Channa Dal Chutney

If it's dosa or idly for breakfast, the only question that runs in most of our minds is - what chutney to prepare? "Variety"......is the demand!! 

If you already know about this tangy chutney...then probably I was introduced late! 

Some call it channa dal, some roasted gram dal /fried gram dal. Its referred to as 'hurikadale' in kannada.

 

roasted gram dal /fried gram dal

Ingredients | Servers 4/5

6 Tsp | Hurikadale
1/3 | Coconut
10-15 | Mint Leaves
3-4 | Green Chillies
1/2" | Tamarind
Salt

Make a fine paste of coconut, green chillies, mint leaves and tamarind. Then, add in the dal and grind it into a coarse paste. Add salt to taste and mix water as desired. Chutney is ready!

Brinjal Masala

"Brinjal" -  loved and relished by many (not me though!!). But this one certainly impressed me. Succulent baby brinjals dressed in simple Indian flavors were a treat not just to my eyes but to my taste buds as well !!

Ingredients | Serves 5/6


1 Kg | Brinjal
1/2 | Coconut
1 Tsp | Cumin
150 Gms | Onion
10 | Garlic Cloves
1 Tsp | Chilly Powder
1 Tsp | Coriander(Dhaniya) Powder
Turmeric, Salt

Wash the brinjals thoroughly. Remove the leafy part that holds the brinjal but make sure you retain the stem.
 For the filling (masala) - Finely grind the grated coconut, onion, cumin (jeera) and garlic. Transfer the paste to a bowl, add 1 tsp of chilly powder and coriander powder, pinch of turmeric and salt. Mix this well.
Cut each brinjal vertically into four so that you can fill the masala in between them. Once done heat oil (sufficient to immerse the brinjals) in a wok. Hold the brinjals by their stem and place them carefully one next to another (as shown). If there is left over of the masala then spread it over the brinjals in the wok. Allow this to cook on a medium flame for about 15 minutes. Stir once making sure you don't smash the brinjals while doing so. Wait for the brinjals to cook until they soften. Once done, its ready to serve.
Brinjal Masala goes well with chapati and rice.

Root Mocktail

A drink to beat the heat this summer!

Ingredients | Servers 4/5

1 | Cucumber

1 | Beetroot

2 | Carrots

1/4" | Ginger

1/2 |  Lemon

Mint leaves (optional)

Chop cucumber, beat root, carrots and ginger. Transfer them into the juicer. Add mint, salt and sugar as per your convenience. Drain the juice off the pulp and squeeze in the lemon. Root Mocktail is ready to serve.

The leftover pulp can be used as sauce or topping.