Daily Archives: September 20, 2011

Varutha Milagai Thuvayal/ Roasted Chilly Coconut Chutney

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This is a special travel chutney. Whenever we travel by train, either to our grandparent’s place or back to chennai after vacation time, gingelly oil glazed idlis packed in banana leaves with varutha milagai thuvayal used to be a regular affair. The chutney would come back home from the train journey and still stay good for the next day breakfast. Even on picnic days idli and this particular chutney used to be everyone’s favourite. Generally coconut based food does not stay longer. This chutney, with all roasted ingredients, though with coconut base stays good for at least 24 hours without refrigeration.

Varutha Milagai Thuvayal/ Roasted Chilly Coconut Chutney (serves 2)

roasted coconut

 

roasted urad dal and red chillies

 

Ingredients

  • grated coconut – 1 cup
  • urad dal – 1/2 cup
  • red chillies – 3 nos
  • tamarind – 1/2 inch piece
  • salt – as needed
  • oil – for roasting

Method of Preparation

  1. In Iruppuchatti/kadai, take 1/2 tsp oil and roast coconut till golden brown
  2. In another kadai, roast red chillies in 1/2 tsp oil
  3. Remove the chillies and in the same oil, roast urad dal till golden brown
  4. Let all ingredients cool
  5. In a blender, take roasted coconut, red chillies and urad dal with tamarind, salt and very little water just enough to make a thick fine paste
  6. Chutney is done.. Serve with hot steaming idlis or packed idlis during travel.

thick varutha milagai thuvayal/roasted chilly coconut chutney

Note:

  1. Always wash tamarind before usage
  2. For easy blending, soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and add to the blender with the soaked water
  3. The red chillies I have are very hot.. so I have used 3 nos. Chillies can be altered as per spice of chillies and family preference
  4. While blending, slowly add water.. If chutney becomes more watery, it would not stay longer
  5. Blend into a very thick chutney and water can be added as per preference just before serving
  6. Because this is a travel chutney and is very thick, generally thadka is not given. Urad dal in tadka is believed to spoil the chutney’s shelf life.
  7. One can give it thadka with just mustard seeds.
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Thengai Chutney – Coconut Chutney

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Chutneys are the best accompaniments for most of the south indian food items. Idlis, Dosais, Uppumas, Paniyarams, Vadais and many more breakfast and dinner dishes are always had with various kinds of chutneys. Even rice varieties are had with special chutneys. The breakfast platter would definitely have the white coconut chutney. The general coconut chutney popular in all restaurants is prepared with grated coconut and pottukadalai/roasted channa dal/roasted split chick peas. We from the coastal districts of tamilnadu – Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli would not use this pottukadalai more in the chutneys. Might be due to the abundance of coconut, plain coconut chutney with tamarind and green chillies is the daily routine. Pottukadalai is also called porikadalai. The pottukadalai chutney used to be a rarity and so we used to call it hotel chutney – the chutney which is available in restaurants.

I learnt making this hotel chutney or the regular coconut chutney of  chennaiites from my mother-in-law. She also taught me many more healthy vegetable chutneys (to be posted in future).

pottukadalai – roasted chick peas

Coconut Chutney using Pottukadalai (roasted split chick peas) (serves 2)

Ingredients

  • freshly grated coconut – 1 cup (desiccated coconut gives a different taste)
  • pottukadalai – 1/2 cup
  • green chillies – 4 no.s
  • ginger – 1/2 inch piece
  • water
  • salt – as needed

Thaalippu – Thadka

  • oil for thadka
  • mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
  • urad dal – 1/2 tsp
  • curry leaves

thengai chutney/coconut chutney

Method of Preparation

  1. In a blender, add freshly grated coconut, pottukadalai, green chillies, ginger, salt and adequate water
  2. Grind this well into a smooth paste
  3. Transfer into a serving bowl
  4. For tadka, heat oil in a small pan
  5. Add mustard seeds
  6. Let mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal
  7. When urad dal becomes light reddish, add curry leaves
  8. Pour this into the chutney
  9. Green chillies can be adjusted according to required spice of the family
  10. Serve with idlis, dosais or any dish of choice. (https://dosaikal.com/2011/09/16/idli-steamed-rice-cakes/) (https://dosaikal.com/2011/08/14/basic-dosaidosa/)

Note: When I prepared this chutney recently, I found the mustard seeds container empty.. so I substituted with seeragam/jeera/cumin seeds.