Capsicum chutney

Capsicum chutney

by Hb ~ Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Like I said before, I have this immense liking for chutneys. I like them because they can be prepared in minutes (ie., 5-10) and they can be tangy,sweet and pungent,at once. This recipe for capsicum chutney is slightly different from others in the sense that it needs few extra ingredients. Nonetheless, it is a savior when it comes to preparing quick meals. I got this recipe from my mom. Having been vouched by my sister who is close to impossible to be pleased, I thought I should make this. So, here it comes:

Serves - 2
preparation time - 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:
capsicum - 2(medium sized)
Dhania/coriander seeds - 1 tb spoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 3/4 tb spoon
Chana dal/Split gram dal - 1 tb spoon
Urad dal/Bengal gram dal - 3/4 tb spoon
Red chillies - 3-4(adjust suited to your spice level)
Garlic - 2-3 pods
Tamarind paste - 3/4 tb spoon
Coriander - 1/2 bunch(optional)
Salt - 3/4 tb spoon(adjust suitably)
Oil - 1 tb spoon

For tempering/seasoning/tadka:
Mustard seeds - 1/4 spoon
Jeera/cumin - 1/3 tb spoon
Chana dal/Split gram dal - 1/2 spoon
Urad dal/ Bengal gram - 1/3 spoon
Asafoetida/hing - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig


Procedure:
1. Heat 1/2 tb spoon oil in a pan. Add dals, red chillies,dhania and jeera seeds. Fry them till they turn golden brown and remove from flame. Set them aside.
2. In the same pan, add chopped capsicum. Saute for 2-3 minutes. They need to be crunchy at that point.
3. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.
4. In a blender first grind dals, red chillies,dhania and jeera seeds. Once they are powdered add capsicum,garlic,coriander,salt and tamarind.
5. Blend them all together in a grinder into a coarse paste, adding little water.
6. Heat remaining oil in a kadai/wok. Add the dals,mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds start to pop, add jeera and curry leaves. After about 30 seconds add hing. Saute them all together.
7. Put this seasoning over chutney mixture and combine.
Goes well with rice and dal :)

I am looking forward to posting mom's recipes over the next week as I am going to visit them. I just can't wait to get there and start clicking everything that gets off the stove :D