Chuttaracha thenga chammanthy - Pan grilled coconut chutney

This chutney is a simple spicy condiment that has always aroused my epicurean tendencies.

I remember grandma making this dish in her old style firewood stove. She used to put a few pieces of coconut kernel into the live wood charcoal and get them ash-grilled. The pleasant odor of coconut kernels getting ash-grilled is singular and tantalizing. I used to take a deep breath to allow the fragrance fill my inside!

They turn brownish with tiny bursting sounds among the glowing charcoal. They were then taken out one by one by grandma with the narrow wooden pipe she used to blow air to kindle fire. They were then crushed to a compound with onion, dry chillies, tamarind and some salt on a stone mortar!

In those days, I never got enough to fulfill my craving, since it was specially meant for the elderly!

Consumption of heavy food since Christmas and the tiredness after a long holiday trip made me consider such simple and appetizing dishes! Last night I had a bowl of rice porridge (kuthari kanji) along with this chutney --- a light, satisfying supper for a sound night sleep!


Ingredients

1. Coconut kernel (cut into long pieces) – a handful
2. Button onion / shallots – 3 nos
3. Chilly powder – ½ tsp
4. Tamarind – ½ tsp
5. Salt – as required

Method

1. Heat a fry pan and grill the coconut kernels till golden brown on both sides.
2. Coarse grind grilled coconut with rest of the ingredients in a grinder.
3. Enjoy with a bowl of warm rice porridge!

Preserved olive pickle

I’ve never seen fresh Indian gooseberries (Nellikka) in Australia.

During my visit to Flemington market in Sydney I spotted a large pile of a green color fruits. I hoped it might be Nellikka and ran towards it to have a closer look. Unfortunately it was not that! But I couldn’t recognize what it is? So I asked the lady who sells it and she said they are fresh green olives! She gave me one to taste. Oh… that was so bitter!

Two weeks back when I visited my friend’s house I saw a big jar of Nellikka in brine on her table.
I asked her ‘where did you get those!’
She told me they are not Nellikka but only olives! (Oops olives again!)

And she also told me that they are good for burning cholesterol!! But she is going to throw it away because it is too salty to eat!
Suddenly I got an idea of making pickles with olives!! I did so shared with her.

Those were as good as a Nellikka pickle and we finished with in a week time!

Ingredients

1. Salted olives – 3 cups
2. Vinegar – 1 cup
3. Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
4. Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
5. Chilly powder – 2 tbsp
6. Fenugreek powder – ½ tsp
7. Asafetida – 1tsp
8. Oil – 4 tbsp
9. Sugar – ½ tsp
10. Salt – as required

Method

1. Drain the water from olive and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry ginger and garlic paste.
3. Add chilly powder, fenugreek powder and asafetida.
4. Fry them till the raw smell goes.
5. Add vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to boil.
6. Allow it to cool and mix with olives.
7. Transfer to an airtight jar and shake it occasionally for two to three days.

Chakkavaratty – Jackfruit jam

A mobile grocery vendor visits us every month stocked with frozen Kerala snacks and veggies. Last month when he came, I was busy with kids so my husband met him with my list. When he came back he had a big carry bag full of groceries in one hand and a small packet raised in his other hand.

With a whimsical smile he said, “See I got frozen varikka chakka! (Jackfruit) …”
In a hurry he microwaved it, tasted one sheath and said “uppolam varillallo uppilittathu!!! ” (Means ‘salt is better than salted’).

I replied, “kazhtappettu thinnanda… nammukku varattam ” (Means ‘Don’t eat unwontedly; we can also prepare’).
He raised his eyebrows and said “whatever…”

That night after dinner, I made chakkavaratti. It was just enough to fill a small jam jar! It was dismaying to recollect how abundantly we made jackfruit jam yester-years at home, with one or two whole jackfruits and the hard work behind it!!

Any way I had enough to make a small family happy!

Ingredients

1. Jackfruit (chopped) – 2 cups
2. Jaggery (grated) – ¾ cup
3. Butter / ghee – 1 tbsp
4. Cardamom (powdered) – 3 pods
5. Water – ¼ cup

Method

1. Melt jaggery in ¼ cup water.
2. Add chopped jackfruit and cook in high flame.
3. When all the water is evaporated and the mixture become dry lower the heat to medium flame.
4. Add butter and cardamom and stir continuously.
5. When the mixture became in the consistency of sticking all together into a ball remove from fire.
6. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Veppila katti - Curry leaves chutney powder

Ingredients

1. Curry leaves – 2 cup
2. Freshly grated coconut – 2 cup
3. Yellow split pea – 2 tbsp
4. Red chilly (vattal mulaku) – 10 nos
5. Black pepper – 10 nos
6. Tamarind - small lemon size
7. Salt – as required

Method

1. Heat a thick bottom pan in medium heat.
2. Dry roast yellow split pea till it turn golden brown and keep aside.
3. Then dry roast all the other ingredients except tamarind and salt.
4. Saute continuously and take a good care not to burn them.
5. When coconut become golden brown in color remove from fire.
   
6. Allow them to cool.
7. Then grind all the ingredients together into a fine powder.
8. Keep it in an airtight container.