Pineapple-Mint-Chutney

#PineappleMintChutney :
#Pineapple is full of nutrients and rich in antioxidants. The enzymes present in it helps in digestion. It may boost immunity and suppress inflammation. It may ease symptoms of arthritis. 100 gms of raw pineapple gives 50 calories, rich source of Manganese [ 44% ] and Vitamin C [ 58 % ] and very low in fat.
Actually, eating fresh and juicy slices of pineapple with a dash of pepper powder / chilly powder is the best way to enjoy the fruit. The aroma & flavor of it is so refreshing and its sweet & tangy taste invite you to indulge more. But after eating one or two pieces the teeth would become so sensitive and very painful to bite anything anymore after that. So the next best option is making juice. Fresh juice made from pineapple without adding anything is unique in taste and can say undoubtedly that pineapple juice is the queen of all juices.
Last week I got an unripe pineapple which was bland in taste and was devoid of its usual sweet & tangy taste. So I made Pineapple mor kuzhambu from one half of that fruit and saved remaining portion in the refrigerator. Then I decided to prepare a chutney from that saved pineapple along with Pudhina [ mint ] as an apt accompaniment to Idli. Nowadays. I tend to include #pudhina [ #mint ] leaves in all the dishes I prepare as I have a wide green bed of mint in my garden.
I thought that the aroma and zing flavor of #Pudina [ #Mint ] and sweet & sour taste of pineapple would lift the taste of chutney to a different level. As imagined the outcome hadn't failed me and it was a sweet success. The chutney has become an instant hit among my family and nobody could figure out from which ingredient the chutney was made of!!

Ingredients :
15 - 20	Pineapple cubes of 1 in.
1/3 cup	Pudina leaves [ Mint ]
12 - 15	Curry leaves [ Optional ]
1/2 inch long	Turmeric tuber*
2 - 3	Red chilly [ adjust ]
Small piece	Asafoetida [ Perungayam ]
1 Tsp	Black gram
1 Tsp	Horse gram
3 Tbsp	Coconut scrapings
1 Tsp	Flax seed
2 Tsp	Ginger chopped
6 -10	Black pepper corns
1/2 Tsp	Jaggery [ optional ]
1 Tsp	Salt [ adjust ]
2 Tsp	Gingelly oil [ till / sesame oil ]

* If turmeric tuber is not available then take 1/4 Tsp of turmeric powder.

Method :
Clean pudhina leaves [ mint ] and curry leaves in water two or three times.
Drain the water and set aside.

Take 1 1/2 Tbsp of water in a pressure cooker and add chopped pineapple pieces and nicely chopped turmeric tuber.
Pressure cook for two whistles on high flame.
Turn off the stove and release pressure immediately.
Keep aside.

Heat a kadai with half a teaspoon of oil on slow flame.
Add red chilly and asafoetida [ perungayam ] once oil starts fuming.
Fry red chilly till its color changes to dark red.
Remove them and place it into a dry bowl.
Fry black pepper till it starts spluttering.
Transfer into the same bowl.

Now add half a teaspoon of oil and then add black gram.
Keep stirring for a minute and then add horse gram.
Continuously stir till black gram turns golden brown and horse gram starts crackling.
Transfer into the same bowl.

Roast flax seeds till it crackles and transfer into the same bowl.

Allow them to cool down to room temperature.

Now take all roasted ingredients into a mixie jar along with salt and coconut scrapings.
Run the mixer grinder without adding water.
Now transfer cooked pineapple along with water from pressure cooker into the mixie jar.
Add pudhina leaves, curry leaves and jaggery also. 
Grind into a smooth paste adding enough water.
Adjust salt and Transfer into a serving bowl.

A very good accompaniment for tiffins like Upma, 

Pongal, Rice Sundal, 

idli and dosai.

This chutney can also be mixed with hot white rice along with a dash of gingelly oil [ sesame/till oil ] and relished with sambar or any favorite vegetable curry of ones choice.





You may like to try :

Bringaraj chutney	Ammaan pacharisi thuvaiyal [ Asthma plant chutney ]	Pudhina yogurt chutney
Vallarai [ centella ] chutney	Poduthalai thuvaiyal	Capsicum Chutney	Muttacos [ Cabbage ] chutney
Katharikkai [ Brinjal ] chutney	Ammaan pacharisi [ Asthma plant ] Paruppu thuvaiyal	Maangai herbal chutney [ Raw mango herbal chutney ]

For Other Chutney Varieties

Chutney Recipes

For variety of recipes

Recipe Index

Rawa-Rose-Urundai

#RawaRoseUrundai :
Some days back I made ghee from butter and as usual finally added drumstick leaves into the simmering hot ghee. Drumstick leaf - Murungai keerai has to be added at the end to enhance the aroma of the ghee. Usually I used to make kesari in the vessel in which the ghee was made. This time I decided to make a sweet that would include dried rose petals as I have dried lots of rose petals and preserved in bottles and also wanted to add ghee fried murungai keerai [ drumstick leaf ] for its health benefits. 
I have been using those dried rose petals only to prepare herbal tea. I carefully studied different recipes of sweets and whether those dried rose petals could be included in it. The idea is that the sweet thus prepared should have taste and aroma of rose petals. Suddenly it struck me that my mother used to add a few drops of rose essence while making Rawa urundai. So I thought why can't dried rose petals be added to it instead of essence. 
Finally this is how I prepared rawa urundai adding dried rose petals, fried murungai keerai [ drumstick leaf ], cashew nuts and dried dates.

Ingredients :
1 cup	Rawa [ Sooji ]
1 cup	Sugar [ Adjust ]
3 - 4	Cardamom
3 - 4	Dates Dried [ Sultana or raisins ]
5 - 6	Cashew nuts
1 Tbsp	Murungai keerai [ Optional ]
small piece	Nutmeg [ Optional ]
1/3 cup	Rose petals dried
A pinch	Salt
1/4 cup	Ghee

Method :
Break cashew nuts into small pieces.
Chop dried dates into small pieces.
Pluck murungai keerai from its stem and wash.
Pat dry with a clean & dry cloth.
Set aside.
Grind sugar into a nice powder using a mixer grinder.
Transfer into a vessel and keep aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel or kadai on a stove over medium flame.
Dry roast rawa [ sooji ] till it gives out aroma.
The rawa shouldn't be allowed to change its color.
Transfer into a plate or bowl and set aside.
Allow to cool down.
In the same vessel/kadai add rose petals and stir only for very few seconds and transfer to the plate containing roasted rawa.
Take roasted rawa, dried rose petals, cardamom, nutmeg and salt.

Grind into a nice flour using a mixer grinder.

Heat heavy bottomed vessel/kadai on stove over low flame.
Add 1 Tsp of ghee and roast chopped dried dates [ sultanas ] till it turns golden color.

Transfer into bowl. 
In the same vessel/kadai add another teaspoon of ghee and roast cashew nuts till it becomes golden color.
Transfer into the same bowl.

Again in the same kadai add 2 teaspoon of ghee and roast murungai keerai on slow fire till the leaves become crisp and brittle.
Take care not to allow the leaves to change its color.
Transfer into the same bowl.

Now add rest of the ghee in the same vessel/kadai and heat till ghee melts down.
Turn off the stove and take off the vessel from the stove.
Add powdered sugar, powdered rawa & rose mix and all roasted ingredients.

Mix well with a ladle.

Tightly roll the rawa mixture into small urundai [ ball ] with hand. 
Neatly arrange in a clean and dry container with lid.
Enjoy tasty, healthy and yummy Rawa rose balls!!!

If the ball tends to break while pressing with hand then add some more hot ghee and mix well.
Then roll into balls.

It can be stored for a week at normal temperature.

You might like to try

Thinai Murungaikeerai urundai [ Foxtail millet drumstick leaf balls ]

Thinai Payasam [ Foxtail millet Payasam ]

Aval [ Rice flakes ]  Kesari

Rawa Urundai [ Sooji sweet Ball ]

Brown top  millet bread

For sweet recipes

Sweets

For All Recipes

Recipe Index

Maangai-Herbal-Chutney

#MaangaiHerbalChutney  #RawMangoHerbalChutney : As you all know, due to corona pandemic, we all have been living under lockdown condition since the end of March 2020  till date. Since then almost all shops and hotels except medical shops are closed and people are advised to sit at home and not to roam around freely.
There are three small houses in our house premises and three families are living in these houses. They help us to maintain garden and also in domestic chores. They are working in local market for their livelihood. During lockdown they were not able to go for work and were facing difficult times. So we decided to feed them idli in the morning. We couldn't prepare coconut chutney as the price of coconut is too high here and we have to go to a particular shop to get coconuts.
Basically, a tasty chutney requires to balance spiciness, sourness and salt. Chutney also needs an ingredient that would combine all ingredients together and gives volume & texture to it.
We have a wide Pudhina [ Mint ] bed in my garden, Curry leaf plants, Mango trees and Omavalli [ karpooravalli ] plants. Also we planted turmeric last year and harvested tubers in January.  After careful thought I found out a formula to prepare a spicy & tasty chutney including all the fresh green leaves and raw mango with other condiments.
We need to increase our immunity now to save ourselves from that deadly virus. Keeping that in my mind I have included black pepper, ginger, garlic, turmeric tuber, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. I have taken fried grams to combine all the ingredients together. I took lots of green chilly & red chilly to give spiciness to the chutney.
The outcome was a great success and liked by all.
The best part is all the ingredients are combined together in raw form and no need to saute or roast on fire. It is really an immune booster and rich in antioxidant as fresh leaves have been used and they are not cooked on fire. So their nutrients and medicinal properties remain intact.

I have been making this herbal chutney since March till date and continues to remain a hot favorite of all. Now I can proudly say, I have mastered the art of preparing this spicy green herbal chutney and now I needn't have to check salt & spiciness since whenever I prepare this chutney, I am able to get perfect taste, texture and flavor!!
Thus the proverb, "Practice makes a man perfect"  proved.

Ingredients :
1 medium size	Maangai [ Raw green mango ]
2 Handful	Pudhina leaves [ Mint ]
1 Handful	Curry leaves
15 - 20	Omavalli leaves [ Karpooravalli ]
1/4 cup	Coriander leaves chopped [ optional ]
15 - 20	Green chilly [ Adjust ]
2 - 3	Red chilly dry [ Adjust ]
5 - 6	Small Onion
4 - 5	Garlic cloves
3/4 in long	Ginger piece
1/2 in long	Turmeric Tuber*
15 - 20	Black pepper corns
1 Tsp	Cumin seeds
1 Tsp	Coriander seeds
1 Tbsp	Fried gram [ Pottukadalai ]
2 Tsp	Salt [ Adjust ]
1 Tsp	Vinegar**

* If turmeric tuber is not available then take 1/4 Tsp of Turmeric powder
**Vinegar is added to avoid discoloration due to pudhina leaves [ Mint ].
Lemon juice can be used instead of vinegar

Note : The measurements given above for greens are just for reference only. They can be altered according to availability.

Method :
Wash mango and chop into 1 inch cubes with skin.
Wash all the leaves in water two or three times and drain in a colander or over a cutting board.
Wash green chilly.
Now take all ingredients except vinegar in a mixie jar and grind without adding water.

The water content of the leaves and chilly is enough to make into a coarse paste.
Then add some water & vinegar and grind into a smooth paste.
Adjust salt.
Transfer into a serving bowl.

Hot and spicy green maangai herbal chutney is ready to relish with hot idli.

Keep hot idlies on a plate and serve one or two spoons of  maangai herbal chutney. Dig a pit at the center of chutney and pour a teaspoon of gingelly oil [ sesame/til oil ]. Enjoy!!!...

Note :
Alter the amount of raw mango [ maangai ] and green chilly according to your taste.
If raw mango [ maangai ] is too sour then reduce the quantity of raw mango [ maangai ] and increase that of green chilly.


Other chutney recipes you might like to try

Tamil :Pirandai thuvaiyal English : Veldt grape chutney

Tamil : Kothamalli Pachai chutney English : Coriander leaf green chutney

Tamil : Pudhina thayir chtuney English : Mint yoghurt chutney

Tamil : Vallarai chutney English :  Centella Chutney

Tamil : Poduthalai thuvaiyal English : Purple Lipia Chutney

For other tasty accompaniments

Chutney Recipes

Ideas for tiffins and other dishes

Recipe Index

Ammaan-Pacharisi-Paruppu-Thuvaiyal

#AmmaanPacharisiParuppuThuvaiyal  #AsthmaPlantLentilChutney :
I have learned from web world that ammaan pacharisi is known as #AsthmaPlant in English and it is helpful in treating our respiratory problems. The monsoon has just started here at #Chittaranjan, West Bengal and we are getting considerable rain fall on daily basis. So the plants are happy and weeds are growing abundantly in our garden. Now #Ammaanpacharisiplant [ #AsthmaPlant ] has started growing up in almost all places around our house and garden.The leaves are very fresh and tender.
So I have started using its leaves in the preparation of chutney quite frequently.



#AmmaanPacharisi names in different languages

Botanical Name : Euphorbia hirta
English Name    : Asthma plant or Common spurge or Cats hair or Garden spurge or Tawa-tawa
Hindi Name       :  Bada dudhi
When the stem is being broken a white sticky liquid just like milk oozes out.
The leaves don't have any smell or distinct taste.

Uses : Asthma, respiratory problem and respiratory tract inflammation
Lungs problem, Gastrointestinal disorder, diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever.
It is also good in treating mouth ulcers and also stomach ulcer.

After preparing a tasty thuvaiyal [ chutney ] from Amman pacharisi leaves recently, now I have made another kind of thuvaiyal here.

Ingrdients :
20 - 25	Ammaan Pacharisi Leaves [ Asthma plant leaves ]
3 Tbsp	Coconut scrapings
1 Tbsp heaped	Thuvar dal
2 - 3	Red chilly dry [ Adjust ]
10 - 12	Black Pepper
5 - 6	Garlic cloves
3/4 Tsp	Salt [ Adjust ]
2 Tsp	Gingelly oil [ Sesame/Till oil ]

Method :
Clean amman pacharisi leaves in water two or three times.
Drain the water and set aside.

Heat a kadai with half a teaspoon of oil on slow flame.
Add red chilly once oil starts fuming.
Fry red chilly till its color changes to dark red.
Remove and place it on a dry plate.

Fry black pepper also in the same way and remove.

Now add half a teaspoon of oil and then add Thuvar dal.
Continuously stir till thuvar dal turns golden brown.
Transfer on to the plate.
Finally saute ammaan pacharisi leaves.
Transfer on to the plate.

Now take all the roasted ingredients into a mixie jar along with garlic, salt and coconut scrapings.

Grind into a smooth paste adding water.

Adjust salt and Transfer into a serving bowl.

A very good accompaniment for tiffins like Upma, 

Pongal, Rice Sundal, 

idli and dosai.

This chutney can also be mixed with hot white rice along with a dash of gingelly oil [ sesame/till oil ] and relished with Pulicharu and pappad. This is one of the greatest combo and also the favorite of every house hold in Tamil Nadu.
It also goes well with vathakuzhambu or any favorite vegetable curry of ones choice. 

You may like to try :

Bringaraj chutney

Coriander green chutney

Pudhina yogurt chutney

Vallarai [ centella ] chutney

Poduthalai thuvaiyal

For Other Chutney Varieties

Chutney Recipes

For variety of recipes

Recipe Index