Til Ki Chutney–Uttarakhand

Today we are visiting the state of Uttarakhand, previously known as Uttaranchal. Uttarakhand is a one of the newer states formed in November 2000. Uttarakhand has a big significance as two of the major Indian rivers originate here – Ganga, the Gangotri and Yamuna, the Yamunotri. Another important place in Uttarakhand are the 2 holy places – Kedarnath and Badrinath. Today’s recipe is a simple chutney and I got this recipe from here. Chutneys are a boon. They pack so much flavor, but very less work. They are beautiful accompaniment that takes the main dish to the next level.. Can you imagine dosa without chutney?? Bonda without chutney?? idli without chutney?? bajji without chutney?? With and without chutney makes a big difference to the experience of the main dish.. So here is another such chutney which is a delicious one with bajji, idli, dosa, bonda.. It also makes a great dips with chips, nachos etc.. Try this very flavorful one and you will enjoy both making and relishing it..

Pumpkin Oambal - Nagaland

Come and travel with me to the far North Eastern India to the state of Nagaland. Nagaland is the smallest state in India and is the 16th state established. Agriculture is very rich and the important economic activity here. Principal crops include rice, corn, millet, pulses, oilseeds, potatoes and sugarcane. Nagaland is called the”Falcon capital of the World”. From Wiki – “The Nagas were originally referred to as Naka in Burmese language, which means 'people with pierced noses. Christianity is the predominant religion in this state. Nagaland is also the only “Baptist state in the World””. Another unique information to Nagaland is that there are about 20 languages that are used here. The cuisine of Nagaland, fondly called the Naga cuisine is predominant in meats and fish and they are smoked, fermented or dried. Now coming to today’s recipe, it is a delicious finger licking chutney.. The original recipe had bay leaf and lemon. I omitted them due to our taste and preference. I got this recipe from here and did make a few changes..

Hmarcha Rawt - Mizoram

Today we are visiting the another North Eastern State – Mizoram. Mizoram means – the land of hill people. From Mapsofindia – “ The Mizoram cuisine offers mainly non-vegetarian delicacies. The people who belong to this place do eat vegetables, but they prefer to add some non-vegetarian ingredients to each and every dish they prepare. The staple food of these people is primarily rice. One of the most popular non-vegetarian items of the people of the state is fish. The most commonly used medium of cooking is mustard oil. The Mizos do not like to eat oily food and they prefer to cook most of the dishes with little oil.” With that being said that each and every meal has meat in it, it was a big challenge to land on a vegetarian meat free dish.. I got this recipe from here and made few changes..In South we make what is called as pachai milagai thuvayal, meaning Green Chili thuvayal. This is so similar to that. I have added tamarind and asafetida and the original recipe does not have that.. I have used half of green chili and half of red chili.. Choice is yours, you could either one only and both in different quantity. After roasting the red chili, it needs to be soaked in water for 10 minutes as it does not have water content like the green chili. A very spicy chutney..

 

Pidi Karunai Masiyal / Karunai Kizhangu Masiyal

A delicious masiyal made from karunai kizhangu.. This can be served with rice, great with rasam rice.. Also a great one with dosa or roti!!.. This is quite simple to make and can be made very quickly... Make sure to relish this hot or warm!!

Kalyana Manga Urugai - Quick Manga Pickle(கல்யாண மாங்கா உருகாய்)

Kalyanam means marriage in Tamil and Manga is raw Mango and urugai is pickle.. That is how the name for this pickle has arrived.. It is a pickle which is served in Tamil marriages. Kalyana Manga Urugai is a pickle that is quick and easy to make. Normally pickles takes many days to process, but this one can be done in less than 15 minutes. Although it can be served immediately, it is best when it sits for a couple of hours to allow all the spices to soak well. This urugai is served in all South Indian Marriages. This is my choice for K - Regional

Pulikachal / Tamarind Rice

Call traditional recipes and this is one of the recipes you can think of. Ask people what is their most common travel food, then this will surely be one of them.. This is dish that can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for a month. To serve, just mix with hot cooked rice. This is made primarily with tamarind. Using sesame oil gives the best taste and flavor but other cooking oil can be substituted if sesame oil is not available. Lot of Ingredients are to taste. This is my first recipe to the “Vegan Thursdays” group that I have joined. The idea is to share Vegan recipes on first and last Thursdays..

Spiced Pear Chutney

I have never tried to make chutneys from Pear. For me Pear was always a fruit to either eat as is or in a salad.. I saw this in a book (do not remember which one) and was very fascinated by it. It tasted so good and delicious..

Tomato Urugai (தக்காளி ஊறுகாய்)

Tomato Urugai is a pickle made from tomato. It is very spicy and tangy in taste. It can be served as an accompaniment to Dosa, Idli, Adai, Pesarettu, Arusi Adai etc and also be added to rice and served as tomato urugai rice. It is very beautiful from its rich and bright red color. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Carrot Thuvayal / Carrot Chutney

Some dishes are so quick and so tasty that you want to include them in the meals every week. This quick and yummy chutney belongs to the above category!! This is ready in less than 15 minutes and tastes so good with idli, dosa, roti, plain rice or curd rice. Adjust the amount of salt and chili as per preference. I am including this for this BM under cooking carrots in many ways.. I got this recipe from here and it is surely a keeper

Inji Thuvayal / Chutney (இஞ்சி துவையல் / சட்னி)

Inji thuvayal is a very tasty and spicy chutney that can be made in less than 15 minutes. This goes well with Idli or Dosa and will be a change from the regular chutney. This can also be served with curd rice. This has a long shelf life and can stay in the fridge for at least 10 days. I got this from recipe from “Cooking at Home with Pedatha” book and this is a perfect recipe and is a sure keeper!!
Ingredients
Ginger (grated) – 1 cup
Red Chili – 12
Oil – 4 – 5 table spoons
Ghee – 2 table spoons
Asafetida – ¼ tea spoon
Mustard Seeds – ½ tea spoon
Ulutham Parupu / Urad Dal – 2 table spoons + 1 tea spoon
Kadalai Parupu / Channa Dal – 1 tea spoon
Turmeric Powder – ½ tea spoon
Salt – 1 tea spoon
Tamarind Pulp – 3 table spoons
Jaggery – 1 tea spoon
Curry Leaves - 6

Method
Heat ghee in a pan and add the grated ginger and sauté on medium heat for 4 – 5 minutes and set aside to cool. Make sure that the ginger does not burn.
Heat another pan and add 3 table spoons oil, add 2 table spoons ulutham parupu and once it becomes light golden, add the red chili, tamarind pulp, curry leaves, turmeric powder, asafetida, jaggery and salt and cook for 2 minutes
Remove from heat and allow it to cool
Grind both mixtures together to a thick paste (Do not add water)
Heat a small pan and add 2 table spoons of oil and add kadalai parupu and sauté for 15 seconds and then add ulutham parupu and sauté until both are golden.
Pour the above seasoning over the chutney and mix well and serve!!

Points to note – about Ginger (from Wikipedia) - The English name ginger comes from French: gingembre, Old English: gingifere, Medieval Latin: ginginer, Greek: zingíberis (ζιγγίβερις). Ultimately the origin is from Tamil:'inji ver'. The botanical term for root in Tamil is ver (வேர்), hence inji root or inji ver.^[3] 
Preliminary research indicates that nine compounds found in ginger may bind to human serotonin receptors which may influence gastrointestinal function.[12]
Research conducted in vitro tests show that ginger extract might control the quantity of free radicals and the peroxidation of lipids.[13]
Preliminary studies involving the effect of ginger on nausea occurring with pregnancy suggest that intake of ginger may cause belching after ingestion[14]
In a 2010 study, daily consumption of ginger was shown to help ease muscle pain associated with exercise by 25%.[15]
Ginger root supplement has been identified in one study to help reduce colon inflammation markers such as PGE2, thus indicating a measure that might affect colon cancer.[16]
In limited studies, ginger was found to be more effective than placebo for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy,[17][18][19][20] although ginger was not found superior to placebo for pre-emptively treating post-operative nausea.
too much to write – please refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger for lot more benefits and medicinal properties of ginger!!

Sending this to Cook like a Celebrity Chef, SYF & HWS – Mustard Seeds, CWS - Channa Dal, Lets cook Preserves, Jams and Chutneys