cm apart) & discard the flower. (Refer the picture below)

• Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add the cumin & mustard seeds. When seeds splutter, add curry leaves & chopped spring onion greens. Saute the greens for a minute. Ensure oil is evenly coated on the greens. Keep the heat medium. Continue sauteing for 2-3 mins. 
• Add the jaggery, tamarind paste, salt & spice paste to the greens. Add around /2 cup of water. Let the gravy thicken for 5-8 mins.
• Serve it hot with rice or roti.

Notes:

• It is important to use tender green onions while preparing this gravy, else the greens become very chewy after cooking.
• Roasted channa dal/hurigadale could be replaced with gram dal/kadale bele/channa dal. If you intend to use channa dal, do roast them in oil along with the urad dal & rest of the procedure remains same.