Coriander/Cilantro Coconut Chutney

Here is a simple recipe for a coconut based chutney from my day to day cooking. This chutney brings out the flavor of cilantro/coriander and is a great accompaniment for idli's and dosa's.

Ingredient:
1 bunch coriander (approximately 3 cups, loosely packed)
2 tblsp urad dhal
2 red chillies/green chillies
1 inch ginger
4 tblsp shredded coconut(fresh or frozen)
1 small marble size tamarind (1/2 tsp tamarind paste)
salt as required.
Tempering
1 tblsp sesame oil(or any oil)
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp urad dhal

Method
In a pan add 1 tsp of oil and fry the urad dhal till golden brown.Keep aside.
In the same pan slightly fry the red/green chillies and ginger.
Reduce the heat to low and the stir in the roughly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves for about a min or until wilted.
Grind everything along with coconut and tamarind to a smooth paste.

For tempering .
Add a tblsp of sesame oil in a pan.When its hot add the mustard and urad dhal.When the mustard pops switch off the stove and mix in with the chutney.

Notes:
If using frozen coconut, defrost in microwave for 2 mins and then grind using some luke warm water.
Equal parts of mint and coriander can also be added to make mint coriander chutney.
Do not cook the coriander leaves for more time, stir in low heat just until they are wilted ( just a minute or less).I usually do this after switching off the stove.

Linking this chutney to Julie's " Herbs and spices event " at Erivum puliyum where this months theme is coriander - cumin .

Velaiappam with Whole Moong dhal/ Pachai Payir Curry

Did I ever mention about the sundays over here? Sundays are the do-nothing day, except eat and sleep. I mean literally.. As none of the shops are open on sunday, or for that matter not after 6.00pm on weeknights, we are pretty  much done with our shopping and running around doing all the required errands by saturday evening. It seriousl requires a lot of planning.During our initial days here I used to compare all our activities with the US lifestyle, where we mostly end up doing last minute sunday evening shopping, and was not happy about the situation here. But after a few weeks of planning and setting up a routine, I started enjoying the life here and actually realised how spoiled we were in US.
Nowadays we never miss the car and enjoy walking few blocks to the store, or happily take the help of the public transport. The Public Transport system over here is amazing (trains, metros, Buses) and they are well connected.
So sundays are just to relax, get yourself ready for the week ahead or take some leisurely walks (if the weather permits) in a nearby trail.

Past sunday I made this Appam bookmarked from Aparna of  'The Diverse Kitchen' . I love all her Palakhad recipes as well as the Baking ones. What made me bookmark this one was that  the recipe used yeast for fermenting.This process was totally new to me, as I am used to Appams with the rice flour - uraddhal combo, which undergoes normal overnight fermentation.
I was very curious about the result and I was not disappointed, as the name indicates it sure was bright white in colour.

I served the Appams with the whle moong dhal , which was also inspired by her post here, but the way I made was very different as I was too lazy to make the spice mixture and I just had coconut milk and not the fresh ones.
But I will definitly make her version with the puttu some other day.

So here goes the recipe for the Velai Appam
Ingredients
1 cup raw rice
1 tsp dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
one handful of cooked rice
2 tblsp of coconut milk (optional)

Method:
Soak the Raw rice for atleast 6 hours.
Mix in the yeast along with the sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water.Keep aside for 10 mins.
Grind the rice along with yeast for some time.Then add the cooked rice and grind till its smooth.
Place the mixture in a large bowl and allow it to ferment overnight.

In the morning, mix the coconut milk ( I used store bought) to the batter and mix well.
Heat up a Pan or Appa kadai and pour a laddle full of batter in the center and twist the pan so the batter spreads evenly on all sides.
Sprinkle a tsp of oil over the edges and cover with a lid. Remove after 2 mins.(do not turn over)

For the Pachai Payir/Whole moong dhal curry.

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Moong dhal .
1 onion finely choped
1 small  Tomato finely chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 inch cinnamon piece
2 cloves

1 cup coconut milk.(store bought)

Method:
Pressure cook the moong dhal upto three whistles.
Take 2 tsp of oil in a pot, add cinnamon and cloves to it.
When the cloves pop, add the onions, garlic and ginger.Saute well.
NOw add the chopped tomatoes and saute till mushy.
To this add all the dry powders, salt and saute till the oil leaves the sides.
Now add the cooked beans along with the liquid and let it boil for 10 mins.
Finally add the cocnut milk and switch off the stove just when it starts to boil again.
Garnish with Curry leaves.

Iam sending this Appam combo to  the following events.
This months Jhiva - Breakfast , an event started by Indira hosted this month at   VeggiePlatter,
Priya's Pancake party and also to
My Legume love affair started by Susan of the Well seasonedCook , hosted this month at Mirch Masala

Oatmeal Raisin Coconut Cookies

Its been two months since I moved to a new place or I should say its been two months since I baked anything. But I have lots of cakes and cookies, neatly organised in my folders, waiting to be posted.They were the result of the baking marathon I ventured during the last week of december amidst all the chaeos of packing and cleaning.  I baked some cookies, cakes, brownies, and breads as if the world is going to end the next day. Since it was the holiday season, I didnt have to worry about finishing up everything as they were neatly packed and distributed to friends and collegues as soon as they have been photographed. 



These Oatmeal Raisin Coconut cookies were past of that marathon as well as my first attempt in baking the cookies. I made two batches of these following two different recipes.This is the first version. It turned out crispy and chewy , just the way I wanted. This gave me the confidence to try out the mexican wedding cookies that was posted earlier for global kadai event.

I adapted the recipe from here. I modified/added/removed some ingredients as per my taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup Softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract

3 cups of Instant oats
11/2 cup of Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup of raisins
1 cup dry unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.


Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C
In a wide pan, slightly toast the oats, coconut and walnuts one by one and keep seperatly.
Toasting bring out the nice flavour in all the above three ingredients, but take care not to brown it.
In a small bowl beat one egg alond with the vanilla extract.

Now cream the softened butter and the sugars for 2- 3 minutes using a electric mixture.
Mix in the beaten egg mixture and beat till it becomes creamy.

Now add the flour and mix till its well combined.
Stir in the toasted oats , coconut , raisins and walnuts.

Line the cookie tray with parchment paper and spoon in the mixture.
Gently press each portion with the back of the spoon. Place them well apart.
Bake for 10  - 12mins. Mine took 12 mins. So keep an eye after 10 mins.
The cookies will be soft in the center after 10 mins, not to worry, it will become crisp as it cools down. So if the base it browned and crisp, you are good to go.

This recipe gave me 48 medium sized cookies.