How to make Spiced, Onion-Tomato Chutney at Home

South Indian Spiced, Onion-Tomato based dip is a Chutney with bright red vibrant texture and a nutty flavour and taste.

This Spiced Onion-Tomato Chutney is an easy side dish which goes well with various South Indian recipes like Dosa, Medu Vada, Idli, Bonda, Upma and so on.

This is a Chutney which does not need coconut in it. It literally takes 5 minutes regardless what you are making and it tastes terrific.

This Chutney can be made spiced or hot, depending on the number of Dried Kashmiri Red Chillies used.

The main ingredients of this chutney are Dried Kashmiri Red Chillies, Onions and Tomatoes. Apart from that I used oil, urad dal, chana dal, green chilli, garlic, ginger, asafoetida powder, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, salt, coriander powder, handful of cilantro, little water and lots of curry leaves.

Basically all these ingredients are easily available at our homes. So assemble all these ingredients on the table and start making this delicious Chutney with the simple procedure. 

Heat oil in pan, add asafoetida powder, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and sauté. Add urad dal, chana dal followed by Kashmiri red chilli and fry until it’s golden brown. Add garlic cloves, ginger and curry leaves, fry on low flame. Add onions, tomatoes, green chilli, salt, coriander powder, cilantro and mix it well. Sauté it for 5 minutes on low flame. Switch off the flame. 

Remove the mixture from the flame, let it cool down. Grind to make a smooth paste, a little water may be needed and your Spiced Onion-Tomato Chutney is ready.

I generally add no water or just 1/4 cup of water in the while grinding the Chutney in the food processor.

Mainly the consistency of Onion-Tomato Chutney is thick, but if you want a thin consistency, you can go ahead and add little water in the blender and adjust as per your wish.

You can serve the Chutney with any South Indian dish like Dosa, Idli, Medu Vada, Uttapam, Pongal etc.

This chutney will last for about 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can also have a look on our other dips specifically coconut chutney, mint chutney, peanut chutney, onion-tomato chutney which goes well with all the South-Indian dishes. Click a link and enjoy it.

Click the link on other South Indian dishes like:

Medu Vada

Rava Dosa

Sambhar

Coconut Chutney

Mint chutney 

Peanut chutney 

How to make Spiced, Onion-Tomato Chutney at Home

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Grinding Time: 2 minutes
Serves: 6-8 People
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Urad Dal (Split and Skinned Black Gram)
2 tbsp Chana Dal (Split Chickpeas Gram)
3 - 4 Sukhi Lal Mirchi (Kashmiri Lal Mirchi)
1 Green Chilli, chopped
2 Onions, chopped
4 Tomatoes, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 long ginger, grated
1 tbsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp, cumin seeds
8-10 curry leaves
pinch of hing (asafoetida)
2 tbsp, coriander powder 
Salt to taste
handful of cilantro leaves
1/4 cup water

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium flame and add asafoetida powder. Add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add in the cumin seeds and sauté.

2. Add urad dal and chana dal followed by Kashmiri red chilli to give a red vibrant color and fry until it’s golden brown. Sauté till you get the rich aroma from the lentils.

3. Add garlic cloves, ginger and curry leaves and fry on low flame for 1 min.

4. Add in the onions, tomatoes, green chilli and sauté it for 5 minutes on low flame

5. Add salt, coriander powder, cilantro and mix it well. Switch off the flame.

6. Remove the mixture from the flame, let it cool down. Grind to make a smooth paste, a little water may be needed and your Spiced Onion-Tomato Chutney is ready.

7. Serve with any South Indian dishes like Dosa, Idli, Medu Vada, Uttapam, Pongal etc.

Notes

1. You can make this Chutney more spicy by adding more Chillies.

2. To increase the shelf life of this Chutney, keep it refrigerated.

3. Mainly the consistency of Spiced Onion-Tomato Chutney is thick, but if you want a thin consistency, you can go ahead and add little water in the blender and adjust as per your wish.

4. It tastes best with Dosa, Idli, Medu Vada, Upma, Uttapam, Pongal etc.

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Coconut chutney is a delicious South Indian appetizer with lots of sweet, savory and nutty flavor. It's one of the most famous condiments in the southern part of India. It's served as an accompaniment with South Indian dishes like Idli, Dosa, Vada, Uttapam, Upma, Flavored Rice and Pongal. If you love eating traditional South Indian food, then you should definitely consider making this chutney.

Coconuts are known for their versatility, and are frequently used in food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. They are a part of daily diet of many people living in the tropical and subtropical regions. They also have a religious and cultural significance in Hindu societies. Coconuts are easily grown and most widely available crop across the world. They are highly nutritious, rich in fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals.

Coconut chutney is an amazing combination of coconut, roasted split grams, coriander leaves, ginger, and seasoned with the aroma of mustard seeds and curry leaves. It's a very straightforward recipe. All you need is few simple, easily available ingredients and you are ready to go.

You can refrigerate and use the chutney for 3-4 days but it's not advisable to store it for longer than a few days because the coriander and coconut will oxidize rapidly and will change it's color, so it's better to consume it fresh. If you want a little sourness in the chutney you can add 1 tablespoon of tamarind or 2 tablespoon of yogurt and grind with rest of the ingredients. Always remember to season the chutney with mustard seeds and curry leaves for a nice essence. We love to add curry leaves as it has this pungent lemony flavor, which changes the flavor of the whole dish.

The chutney taste extremely delicious when prepared with few right spices and ingredients. The flavor of the chutney can be adjusted according to your preference but I would recommend you to try with the given quantities first. 

Click the link on other South Indian dishes like:

Medu Vada

Rava Dosa

Sambhar

Mint chutney 

Peanut chutney 

Onion-tomato chutney

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Serves: 6-8 People
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Author: The Food Root


INGREDIENTS

1 - Fresh Coconut, grated
2 tablespoons - Roasted split gram or chana dal
3-4 springs - coriander leaves
1/2 inch - ginger, grated
2 - Green chillis, chopped
1/2 cup - water or as needed
1/2 teaspoon - Sugar
1/4 teaspoon - Cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon - Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon - Salt

Tempering

1 tablespoon - Olive oil
1 tablespoon - Mustard seeds
4-5 Curry leaves, crushed
pinch of asafoetida


DIRECTIONS

1. Dry roast split gram (chana dal) until browned, allow it to cool and keep it aside.

2. Roughly cut the coconut into small pieces or grate it then put it in the food processor with little bit of water and grind coarsely.

3. Once done, add roasted split gram, coriander leaves, ginger, green chillis, sugar, cumin powder, salt and black pepper, some more water (if needed), and grind into a fine paste.

4. For seasoning, heat the olive oil, in a medium sized pan, or a small ladle. Add the mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. When the seeds started to crackle, add curry leaves and pinch of asafoetida and stir it for few seconds. Switch off the gas and pour the hot seasoning over the ground chutney, mix well and serve!

NOTES

1. You can refrigerate and use the chutney for 3-4 days but it's better to consume it fresh.

2. Choose curry leaves that are bright, dark green without the signs of browning.

3. For grinding all the ingredients, use as little water as possible.

4. The final consistency of chutney must be somewhere between coarse and paste.

5. If you want a little sourness in the chutney, you can add 1 tablespoon of tamarind or 2 tablespoon of yogurt and grind with rest of the ingredients.

3 Ingredient Mawa Kulfi | How to make Khoya Kulfi

With just 3 ingredients, milk, sugar and mawa, you can make these simple creamy, frozen refreshing kulfis.

Kulfi made by just 3 ingredients - milk, sugar and mawa/khoya (dried evaporated milk solid). You can also add dry fruits, cardamom powder in the kulfi which is totally optional.

Cardamom powder imparts a lot of flavour and taste to the Kulfi. It looks extra delicious with crushed dry fruits over the top. This is surely the easiest dessert recipe to try at home.

Khoya or Mawa is dried evaporated milk solid which is used in the Indian dessert. It’s a popular traditional dessert (mithai) in India and other neighbouring countries.

  

The trick is to stir the milk continuously so that no lumps of crumbled mawa or khoya are found while making the Kulfi mixture on lower flame. Also, add sugar in the end and stir it in last few minutes.

From start to finish the preparation of making the Kulfi takes less than 30 minutes. Refrigerate upto 4-5 hours or overnight and enjoy with your family and guests! They will definitely love it.

Well, who doesn’t love kulfis, from kids to adults, everyone does. You can enjoy eating this kulfis from road side vendors with dozen of different flavours, but this was the first time my mom and I tried making it, and guess what, it turns out so delicious that we made it so many times in our home.

How to make Kulfi?

1. In a wide pan, heat 4 cups of milk on lower flame and let it boil, or until it reduces to half.

2. Once milk thickens, add crumbled khoya and keep stirring the milk occasionally, so that no lumps are formed. Keep stirring for about 10-12 minutes on low to medium flame. Next, add 1 cup of sugar and stir it until the sugar is completely dissolved.

3. Next add crushed dry fruits, pumpkin seeds, followed by crushed cardamom pods, mix everything. Keep on stirring for about 2-4 minutes. Switch off the flame.

4. Remove it from the flame and keep it aside. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.

5. Pour the cold liquid mixture into Kulfi moulds.

6. Cover the Kulfi moulds with aluminium foil or plastic lid which comes with it, or you can also insert the ice cream stick, or whatever suits you the best.

7. Refrigerate the Kulfi for atleast 4-5 hours or overnight.

8. Serve Kulfi immediately and garnish them with the remaining chopped dry fruits.

How to refrigerate the Kulfi mould?

1. You can cover the mold with aluminium foil or plastic lid which comes with it, or you can also insert the ice cream stick, or whatever suits you the best. 

                                              

2. To remove the popsicles, allow it to remain in the room temperature and rub with your hand on outside of the mold until the ends are loose.

3. Serve Kulfi immediately and garnish them with the remaining chopped dry fruits.

If you enjoy the recipe, do pin this delicious dessert.

3 Ingredients Mawa Kulfi | How to make Khoya Kulfi

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Refrigeration time: 4-5 hours

Serves: 7-8 People

Author: The Food Root

Ingredients:

4 cups full fat whole milk

4-5 tablespoon khoya/mawa (dried evaporated milk solid)

4 tablespoon sugar

Optional -

10-12 crushed pistachios

10-12 crushed almonds

10-12 crushed cashews

2 tablespoon Pumpkin seeds

4 crushed cardamom pods

Method:

1. In a wide pan, heat 4 cups of milk on lower flame and let it boil, or until it reduces to half.

2. Once milk thickens, add crumbled khoya and keep stirring the milk occasionally, so that no lumps are formed.

3. Keep stirring for about 10-12 minutes on low to medium flame.

4. Next, add 1 cup of sugar and stir it until the sugar is completely dissolved.

5. Next add crushed dry fruits, pumpkin seeds, followed by crushed cardamom pods, mix everything. Keep on stirring for about 2-4 minutes. Switch off the flame.

6. Remove it from the flame and keep it aside. Now, let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.

7. Pour the cold liquid mixture into Kulfi molds.

8. Refrigerate the Kulfi for atleast 4-5 hours or overnight.

9. Serve Kulfi immediately and garnish them with the remaining chopped dry fruits.

How to refrigerate the Kulfi mould?

1. You can cover the mold with aluminium foil or plastic lid which comes with it, or you can also insert the ice cream stick, or whatever suits you the best.

2. To remove the popsicles, allow it to remain in the room temperature and rub with your hand on outside of the mould until the ends are loose.

3. Serve Kulfi immediately and garnish them with the remaining chopped dry fruits.

I love this recipe a lot, do pin if you love it.

  

Notes:

1. You can also add a pinch of saffron to add aroma and flavor in the dessert.

2. Adding nuts or cardamom powder is totally optional.

Healthy Pav Bhaji | How To Make Healthy Pav Bhaji

 

The delicious healthy Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a delicious combination of thick vegetables which are mashed together and served with Pav also known as buns.

 

‘Pav’ means buns and ‘Bhaji' means vegetable dish, and are eaten together. Pav Bhaji is the most comforting and hearty meal and is worth enjoying any time of the day. This dish is much loved in the Maharashtra region of India.

It is extremely flavorful dish and is served in almost all the restaurants and food joints, streets, canteens across the country. It’s the most famous street food in India.

Well, I’m making the healthy version of Pav Bhaji. It taste exactly like the street version which includes lots of vegetables rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

It’s an all time favorite staple at our home. Make this bhaji with whatever veggies that are available in the season. Since mine is healthy version, and I wanted green veggies for my Bhaji, thankfully it was available in the season.

To make the healthy version of Pav Bhaji, I added all the green veggies like cauliflower, lauki (bottle gourd), tinda (ridge gourd), torai (apple gourd), brinjal, green beans. Carrots and beetroot for color and potatoes for taste. 

It is highly nutritious because green veggies contains lots of iron and protein. It's a wonderfully delicious and nutritious dish. It's rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.

Making healthy Pav Bhaji is also a great idea for kids since they run away from green veggies. Your kids will definitely have a smiley face after tasting this and than gobble it up for sure.

Pressure cook all the veggies, mash them with a masher. Sauté onions in a pan and prepare the tomatoes puree, add all the green veggies, mix and a dollop of butter on the top with some fresh chopped onions and lemon juice to make the Bhaji delicious and serve along with pav or buns. Cut the buns from between and toast it on pan with butter from both the sides.

You can also add Kashmiri Lal mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala to give a nice red color. But I substituted it with cumin powder or homemade Masala powder.

The Pav are toasted in butter and are eaten along with Bhaji. The taste, aroma, flavors are super delicious so do give it a try.

You can pin this recipe if you like it.

HEALTHY PAV BHAJI | How To Make Healthy Pav Bhaji

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6 People

Author: The Food Root 

Ingredients

For cooking Bhaaji

2 cups of water

1/2 size Lauki (bottle gourd)

3 medium size Tinda (ridge gourd)

3-4 medium size Torai (apple gourd)

1/2 cup French beans

1/2 cup cauliflower florets

1/2 cup Green peas

1 Beetroot (optional)

1 small Brinjal

4 medium size Carrots

4-5 medium size Potatoes

For Tempering

2 tbsp - clarified butter

2 tbsp - butter

pinch of asafoetida

1/2 tbsp - crushed cumin seeds

1 inch long - ginger, grated

5-6 garlic cloves, chopped

3 medium size onions

4-5 medium size tomatoes

1 Capsicum

3 green chillies, chopped

2 medium size onions - chopped

4 medium size tomatoes - chopped

1/2 tbsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tbsp - Turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp - Coriander powder

1/2 tbsp Garam masala

1/2 tbsp - Mango powder

1 1/2 - Salt to taste

chopped coriander leaves

For Serving

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 lemon wedges

For the Buns

8-10 Pav (Buns)

4-5 Butter

Method

1. Chop all the veggies : Rinse, peel and chop all the veggies like potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, apple gourd, brinjal, green beans, beetroot and add them in the pressure cooker.

2. Pressure cook all the veggies : Add 2 cups of water. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles on medium flame.

3. Mash the Bhaji : Switch off the flame and remove it. Wait for the pressure to release completely before opening the cooker. Next, open the lid and mash the bhaaji with wooden or aloo masher. Do not make a smooth paste, coarsely mash it.

4. Sauté onions and garlic in a pan : Heat 2 big tbsp of clarified butter or oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Add cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida powder. After it crackles, add finely chopped garlic cloves, add grated ginger and fry them for 40-50 seconds. Next, add chopped onions and stir it. Keep stirring and adjusting the flame so that onions cook slightly golden brown.

5. Prepare the tomato puree tempering : Add chopped tomatoes and sauté it for around on 7-8 minutes on low-medium flame. Next, add the spices - Red chili powder, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder, Mango powder and Salt to taste. Stir it well. Let the mixture cook, till the oil separates.

6. Add the cooked bhaaji in the pan : Now add the cooked bhaji in the pan. Add hot water if needed to adjust the consistency. Stir it for another 8-10 minutes on low/medium flame. Add garam masala and mix it well. Add 1/2 cup of green peas. Add 2 tbsp of butter and mix it well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Turn off the heat and remove it.

7. For the Pav : Slit the Pav or buns horizontally with knife on low flame. Heat butter on the frying pan and place the Pav, toast it for 1 or 2 mins from both sides until it’s slightly crisp.

8. Serve and Garnish : Now, transfer the bhaji to a serving bowl and serve the Bhaji. Since it is so much healthier just top it with butter on Bhaji. Serve bhaji with Pav or Buns and enjoy it with onions, lemons.

Notes

You can also add Kashmiri Lal mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala to give a nice red color.

You can also add Garam Masala and Red Chilli Powder which is normally available in all the super markets instead of Kashmiri Lal Mirch and Pav Bhaji Masala.

Top Nutritional and Health Benefits of Bananas

 

Found some homegrown bananas growing in my courtyard garden. I love bananas mainly because of its sweet taste, nutritional benefits, health benefits also because it makes you feel full and energetic for a longer period of time.

Gardening helps you so much to connect with nature. Isn’t it funny, how much satisfaction you get from growing your own fruits and vegetables?

Banana is one superfood that is commonly available across the globe. I love this fruit as it provides you instant energy to kickstart your day.

Here are the Top Nutritional and Health Benefits of Bananas;

Bananas are highly nutritious

1. There is 110 calories in single banana with zero fat.

2. Bananas are rich in Potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Iron and Manganese.

3. Packed with fibre, it provides lots of energy.

4. They are rich sources of fibre and have lot of antioxidants.

5. It’s don’t require much pesticides so it doesn’t get dirty.

Health benefits of Bananas

There are many health benefits of bananas like -

Bananas can help regulate blood sugar

It might actually help lower blood sugar. For a lower Glycemic Index, eat green bananas. It is packed with fibre, it provides lots of energy. It helps in boosting your immune system.

Bananas may support heart health

It helps in curing heart diseases and regulates blood pressure and helps in recovering from illness, fighting fatigue, reducing the person's risk of cancer, diabetes, inflammation and other health problems,

Bananas may help with weight loss

The carbs helps you produces more serotonin, which helps regulate your metabolism. It helps in reducing constipation. Bananas contain no fat, sodium or cholesterol.

Bananas are good for digestive health

Bananas is an amazing food that help with digestion. It treats nausea, morning sickness, stomach problems and other infections. It keeps eyes and bone healthy. It also reduces the risk of kidney diseases. It helps in curing acne and pains.

You can also pin the below picture if you like it.

Bananas can be eaten both ways, riped and raw. Raw bananas are used to make different kinds of dishes. It can be eaten as banana chips or banana fritters. There are different recipes which can be made with riped bananas as well like smoothies, porridge, pancakes, ice creams, muffins, granola, blueberry bars. All of these recipes doesn’t take more than 15 minutes.

Love this? Try these..??