Green Chutney/Sandwich Chuntey

Ingredients 

Fresh Mint leaves	½  bunch
Fresh coriander leaves	½  bunch
Green chillies	2-3
Fresh coconut	1 tbspn
Salt	As per taste

Method

1. Wash mint and coriander leaves thoroughly without any sand.
2. Put everything in the blender and grind it into a very smooth paste, without adding any water. This chutney has to be thick, so that you can spread it easily on the sandwiches. It can also be used for bondas, bajjis and samosas.

Ginger Chutney

Ingredients

Fresh Ginger	2-3 big pieces
Red Chillies	3-4
Channa dhal	2 tbspn
Mustard seeds	½ tsp
Fresh or dried coconut	3 tbspn
Tamarind	2-3 pieces
Salt	As per taste
Oil	2 tspn

Method

1. In a pan dry roast channa dhal and red chillies and fry until the dhal turns golden brown. Keep it aside.
2. Next wash the ginger thoroughly and cut it into tiny pieces.
3. Add a tspn of oil and fry the ginger until the raw smell goes. Let it cool.
4. Now grind everything along with coconut, tamarind and salt with a little bit of water. This chutney should not be too watery.
5. Heat 1 tspn of oil and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, pour it over the chutney and mix it well.

Brinjal /Eggplant Gojju/Badanekayi Gojju

Ingredients

Egg plants	2 small ones
Urid dhal	4 tsps
Cumin seeds	1tsp
Methi seeds	1 tsp
Sesame seeds	3 tsp
Red chillies (dry)	6
Shredded coconut dry	2 tbs
Oil	2 tbs
Curry leaves	a  few
Tamarind	a lemon size

Method

1. Cut eggplants into small dices and put it in water.
2. Fry urid dhal, cumin seeds, methi seeds, red chillies and sesame seeds with 1 tsp of oil until light brown in colour.
3. Soak tamarind with a small amount of water and keep aside.
4. Heat 2 tbs of oil and add 1 tsp of mustard seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves and a pinch of hing. Drain all the water from the eggplants and add to the pan. Fry until it softens and add tamarind juice, salt and  jaggery/ brown sugar according to the taste.
5. Wet grind all the masala and pour it into the eggplant. Boil for few minutes until the raw  smell goes.

Variation: You can make the same gojju using different vegetables, substituting eggplants with butternut pumpkin, bitter gourd or okra.

Please feel free to leave your comments below. 

Channa Pulao

Ingredients

Basmati Rice	2 cups
Channa or chick peas	1 can or 150 grams.
Tomatoes	3-4
Onions	2 big ones
Bay leaves	A few
Ginger/garlic paste	1 tsp each
Fresh coconut	½ cup
Garam masala (Kitchen king)	1 tsp
Green chilliies	1 or 2
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Cinnamon sticks	2-3 pieces
Cloves	2
Canrdamom	2
Salt	As per taste
Cashews	A few pieces
Coriander leaves	2 tbsp

Method

1.  Soak chick peas for at least 2 hours, if you don't have readily available can chick peas.Then boil and keep it aside  Slice onions and tomatoes and keep aside.
2. Grind 1 onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies, coconut, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom,  garam  masala and chilli powder into a fine paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves. When it turns light brown, add onions and fry until they are golden in colour. Then add ground masala and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, chick peas and salt and fry for another 5 mins.
5. Cook basmati rice and allow it to cool by spreading it on a plate.
6. When it is cool, add the rice to the mixture and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve it with raita.

Curry Leaf Chutney Pudi/Powder

Ingredients

Curry Leaves	1-2 bunches
Urid dhal	3 tbspn
Red Chillies	2-3
Pepper corns	1 tbspn
Dry coconut	2 tbspn
Asafoetida/Hing	½  tspn
Tamarind	A small piece
Oil	2 tsp
Salt	As per taste

Method

1. Wash and dry the curry leaves on a paper towel.
2. Fry the curry leaves in a pan without oil until it becomes crisp i.e. the leaves should break easily. Allow it to cool for some time.
3. Dry roast the urid dhal until it is light brown in colour.
4. Roast the red chilli and pepper corns with oil. Add coconut,hing and turn the stove off and fry as it will turn brown very quickly.
5. Allow all the roasted items to cool for a while.
6. Put everything in a blender and make a coarse powder.
7. Add tamarind, salt, dry coconut and make a final powder out of it.
8. Store it in an air-tight container. It will last for a month.

Carrot Chutney

Ingredients

Carrots	2
Tomatoes	2
Green chillies	2-3
Urid dhal	1 tsp
Red chillies	1-2
Fresh Coconut	3 tbspn
Mustard seeds	½ tspn
Curry Leaves	1 sprig
Asafoetida	2 pinches
Salt	As per taste
Oil	1 tbspn

Method

1. Peel and grate the carrots and keep aside.
2. Chop green chillies and tomatoes.
3. Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan and add the green chillies and grated carrot. Fry until the raw smell goes.
4. Add tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes become soft. Let it cool.
5. Dry roast uriddhal and red chillies and keep it aside until it becomes cool. When it is cool, grind everything along with salt and coconut into a smooth paste.(adjust chillies according to your taste)
6. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves and asafoetida and pour over the chutney.

This chutney goes well with chappathis, puri, dosa and idli.

Strawberry Pickle

Ingredients                                        

Strawberries	1 punnet (250 gms)
Mustard seeds	½ tspn
Hing	¼ tspn
Pickle masala	2 tbspn
Salt	As per your taste
Oil	1 tsp

Method

1. Wash and cut the strawberries into very tiny pieces. Put the cut pieces in a bowl.
2. Add pickle masala and salt and mix thoroughly. If you are using ready-made pickle masala, then add only a tiny bit of salt as the masala already contains salt). If you don’t have readymade pickle masala, then fry about  10 red chillies and 1 tsp of methi seeds without oil and when it is cool powder them.
3. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add hing and pour this over the strawberries. Mix thoroughly and store it in an air tight container.
4. If you find the strawberries very sweet then add lemon/lime juice it gives sourness to the pickle.
5. If you don't want to add oil to the pickle just mix the pickle masala and can be eaten straight away.