A Spoonful of Thought

Ingredients: 1 inch ginger 1 medium onion roughly chopped 1 medium tomato roughly chopped 5-6 garlic cloves 3-4 dry red chillies 1 green chilli 2 tsp tamarind paste Salt to taste For Tadka/Tempering: (optional) 2 tbsp of oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 2-3 dry red chillies 1 tbsp urad dal handful of curry leaves Recipe: 1.Add all the above mentioned ingredients in the blender and blend to a smooth paste by adding water.  2. Spicy Red chutney is ready use. 3. Enjoy this tasty chutney with hot idli, dosa or even with parathas.

Ingredients: 1 tbsp All purpose flour/Maida 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 6-7 cloves of garlic, crushed finely 1/2 cup milk  3-4 cheese slices/cubes 1 tsp black pepper power a pinch of nutmeg/jaiphal powder 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp oregano/Italian seasonings Recipe: 1. Take a non stick kadai. Add olive oil. Heat it for a min and then add butter. Once the butter melts, add garlic to it. keep stirring till it starts turning brown. 2. Add maida to the mixture. Keep stirring else it will burn. 3. Keep stirring till it turns brown and gives nice aroma. 4. Add milk little by little while stirring the mixture, till it forms white sauce. 5. Add black pepper powder, nutmeg powder and salt as per the taste. Mix well. 6. Add all the dried herbs, chilli flakes, oregano. Mix well. Bring the mixture to boil. Add water if the mixture is very thick for a sauce. 7. Add cheese slices and mix well till they melt and dissolves into the sauce. 8. White Sauce is ready to use.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup veg classic mayo 2 tbsp red chilli sauce 2 tbsp tomato sauce/ketchup 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce Recipe: 1. In a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients and mix well. 2. Serve this yummy mayo dip with your favourite naachos or any crispy starters.

Ingredients: 1 tsp butter ½ cup milk 1 cup milk powder Recipe for 200 gms mawa: 1. In a large non-stick vessel take 1 tsp butter and ½ cup milk. 2. Stir well making sure butter and milk are combined well. 3. Lower the flame. 4. Now add 1 cup full cream milk powder. Stir continously to avoid lumps. 5. The mixture will start to thicken and in few mins it will start to form a dough and leave the pan from sides. 6. Once the mixture forms a dough, our home made khova/mawa is ready. 7. Switch off the flame. 8. Remove it in a mixing bowl and crumble it using the spoon. 9. Cool it completely and use it as required.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup horsegram 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut 1 tbsp coriander seeds 3-4 dry red chillies 1 small lemon size tamarind 2 tbsp coconut oil Salt as taste Water for grinding For tadka/tempering: 1 tsp mustard seeds Few curry leaves 2 dry red chillies 1 tbsp oil Recipe: 1. In a kadai, dry roast horsegram until they are crispy brown. 2. In the same kadai heat coconut oil. Add coriander seeds and roast/saute till it is auromatic. Remove it in a plate. 3. Now add red chillies and saute them for a min and remove it in the same plate. 4. In a blender add roasted horsegram, coriander seeds, red chillies, grated coconut, tamarind and salt as per taste. Blend to smooth paste by adding water. 5. Remove chutney in a small bowl. 6. In a tadka pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds. 7. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and red chillies. Saute for a min and add this tadka to chutney. Mix well. 8. Healhty Horsegram chutney is ready to serve as side dish with rice or roti.

Ingredients: 12 dry red chillies 4 tbsp coriander seeds 1.5 tsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp jeera seeds 2 tbsp toor dal 2 tbsp chana dal 1/4 tsp methi seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 12-15 curry leaves 1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder/hing Recipe: 1. Dry Roast red chillies first till they are crispy. 2. Then add coriander seeds, peppercorns, jeera seeds, methi, mustard seeds. Roast till they turn crispy.  3. Now to this add curry leaves and roast for a minute more. 4. Then add haldi and hing. Mix well and saute for one more minute. Add this to a blender. 5. Dry roast both the dals till they turn color and add this too to the blender. 6. Blend all together to smooth powder. 7. Home Made Rasam Powder is ready to use.

Ingredients: 1 big or 2 medium raw mangoes 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut 3-4 green chillies 4-5 garlic cloves salt as per taste Water Recipe: 1. Rinse the mangoes well. Then dry them with a kitchen towel. 2. Peel and chop them into small pieces. 3. In a blender or grinder, grind all the ingredients with little water to a smooth paste. 4. Serve green mango chutney with dal & rice or savory rice porridge.

Ingredients: 2 cup fresh chopped coriander leaves 1/2 cup fresh chopped mint leaves 1 lemon juice 5-6 green chillies roughly chopped 1 inch medium size ginger 1 tbsp peanuts  1 tsp jeera seeds 1/2 tsp rock salt 2 tbsp nylon sev 1 tbsp sugar salt as per taste Water Recipe: 1. Dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin and keep it aside. 2. Roughly chop the coriander and mint leaves and keep it aside. 3. Add all the above mentioned ingredients in the blender and blend to a smooth paste by adding water. 4. Green Sandwich chutney is ready use. Can store this chutney in fridge for 3 months.  5. Enjoy this tasty chutney with hot samosas, kachori, pakodas, dahi vada, with any form of chats or use as a spread over variety of bread sandwiches.

Ingredients: 1 cup seedless dates  1/2 cup tamarind 1/2 cup grated jaggery 1 tbsp jeera/cumin seeds roasted and powdered 1 tbsp saunf/fennel seeds roasted and powdered 1 tsp Kashmiri red  chilli   powder 1 tsp Tikhalal red  chilli   powder 1 tsp Sauth/Ginger powder Rock/Pink Salt as per taste Warm water Recipe: 1. In a small mixing bowl add dates and soak it for an hr in warm water. 2. In another small mixing bowl add tamarind and soak it for an hr in warm water. 3. Then in a saucepan add the soaked dates and tamarind along with its water. Keep it on a medium flame. 4. Add grated jaggery to the above mixture. Stir and mix till the jaggery melts. 5. Add freshly roasted and powdered saunf and jeera powder,  chilli   powder and ginger powder to the same. Also add salt , adjust as per the taste. 6. Bring the liquid mixture to boil and then lower the flame and let it cook for more 10 mins. Then switch off the flame. 7. Let the mixture cool completely, strain the mixture in a bowl and add th

Ingredients: 1 tbsp chana dal 1 tbsp urad dal 3 big garlic cloves 1 medium onions roughly chopped 1 big tomato roughly chopped  handful of curry leaves 1 lemon size tamarind 2 -3 dry red chillies 2 green chillies salt as per taste Water to grind Season with/Tadka: 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard seeds handful curry leaves 1 dry red  chilli   Recipe: 1. Take a kadai, heat oil. Add curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal, onions, garlic cloves, dry red chillies, green chillies. Saute all together till onions turn soft. 2. Then add tomatoes to the same and saute till then are soft. 3. Cool the mixture and add the same in the blender. 4. Then add tamarind and blend the mixture to form chutney by adding little water. 5.  Remove the chutney ina bowl.  6. In a small pan, add 2 tbsp oil to heat. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Later add curry leaves, and chopped dry red  chilli   . Saute for a min and switch off the flame. 7. Add the tadka to the chutney bowl and mix well.

Ingredients: 5-6 ripe red tomatoes 4-5 garlic cloves crushed/chopped finely 1/2 onion finely chopped 2 tbsp dried herbs (basil, parsley) 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp paprika/kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp tikhalal red chilli powder 1 tsp of black pepper 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp chilli flakes 2 tsp oil 1 tbsp tomato sauce Salt as per taste 1/2 tbsp butter Recipe: 1. Take all the tomatoes and slit X on bottom and add into boiling water. Cover and cook for 3-4 mins.or till skin starts to seperate. 2. Peel the tomatoes skin and keep it aside for cooling. 3. Take half of the tomatoes and chop them finely, discard the seeds away. Keep it aside. 3. Take the remaining half of the tomatoes and blend to smooth puree. 4. Take a non stick kadai and add oil for heating. Add chopped/crushed garlic and saute till golden brown. 5. Add chopped onions and saute till they are little brown and soft. To this add the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are soft.  Mash the tomatoes once soft to make it mushy. 6. No

Ingredients: 1 cup freshly grated coconut 1 cup fresh coriander leaves Little more than handful curry leaves 3 nos green chillies 1 inch ginger 2-3 cloves of garlic a small lemon size tamarind Salt as per taste For Tadka/Tempering: (optional) 2 tbsp of oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 2-3 dry red chillies 1 tbsp urad dal handful of curry leaves Recipe: 1.  Blend garlic, green  chilli , ginger, tamarind, coconut and salt together with little water to form chutney. Give  nice pulse. 2. Later add the curry and coriander leaves to the same and blend together. Add water if required. 3. Remove the above mixture in a small bowl and adjust the salt as per your taste.  4. Ready the tadka and add the same to the chutney mixture. Here tadka is optional. This chutney does not need tadka. 5. Relish this chutney with Idli, Dosa, Neer Dosa, Medu Vada.

Ingredients: 1 cup freshly grated coconut 3 nos green chillies 1 inch ginger 2-3 cloves of garlic a small lemon size tamarind Salt as per taste 1 tbsp of oil For Tadka/Tempering: 2 tbsp of oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 2-3 dry red chillies handful of curry leaves Recipe: 1.  Blend garlic, green  chilli , ginger, tamarind, coconut and salt together to form chutney. 2. Remove the above mixture in a small bowl and adjust the salt as per your taste.  3. Ready the tadka and add the same to the chutney mixture. 4. Relish this chutney with Idli, Dosa, Neer Dosa.     

Ingredients: 1 cup freshly grated coconut 3-4 dry red chillies 1 nos green chillies a small lemon size tamarind Salt as per taste 1 tbsp of oil For Tadka/Tempering: 2 tbsp of oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 2-3 dry red chillies handful of curry leaves Recipe: 1. Take a non stick kadai.  Add oil. Heat it for a min and then add dry red chillies. Saute for a min and remove it. 2. Blend roasted red chillies, green chilli, tamarind, coconut and salt together with little water to form chutney. 3. Remove the above mixture in a small bowl and adjust the salt as per your taste.  4. Ready the tadka and add the same to the chutney mixture. 5. Relish this chutney with Idli, Rava Idli, Dosa, Neer Dosa.

Ingredients: 1 cup dry roasted Peanuts/Groundnuts 2-3 nos green chillies 2-3 big to medium tomatoes roughly chopped 1 tsp of jeera seeds 2-3 cloves of garlic Salt as per taste 1 tbsp of oil For Tadka/Tempering: 2 tbsp of oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 2-3 dry red chillies handful of curry leaves Recipe: 1. Take a non stick kadai. Dry Roast peanuts and later jeera seeds and keep aside. 2. Add oil. Heat it for a min and then add garlic cloves and green chillies. Saute for a min and remove it. 2. Later add chopped tomatoes to the same oil and fry them for a 1-2 min. 3. Blend peanuts, garlic, green chillies and jeera together. Give a nice pulse. 4. Add the fried tomatoes to the same and blend them all together.  Ideally no water, however  in case the mixture is thick for blending then add 1-2 tbsp of water.  5. Remove the mixture in a small bowl and add salt as per your taste. 6. Ready the tadka and add the same to the chutney mixture. 7. Relish this