A gem from Grandma’s treasure: Green Tomato Chutney (Tomatokai Chatni)

The title says it all – this is a gem from grandma’s plethora of recipes; from my husband’s grandma’s magical kitchen, recreated here by my Mom-in-law. In her kitchen, grandma P whips up the tastiest traditional dishes, enthusiastically tries new dishes from her favorite TV cooking shows, imparts culinary wisdom to many and mesmerizes the taste buds of those lucky ones who get to eat what she cooks! Because of her, this great legend, I sure have come to believe that the statement “magical culinary hands” is indisputably true! With great love and wishing her best of health, this post is dedicated to lovely grandma P!  

You’ll need: 

 For the chutney:

• About 6 medium sized Green tomatoes or Tomatillos
• ¼ cup grated Coconut, frozen or fresh
• 1 tbsp of Roasted Gram/Dhalia
• 6 – 8 Green Chilies (adjust according to your taste)
• 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 2 tbsp Grated Jaggery
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp oil

  For Tempering:

• 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Hing (Asafetida)
• 1 spring Curry Leaves
• 1 tsp oil

 Method:

• Dry roast the sesame seeds and roasted gram until fragrant. Keep aside
• Dice the tomatillos and green chilies. Heat the oil in a pan and add diced tomatillos and green chilies. Sauté until tender
• Place the cooked tomatillos, green chilies, dry roasted sesame, roasted gram and the rest of the ingredients for chutney, in a blender. Puree until smooth
• Remove to a serving dish
• Make the tempering by adding mustard seeds to the hot oil. Wait until it splutters. Add hing and curry leaves and sauté for a bit
• Add to the chutney
• Enjoy with hot rice (or as an accompaniment)

 

Hot, Cool and Funny: Watermelon Salsa

What’s so funny about Salsa? Seinfeld’s episode about Salsa! That’s what’s funny. Ever since I watched the “The Pitch” episode, the word Salsa (say salsaaaa like Jerry does) is always uttered accompanied by a giggle! Here is the salsa excerpt of the script from that episode (http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/ThePitch.htm):

“GEORGE: Why don’t they have salsa on the table?
JERRY: What do you need salsa for?
GEORGE: Salsa is now the number one condiment in America.
JERRY: You know why? Because people like to say “salsa.” “Excuse me, do you have salsa?” “We need more salsa.” “Where is the salsa? No salsa?”
GEORGE: You know it must be impossible for a Spanish person to order seltzer and not get salsa. (Angry) “I wanted seltzer, not salsa.”
JERRY: “Don’t you know the difference between seltzer and salsa?? You have the seltzer after the salsa!”“

Are you a Seinfeld fan too?

 Now let’s move on to the hot and cool part of it. Honestly, I have never messed around with adding flavors, or mixing and matching watermelon with anything. Never felt the need to. This sweet, juicy pulpy melon is so darn good by itself. But the blogosphere is dressing up watermelon, so I thought I’d jump in and send in my experimental entry to Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi. They are hosting “A Fruit A Month” event this month. This is the first time I am participating in this event; must be the watermelon! 

I still haven’t gotten to the hot and cool part of it. So watermelon salsa it is! There is really no recipe for this. To about a cup or cup and half of cool chopped watermelon, add about ½ cup of diced cucumber, 2-3 chopped hot jalapenos, 2-3 tbsp minced red onion, 1 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Toss well and serve immediately with baked pita chips or crackers. Or just eat like chopped salad. Or eat a big wedge of watermelon just by itself J It gives you as much as 9 oz of water! 

I served the salsa on some organic whole wheat crackers, like so:

 

 

The perfect accompaniment: Tomato Chutney

Spicy, sour, sweet or tangy, tasty sides and accompaniments are a big part of an Indian meal. Ranging from raithas to pickles, chutneys to variety of powders, these sides make any meal complete and satisfying. One such favorite is the tomato chutney or often called “thokku” in Kannada. This tasty tomato relish provides a healthy dose of lycopene which is super rich in antioxidants, along with all the goodness methi or fenugreek seeds have to offer. The concentrated flavor of tomatoes and a subtle, but earthy touch of sweetness from jaggery make this a perfectly delightful accompaniment. This chutney goes very well with dosas and chapattis/rotis but tastes best with simple rice and dal or just with plain curd rice. Another delectable way to enjoy this chutney is to just use it as a spread on toast or a slice of bagel! As an added bonus this stores really well, so go ahead and cook up a batch. I am pretty sure you’ll enjoy it!

 

You’ll need:

• 8-10 medium tomatoes (I used Roma)*
• ¾ tbsp methi (fenugreek seeds)
• ½ tbsp mustard seeds
• 5-6 red chilies (or according to your taste)
• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• Salt to your taste
• 2 tbsp grated jaggery
• 2 tbsp oil

Method:

• Wash and wipe out the moisture from the tomatoes well. The idea is to not add any water content to this chutney to increase its shelf life. Dice and set aside
• In a skillet, dry roast methi, mustard and red chilies until methi turns deep brown in color. Pound/grind these to a coarse powder
• Heat the oil in a heavy bottom skillet and add the tomatoes
• Season with salt and let it cook on medium heat. You don’t have to do much at this point, just keep an eye so you don’t scorch it
• When the tomatoes are almost done (about 20 minutes on the stove) add the ground spices, turmeric, hing and grated jaggery
• Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the mixture becomes thick (to a jam-y consistency) and you see the oil separate. Take off heat, cool and transfer to a dry airtight container.

* During the winter season when it is probably cheaper to buy platinum than fresh tomatoes, go ahead and use the canned ones. The best choice would be something like this (whole tomatoes, with least added ingredients). Adjust the cooking time & salt appropriately.