Chutney Pudi / Pud Chutney / Lentils Powdered Chutney

I tasted this Chutney after marriage. This is a recipe by my Mother in Law.
In Karnataka this is used as a side dish with Dosas , Idlys.
Having lentils in it makes it rich in proteins of course.
Try and tell me how do you find it.
At first you may find it dry so add little oil to it and then eat with Dosa/Idly.


Ingredients:
1 Cup Bengal gram
1/2 Cup Urid daal ( White lentils)
Red chillies to taste ( I took handful of them )
1 Cup Desiccated coconut
Kokum 2-3 halves (Garcinia Indica) Amsul in Marathi 
Turmeric 1/2 Tsp
Salt to taste
2 Tsp Jaggery ( optional or to taste )
Mustard seeds
Asafoetida
fresh curry leaves


Procedure: 

1. Take 1-2 Tsp oil in a pan and roast red chillies in it for 5-6 min on medium flame. Roasting it so that rawness of chillies is gone. Once you see they are turning little blackish immediately remove from the heat and keep aside.
2. Dry roast both the lentils separately( In different pans) ; until rawness is gone. Keep stirring continuously so that it wont burn. Once roasted well keep both the lentils aside.
3. Dry roast the desiccated coconut too on Low flame until it turns light brown.
4. Once all the ingredients are cooled down, put red chillies and lentils in mixer and grind coarsely.
5. Then add jaggery,Kokum,Salt and grind again.
6. In a separate pan  pour 2 Tsp oil. Once heated add  1-1.5 Tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter add Asafoetida, Turmeric ( 1/2 Tsp) , Fresh curry leaves. Switch off the stove now.
7. Add the ground powder to this seasoning.
8. Mix well with hands.
9. Store in a dry container.

While serving with a Dosa ; add little oil to it.

Enjoy Madi!  That is  Enjoy in Kannada. :-)

Palak Paneer - Spinach Paneer Curry

Its been a while I wrote something on my dear Blog...
It is Spring in England...sunny intervals along with a light shower of rains....Daffodils everywhere....Trees getting their fresh green leaves..it is such an awesome time to Paint....but one need to have that gift...
It's drizzling outside...but a bright day too...So thought of removing the dust from Blog...and post some awaiting recipes...
This one is not so "Hatke" but still we relish every time we eat it :-)


So friends...I hope you like the recipe and try it at home...


Ingredients:


I used a ready made Paneer pack which weighed 227g...
500g Fresh Palak / Spinach leaves
Green Chillies as per Taste
1 Onion medium sized
3-4 Garlic cloves ( or to the Taste )
Grated Ginger 1.5 Tsp
Coriander powder  3 Tsp
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1tsp Sugar
Salt to taste


Procedure:

1. Wash Spinach leaves and Cook them in Pressure cooker until soft. ( Usually 3 whistles are enough but cook it as per your Pressure cooker). Once it cools down, Drain the water ( But keep that water aside). Pour running cold water on the leaves in a strainer. 
2. Grind these leaves in Mixer to a fine paste.
3. Cut the Paneer into small cubes( Or you can buy already cubed Paneer )Pour 2-3 Tsp oil in a pan.
4. Keep the cubes one by on on the pan and fry them till golden brown. After some time flip them and try to shallow fry the cubes from both the sides as much as possible. Once done, keep the pan aside. Prepare for the gravy now..

1. Pour 1-2 Tsp oil in a Pan / Wok / kadhai .
2. Paste: Put chopped onion, garlic cloves, green chillies, ginger,Coriander powder with just enough water to smooth grinding in a mixer and grind it to a fine paste. 
3. Once oil is hot, add Cumin seeds, when they splutter add the ground paste and stir well.
4. Stir for 4-5 min on Medium flame so that paste wont stick to the pan. Cook it until the rawness of onion-garlic is gone...it turns little brown.
5. Add 1/2 Cup water to the pan now.(Use the drained water we kept aside from the cooked spinach ; we have saved all the nutrients ). 
6. Let it come to boil. 
7. Add the fine ground paste of Spinach. to this.
8. Once the mixture has come to a proper boil, pour the cubes one by one.
9. Boil it well. 
10. Add salt to taste. And mix gently so that paneer cubes wont break...

Serve hot n Enjoy with Chapatis or Naan.

Note: Add water as per your requirement of how thick or liquid consistency you want. 

And if you add more water by mistake, mix Gram flour in little yogurt and add to the mixture ( But do it before you add paneer cubes.)