Coconut Chutney

Serves: 2

Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup, grated

Dalia split - 1/4 cup

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece, coarsely chopped

Green Chillies - 4

Tamarind - 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves - 5-6 strands

Curry leaves - 4-5

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tsp

1. To the mixer or blender, add the coconut, dalia split, green chillies, coriander, ginger, tamarind and salt to taste. Add half to one cup of water and grind them until the ingredients are pureed. Transfer the mixture to a cup.

2. In a small pan, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and wait for them splutter. Add the curry leaves, mix and remove the pan from heat and pour this seasoning over the pureed coconut mixture in the cup.

Onion Chuntey

Serves: 4

Onions - 3 large, coarsely chopped
Garlic flakes - 2
Red Chillies - 6
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and garlic. Break the red chillies into halves and add to the oil and shallow fry them stirring occasionally until the onions soften and turn into golden brown.
2. Wait for the onion-garlic-chillies mixture to cool before grinding them
3. Once they are at room temperature or just slightly warm, grind them together in a mixer or blender with the tamarind paste and salt.

Serve as a side dish or use in the masala dosa.

Mint Coriander Chutney

Yields: 2 1/2 cups

Fresh coriander - 1 cup
Fresh mint leaves - 4 cups
Onion - 1 medium, coarsely chopped
Fresh lemon juice - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 2, seeded
Water - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Red chilli powder - to taste

1. In the food processor, blend the coriander, mint leaves, onion, lemon juice, green chillies and water until the consistency is like a ketchup
2. Season to taste with salt and red chilli powder.

Groundnut Chutney

Groundnuts - 1 cup
Dried Red Chillies - 8
Onion - 1 small, chopped into big pieces
Garlic Cloves - 2
Tamarind pulp - 2 tsps
Salt - to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 5-6
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp

1. Heat an iron skillet on medium heat, slowly roast the peanuts to golden brown color. Cool and rub the skins off. The groundnuts need to be roasted until they are uniformly crispy.
2. Heat a tbsp of oil on iron skillet and hallow fry the red chillis until their colour deepens. Take them out of the skillet.
3. Now fry the onion pieces and the garlic and fry till the onions turn golden brown and soft.
4. Wait few minutes for them to cool down. This cooling process somehow increases the chutney taste tremendously.
5. Now grind the groundnuts and the red chillies in the mixer coarsely first and then add the onions, garlic, tamarind, 1/2 cup of water and grind to a fine paste.
6. Add water as consistency is required.
Remove the chutney to a bowl.
7. For the seasoning, heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.
8. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves.
9. Add the seasoning to the chutney and mix well before serving.

Gongura Chutney

Gongura leaves - 1 cup
Green chillies - 15
Red chillies - 5
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

1. First fry the red chillies and fenugreek seeds until red chillies colour deepens.
2. Grind these in the mixer into a dry powder.
3. Fry the green chillies separately on medium flame for 5 min. Add this to the powder and grind again.
4. Now fry the leaves with 2 tbsp oil until the leaves shrink and soften.
5. Add this also the mixture prepared earlier, add salt and grind coarsely; do not add any water
6. In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil and add mustard and wait for them to crackle
7. Once the mustard crackles, add the mixture from the mixer, mix well and remove from heat

serves as chutney and can be preserved for long term use

Tomato Onion Chutney

Serves: 4

Fresh Tomatoes - 3 medium, coarsely chopped
Onion - 2 medium, coarsely chopped
Red chillies - 5, broken into half
Tamarind - size of a small lemon
Pepper - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 3/4 tbsp
Ginger paste - 3/4 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Channa daal - 2 tbsp
Coriander - for garnishing

1. In a thick bottomed saucepan, heat about 2 1/2 tbsp of oil until it is hot but not smoking. Add the onions and cook them until the onions turn slightly brownish. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Then add the tomatoes to the same pan and fry until they are soft and set aside
3. In a smaller pan, fry thr ginger, garlic, tamarind, jeera, pepper and red chillies for about 2 min.
4. In the blender or food processor, first powder the items from the smaller pan. After they are coarsely powdered, add the tomatoes, onion, coriander and salt to taste and grind all the ingredients to a fine paste. Remove the chutney to a serving bowl.
5. For the seasoning, heat the remaining oil and add the mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the channa dal and stir-fry until they turn evenly brown. Pour the seasoning on the chuntney. Garnish with coriander.

Chana Dal Chutney

Serves : 4

Kadle bele/Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Udinna bele/Urad dal - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 8
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Dry coconut - 2 tbsp, optional
salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

1. In a skillet, shallow fry on medium-low heat the Channa dal with the oil until it turns uniformly brown and set aside.
2. Now heat the Urad dal and the red chillies on medium-low heat until the Urad dal turns uniformly brown and the red chillies color deepens and set aside.
3. Grind together the channa dal, urad dal, red chillies, tamarind paste, coconut, salt and 1/2 cup of water until the contents reduce to a fine paste. Add more water if the mixer is unable to run.
4. Remove the chutney from the mixer jar to a bowl and add more water as you would like the consistency to be.

Can be served with idlis, dosas, chappatis, and also with rice.