Pol Sambol

 Coconut sambol or pol sambol as it is called in Sri Lanka is one of the easiest dish you can make without fire. It is traditionally made using pestle and mortar. But we can also make them in a food processor/mixer-grinder. Fresh coconut is used for this dish but we can alternatively use moistened desiccated coconut in case fresh ones are not available. Shallots give great flavor but it can be also replaced with large onions. This dish is served with traditionally made flatbread coconut roti(pol roti), string hoppers, or with rice.

Pol sambol is very similar to the Kerala style thenga chammathi except for the fact that it does not include lemon juice. 

Ingredients:

• Coconut - 1 cup
• Shallots - 5-6 nos.
• Garlic - 3 cloves
• Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
• Dried whole red chilies - 3 or according to your spice level
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Take shallots, garlic, dried red chilies, curry leaves and pepper powder in a mixer grinder and pulse for couple of seconds.
2. Add grated coconut and salt and pulse again to combine everything together. 
3. Squeeze in lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Coconut sambol is ready to serve.

Pol sambol served with Pol roti and tea

I made this dish as part of the Shhh Cooking Secretly challenge. Narmada from Nams Corner suggested Sri Lankan theme for the month of Aug and Seema was my partner. Seema made a delicious eggplant pickle with mustard and vinegar. Do check her blog for a wide variety of cuisine. I am waiting to try her aval kesari. 

Peanut Coriander Chutney

Peanut coriander chutney served with pesarattu and sambar.

Peanut Coriander Chutney is yet another no-coconut chutney in my blog. Some others include Radish chutney, Spring Onion Tomato chutney, Carrot Peanut chutney, Ridge Gourd chutney, and Tomato chutney. 

Ingredients:

1. Coriander leaves/Cilantro - 1 small bunch
2. Peanuts - 1/4 cup
3. Garlic - 3-5 cloves
4. Green chilies - 2 or as per your spice level
5. Tamarind - a small piece
6. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
7. Oil - 1 teaspoon
8. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and roast peanuts till they turn crisp. Remove the peanuts and set them aside.
2. In the same pan, add washed coriander leaves, garlic cloves, and green chilies. Saute till coriander leaves wilt.
3. Let the mixture cool down completely.
4. Grind the coriander mixture, peanuts, curry leaves, tamarind, and salt into a fine paste. 

Serve as is or you can add tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Serve as a side dish for dosa or idli. Here in the picture, I have served it with Pesarattu. 

Note:

• You can replace tamarind with lemon juice.

"Shhhhh Cooking  Secretly" is a monthly challenge in the Facebook group. At the beginning of the month, a theme is chosen by one of the participants and all the participants are grouped in pairs. The participants will exchange 2 secret ingredients with their partners who are supposed to prepare a dish that matches the theme of that month. 

This month's theme was "Chutneys" chosen by Priya Vijaykrishnan who blogs at Sweet Spicy Tasty. Do check her blog for a wide variety of vegan dishes. I would love to try her Oats Tikki. My partner for February 2021 was Sujata Roy. She gave me tamarind and garlic and I made his chutney. I gave her walnut and sesame seeds. She had a very unique "Almond Walnut chutney with Mango Ginger". Do check out her blog- Batter Up with Sujata for a collection of delicious dishes. I would love to try her Mango Kalakand and Cake Sandesh.

Radish Chutney - No Coconut Chutney

Dosa or Idli is one of the staple breakfasts in every South Indian home. The most common condiments are chutney and sambar. There is a wide variety of chutneys but the most common ones are made with coconut. If you are bored with the regular coconut chutneys, then I suggest you try this no-coconut chutney using radish. 

"Fresh Winter Veggies"  was the theme for the Nov "Shhhhh Cooking Secretly" event. The theme was suggested by Preethi of Preethi's cuisine. Do check out her blog for a wide collection of delicious recipes. I have bookmarked to try her Tom Yum flavored Mushroom and Coriander soup. My partner for Nov month is Priya Vijaykrishnan who blogs at Sweet Spicy & Tasty. Medu Vada platter in her blog caught my eye and I am craving for one now. Priya suggested radish and mustard seeds as my secret ingredient and I made this radish chutney. I gave her Spinach and green chilies and she made healthy and delicious - Keerai Masayil. Do check visit her blog to get the recipe. 

Ingredients

1. Radish - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Tomato - 1 
4. Dried red chilies - 2 or as per your preference
5. Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
9. Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1 handful
10. Oil - 2 teaspoon
11. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add urad dal. Saute for few seconds and add dried red chilies and onion.
2. Saute till onions turn soft. Then add turmeric powder, diced tomatoes and radish. Cover and cook for 5 mins on low flame. 
3. Add salt to taste and turn off the heat.
4. Wait till the mixture cools down and grind into a fine paste.
5. For the tempering, heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add a sprig of curry leaves and add the tadka to chutney. 

This chutney can be served along with idli or dosa. 

Do check out other chutney recipes in my blog:

1. Spring Onion Tomato Chutney
2. Carrot Peanut Chutney
3. Ridge Gourd Chutney
4. Coconut chutney with red chilies 
5. Coconut Coriander Chutney
6. Tomato Chutney

Spring Onion Tomato Chutney

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1. Spring Onion - 1 bunch
2. Tomato - 2 large
3. Onion - 1 medium
4. Garlic cloves - 6-8
5. Green chillies - 1-2
6. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
7. Oil - 2 teaspoon
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and chop spring onions into fine pieces.

2. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and saute chopped spring onion, chopped onion and garlic. Saute until onions turn translucent.

3. Add chopped tomatoes and green chillies and saute until tomatoes turn mushy.

4. Allow the mixture to cool down and blend everything together along with salt into a fine paste.

5. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves. Transfer the seasoning into chutney and chutney is ready to serve.

Linking this recipe to "Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge", an event started by Priya. For the month of July, I am paired up with Shailaja Reddy who gave me Spring Onion and Tomato as my secret ingredients and here is my delicious chutney with these two ingredients.
Shailaja blogs at http://sahasravantalu.blogspot.in/

Bitter Gourd Curry | Haagalkayi Gojju

This is a Karnataka cuisine which I learnt from my friend Nivedita. 'Haagalkayi' means bitter gourd in Kannada and 'gojju' means curry. This is a coconut based gravy with a burst of different flavors: tanginess, sweet, spicy and no doubt bitter. This dish tastes best when eaten with hot rice and ghee.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Bitter Gourd - 2 medium sized
2. Urad dal - 1 tablespoon
3. Chana dal - 1 tablespoon
4. Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Coconut grated - handful
6. Garlic cloves - 2
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Jaggery grated - 1 teaspoon
9. Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
10. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Sambar powder(any brand) - 1/4 teaspoon
12. Oil - 1 tablespoon
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Dry roast urad dal, chana dal and sesame seeds till they turn light brown in color. Keep them aside and dry roast coconut, garlic cloves and curry leaves for 5-7 minutes. Allow the dals and coconut mixture to cool down. Grind them along with sambar powder into a fine paste by adding little water. Keep the ground paste aside.

2. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add finely chopped bitter gourd. Fry for around 15 minutes on medium flame until they turn brown and crisp.

3. Add red chilli powder, grated jaggery, tamarind pulp and ground paste. Mix well and add salt to taste.

4. Let it cook for 5 minutes and then turn off the flame.

Bitter Gourd curry is ready to serve.

Coconut Coriander Chutney

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

1. Coconut grated - 1 cup

2. Coriander leaves/Cilantro - handful

3. Green chillies - 1 or as per spice level

4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

5. Curry leaves - few

6. Oil - 1 teaspoon 

7. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind together washed cilantro, coconut, green chillies into fine paste by adding little water.

2. For tempering, heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add few curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add the tempering into chutney.

Serve with dosa or idli or paniyaram. 

Unakka Chemmeen Manga Chammanthi

Serves: 2

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Grated coconut fresh/frozen - 1 cup

2. Dried prawns/shrimp - handful

3. Dried red chillies - 3-4

5. Raw mango pieces - around 1/2 cup(use according to the sourness of mango)

6. Oil - 3 teaspoon

7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

8. Curry leaves - few

9. Salt to taste

Method:

1. I prefer to wash the dried shrimp to remove excess salt. After washing drain off excess water and pat dry in paper towel.

2. Heat a pan on medium heat and add 2 teaspoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add dried red chillies and fry for few seconds, then remove and keep aside the red chillies. In the same oil, add shrimp and fry for around 5 minutes stirring continuously, then turn off the flame.

3. Grind together coconut, red chillies, shrimp, raw mango and salt into coarse paste. 

4. For tempering, heat a teaspoon of oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and turn off the flame.

5. Transfer this tempering into ground paste and delicious chammanthi is ready to serve as a side dish for rice.

Tomato Chutney

This is one of the easiest and tasty side dishes for dosa/idli.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Tomato - 2
2. Onion - 1
3. Garlic - 4 cloves
4. Dried red chillies - 2 or as per spice level
5. Oil - 2 teaspoon
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add dried red chillies.

2. Add garlic cloves, diced tomatoes, onion and salt to taste.  Saute until tomatoes turn mushy.  Turn off the heat and allow it to cool down.

3. Grind the mixture into a fine paste without adding water.

4. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and transfer the tempering into chutney.

Serve with dosa/idli. 

Carrot Peanut Chutney

I have joined a fun cooking event called "Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge" organized by Priya Suresh of "Priya's Versatile Recipes". Every month Priya will pick a pair of members who have to mutually exchange 2 ingredients between themselves and we need to cook a dish with these secret ingredients. This secret ingredient dish needs to be revealed on 16th-18th of that month.

This month I am paired with Nayana who gave me carrot and peanut as 2 secret ingredients. I decided to prepare Carrot-Peanut Chutney and believe me this tastes real good with all the richness of peanuts and carrots.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Carrot- 2 medium sized
2. Peanuts - 1/2 cup
3. Dried Red Chillies - 2 or as per taste
4. Garlic - 3-4 cloves
5. Tamarind pulp thick - 1 tablespoon
6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Oil - 2 teaspoon
9. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Grate the carrots and keep it aside.

2. For dry roasting the peanuts, heat a pan and add peanuts. Keep the flame on medium and stir continuously. Roast until the skin of peanuts start to turn dark brown. I like to remove the skin of roasted peanuts. For this, you need to let the peanuts cool and then rub them against your palm. Once done, keep the peanuts aside.

3. In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil and add dried red chillies and crushed garlic. Fry for few seconds.

4. Add grated carrots and fry for 5-7 minutes until the raw smell of carrot goes away. Turn off the flame and let it cool for sometime.

5. Add fried carrots, garlic, red chillies, roasted peanuts, tamarind pulp and 1/2 cup water in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.

6. Adjust the water level to get the desired consistency. Add salt to taste and transfer into serving dish.

7. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small pan. Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves. Add this tempering to chutney.

Serve this carrot peanut chutney for dosa/idli.

Coconut Chutney with Red Chillies

Ingredients:
1. Grated Coconut - 1 cup
2. Dried Red Chillies - 2-3 or add as per your spice level
3. Ginger -1 inch piece
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Oil - 1 teaspoon
7. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Dry roast dried red chillies in a hot pan for a minute.

2. Grind coconut, red chillies and ginger to a fine paste by adding little water.

3. Add water according to your desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and after it crackles, add curry leaves. Add this to the chutney.

This chutney goes well with idli and dosa.

Veluthulli/Garlic Chammanthi

Garlic is a very good antioxidant and helps maintain healthy blood circulation. Hence including garlic in our daily diet is a healthy practice.

Ingredients:
1. Coconut - 1 cup
2. Garlic - 2 cloves
3. Dried red chillies - 2 nos.
4. Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Oil - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt to taste.

Method:
1. Roast dried red chillies in a hot pan for couple of minutes.

2. Coarsely grind red chillies, coconut, garlic and salt.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard, after it splutters, add curry leaves, ground mixture and turn off the stove immediately.

This chammanthi is served as a side dish with rice.