Peanut Chutney with Roasted Onions, Tomatoes ~ Indian Chutney

Resistance to change is often the most common thing to happen. Especially with food one can imagine the affinity towards food that we grew up with. One of the biggest challenges happen after marriage, when we get to learn what our spouse likes and how we got to change the spouse or change ourselves. Sometimes you can, sometimes you end up changing. But hey it is part of the institution right!

Believe me it starts with the smallest dish meaning from the chutney served for the breakfast to the main course. By chutney I no way say it is small still easier to make and decide in my opinion. So it started for me with Groundnut chutney. My friends always tease me, infact everybody who knows us tease us saying we have a groundnut factory. Meaning we make this 365 days, it ought to be such right. Little did they know that the trait is rather from the land our ancestors came and not just our own.

Anyway, coming to this and the point of assimilation, Athamma adds a variation to the chutney. She adds roasted tomatoes, Onions, Green chilis to the roasted Peanuts. While anything roasted and ground tastes awesome, I somehow couldn't accept the fact that the pure, exalted taste of Groundnut was marred with the amalgamation. True to the situation, they couldn't accept the fact that one could actually think of eating with just plain groundnut ground as chutney and on top not even seasoning it!

The passage of years mends lot of things. Yes it has mend so that that my in laws now eat the plain groundnut ground with or without seasoning. And I eat the one made with all roasted stuffs. This morning when I was busy working on something, I saw Athamma roasted the onions, tomatoes. I assumed she was planning to make something else. But to my surprise the next happened was, everything along with peanuts went into the mixer. Well well, this was one dish that I haven't shared and it is crime not to share one dish that I have come to like!

Peanut Chutney with Roasted Onion, Tomatoes

Roasted Groundnut - 1 cup (100 gms)
Green chillies - 3-4
Onion, medium - 1/2
Tamarind - marble size
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Salt to taste
Garlic pods - 5-6

Seasoning (optional)
Mustard seeds + Urud dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few
Oil - 1/2 tsp


Method to prepare:

Chop the green chillies to small bits, peel the onions, soak the tamarind to make it soft.

Heat a pan, add 1 tsp of oil, saute green chilies, onions, tomatoes until they become light brown. Allow it to cool.

Then take all the roasted ingredients along with peanuts in a mixer and grind to coarse consistency but not to coarse. This should not be a smooth paste.

This is served with Dosas and Idlis.

I know I haven't been able to post much, I have been busy cooking for the book. We made about 6 different pickles and will do doing a tasting and shooting tomorrow. Wish me luck to get the work done faster, days are nearer closer than I thought!

If you are interested to check out other Chutneys posted here, Visit the Chutney Index

Tomato Achaar ~ Tomato Dip!

I guess its been our fondest dream to have a decent family dinner with the kids along. We have never seen it happen, as most times either of us or both, will be chasing the kids around the restaurant or whatever place we happen to be. It was the same with Konda when she was this age, now its with the boys. Only we have grown older! Dad always used to challenge Konda to sit still for a minute, but after seeing the boys, he has reduced the span for a second or even less. They hardly understand what he says. They have that innocent look which says they hardly can do such devious things!

Hubby dear finally decided that we would risk the chance and take them to a restaurant, hoping they would sit quite in a new environment. Remember the last time we said we took them and to our surprise, the kids were so well behaved. Well it lasted just that day, the next couple of times we took them out, it was a complete disaster. Every other minute there was a catastrophe dooming over us. We hardly remembered what we eat, what was concluded was that, to never venture out again. But then you tend to go soft right. Especially when they look so innocent and downright harmless, it just melts hubby dear's heart. And this happens with hubby dear very often. Every other chance, he again hopes that the kids will atleast be manageable, if not actually be sitting in one place.

This time it was even worse, even before we started, they were so excited that we were going out and they were yelling out loud. If you are familiar with 2+ year old boys, you will know what I am saying! Anyone seeing this would think we never take them out! From the moment we got seated, one fellow ran over the sofa, while other ran over the floor. I finally decided, in between my morsels, its not worth admiring the yummy dal or the Paneer pasanda on the menu. What would happen if Chinnu gets down the entire laid out table with those delicate glass cookeries! I was imagining the worse, but with these darling devils, anything is possible. When they saw me coming, one ran in one direction, while one took the other way.

Since the other family members were still eating their dinner, I was left with myself to decide which way to run. Finally I caught one fellow and ran with him to catch the other devil on the prowl! On top of this, Peddu caught the fancy of an adorable one year old girl. She was so cute, with pinkish chubby cheeks, Peddu won't get away from her. He went on pinching her cheeks and saying so cute, so cute Amma. I told him sternly that he can stop lineaddichifying (as in tamil), I have better things to attend to. Like checking out what Chinnu was up too. Remember I was imagining he will pull the table down!

Pull he did, but luckily there was only one glass over the table and in seconds, we heard the glass breaking to million pieces and looks of shocked expression all around us. I grabbed both of them close, lest they step on a piece. After that it was a hurried show back home. Thus ended another of our adventure!

Coming to this Tomato Achaar that I prepared as the dip for the Momos, its a lovely combo of garlic and tomatoes. When I was going through the many recipes that I was referring, finally conjured this concoction combing ideas from all of them. Not sure if authentically this is how its made, but its one awesome dip for any snack. Off late, dips seems to have caught my fancy!

Tomato Dip ~ Achaar

Ripe Tomatoes - 2 big
Garlic flakes - 10 medium
Red chili long - 5 -7
Salt to taste

For Seasoning

Cumin Seeds
Oil - 1 -2 tsp

Method to prepare:

Boil the red chilies in 1 cup of water in sim. Remove after 5 -6 mins

Chop the tomatoes into chucks. Keep aside a quarter of the chopped tomatoes

Peel and dice the garlic.

When the red chillies are cooled, run it first in a mixer till you get a coarse or even a semi powder. Then take half of the garlic along with 3/4 tomatoes, grind it to a smooth paste.

Heat a pan with oil, temper with cumin seeds, then add the remaining chopped garlic. Fry well.

Then finally add the chunks, and simmer till the tomatoes are soft, then add the ground tomatoes. Cook well after seasoning with salt.

Cook till you get a good thick sauce. This can be served with Momos, and guess about chips or rotis etc!

This can be easily made in advance and stored in fridge!

Since this dip took me not more than 10 mins to get done, sending this to Mahimaa's 15 minute cooking event!