Meghalayan Ja Stem Recipe|Khasi Turmeric Rice

The recipe that I present to you today, Ja Stem, hails from the beautiful land of Meghalaya. Ja Stem is a traditional recipe of the Khasis, one of the tribes majorly inhabiting the state of Meghalaya. It refers to a very simple rice dish, flavoured with turmeric – ‘Ja‘ means ‘rice’ in the Khasi language, while ‘Stem‘ means ‘turmeric’. Typically, this dish is prepared with the very fragrant, organically grown Lakadong turmeric, which is native to Meghalaya.

Like most other North-Eastern states, Meghalaya has been blessed abundantly by Mother Nature. Just like the other states in the North East, Meghalaya has a raw, non-commercialised aura to it, its cuisine simple and wholesome, based on local ingredients, herbs and spices. I consider myself extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the grandeur of Meghalaya first-hand, and to taste some of its local fare, Ja Stem included.

I had always wanted to try making Ja Stem at home, and this month’s Shhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge provided me just the perfect foil to do so. The members of the group are cooking dishes from the state of Meghalaya this month, and my heart was in the making of Ja Stem. Thankfully, the two secret ingredients my partner assigned me fit right in. So, one fine weekend this month, I undertook the task of preparing this, inspired by this recipe from Zizira.com, fuelled by memories of the beautiful time we had had in Meghalaya. I opted to make the Ja Stem in a pressure cooker – as opposed to cooking it in a pan, the way it is done traditionally – and it was a matter of minutes. The rice turned out fluffy and delicious, simple but hearty.

Ja Stem is quite a healthy dish, cooked using minimal oil. It is gluten-free and vegan, too. Considering it is rather bland on its own, I paired it with some Gutti Vankaya Koora, and an awesome meal was had by all.

Let us now check out my Meghalayan Ja Stem recipe, shall we?

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1. 1 cup rice
2. 1 tablespoon oil
3. 3 green chillies
4. A 1-inch piece of ginger
5. 4-5 cloves of garlic
6. 1 small onion
7. 2 tablespoons shelled green peas
8. 1 small carrot
9. 2-1/2 cups water
10. Salt to taste
11. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

1. Peel the carrot and chop into small cubes. Keep aside.

2. Chop the onion finely. Keep aside.

3. Slit the green chillies length-wise. Keep aside.

4. Peel the ginger and garlic and chop them roughly. Grind to a coarse paste. Keep aside.

5. Wash the rice under running water a couple of times. Drain out all the water. Keep aside.

6. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker bottom. Add the slit green chillies chopped carrot, onion, green peas and the ginger-garlic paste. Saute on high heat for a minute.

7. Add the washed and drained rice to the pressure cooker. Saute for a minute.

8. Now, add the 2-1/2 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.

9. Close the pressure cooker and put the weight on. Pressure cook on high flame for 3 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.

10. When the pressure has entirely gone down, fluff up the rice gently. Mix in the finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Serve the Ja Stem hot with a curry of your choice.

Notes:

1. I have used Sona Masoori raw rice in this Meghalayan Ja Stem recipe. You can use any variety of rice you prefer, instead.
2. I use 3-1/2 cups of water per cup of rice, for ordinary steamed rice. I have cut down on the quantity of water used here, since I wanted the Ja Stem to be grainy – I have used 2-1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Adjust the quantity of water depending upon how grainy you want the final dish to be.
3. In the absence of the fragrant Lakadong turmeric power from Meghalaya, I have used locally available, but equally fragrant turmeric powder.
4. I have used just 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, while the original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons. Adjust the quantity as per personal taste preferences.
5. Ja Stem is, typically, just salted turmeric rice. Here, I have added green chillies, peas and carrot, to make it more flavourful. The Ja Stem that we tried out at a Khasi homestay in Meghalaya had carrots and peas in it too, and I decided to make a similar version.
6. 3 whistles in my 5-litre pressure cooker were just right to yield the kind of fluffy, grainy but well-cooked Ja Stem that I was aiming for. Please adjust the number of whistles, depending upon the texture of rice you require, pressure cooker make and size.
7. Since the Ja Stem is quite bland on its own, it needs a slightly spicy curry to go with it.
8. I have used a 5-litre pressure cooker for this Meghalayan Ja Stem recipe.

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This recipe is for the Shhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge group that I am part of. Every month, the participants cook from a particular state of India. This month, we are cooking dishes from the state of Meghalaya.

I was paired with Sasmita of First Timer Cook for the month, who assigned me the two secret ingredients of ‘turmeric’ and ‘ginger’. This Meghalayan Ja Stem recipe was what I chose to prepare, using these two ingredients.

I’m sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #265. The co-hosts this week are Laurena @ Life Diet Health and Kat @ Kat’s 9 Lives.

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Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar| Radish Sambar With Freshly Ground Spices

‘Arachuvitta Sambar‘ refers to sambar made using a freshly-ground spice mix, as opposed to that made using sambar powder. The freshly ground spices make the sambar special, extremely delicious and flavourful. In traditional Tam-Brahm homes, sambar is almost always prepared the ‘arachuvitta‘ way, with freshly ground spices added in. This is typically the way sambar is prepared in several restaurants in Tamilnadu, as well on occasions like weddings.

In our family, we almost always make sambar with home-made sambar powder, quite delicious and flavourful in itself. Arachuvitta sambar is an occasional treat, reserved for special days like festivals or lazy weekends, when we are in the mood to indulge. With coconut added in, this sambar is a rich affair, but in a healthy way. Making this is a bit of a tedious job as compared to making sambar with sambar powder but, I can assure you, the end result is totally worth it. Served with some piping hot rice, a bit of ghee and some potato roast, it is but a slice of heaven!

Different families have different versions of Arachuvitta Sambar, with slight changes in the ingredients used for the spice mix. Today, I present to you the recipe for Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar, radish sambar made using freshly ground spices, our family’s way.

The Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar recipe below is gluten-free and vegan, as I have done away with the asafoetida that is traditionally added in. It is also pegan (a diet that combines the principles of paleo eating and veganism). The pegan diet proposed by Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D., advocates a plant-based eating style, with a focus on consuming whole foods that do not spike one’s blood sugar levels, avoiding sugar and processed foods, skipping dairy products entirely, restricting the intake of meat and legumes. The diet suggests the use of ingredients that are organic and wholesome, 75% of your daily intake consisting of non-starchy vegetables and the balance 25% made up of the other ingredients that are allowed in peganism.

Now, let us check out the recipe for Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar, shall we?

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

1. 1/3 cup toor daal
2. A gooseberry-sized ball of tamarind
3. 2 medium-sized radishes
4. Salt to taste
5. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
6. 1 tablespoon jaggery powder or to taste
7. Red chilli powder to taste (optional)
8. 1 sprig curry leaves
9. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

For spice mix:

1. 1 tablespoon chana daal
2. 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
3. A pinch of fenugreek seeds
4. 4 dry red chillies or to taste
5. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6. 1 sprig curry leaves
7. 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
8. 1 medium-sized tomato
9. 1 small onion

For the tempering:

1. 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
2. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3. 2 dry red chillies

Method:

Firstly, we will prepare the tamarind extract for the sambar.

1. Soak the tamarind in a little hot water for at least 10 minutes.

2. When cool enough to handle, extract all the juice out of the tamarind, adding fresh water little by little. Keep aside.

We will now boil the toor daal and keep it ready.

1. Wash the toor daal well under running water. Drain out all the water, and transfer to a wide vessel. Add in just enough fresh water to cover the daal. Pressure cook on high flame for 5-6 whistles, or till the daal turns mushy. Let the pressure release naturally.

2. When the pressure has fully gone down, get the cooked toor daal out. Mash it well. Keep aside.

Next, we will prepare the radishes.

1. Peel the radishes and chop into thin rounds. Place in a wide vessel. Sprinkle a little water over the radishes. Pressure cook on high flame for 2 whistles. Let the pressure release naturally.

Now, we will get the spice mix for the sambar ready.

1. Get a pan nice and hot, then add in the chana daal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Dry roast on medium heat till the chana daal turns brown and the ingredients begin to emit a lovely fragrance. Take care to ensure that the ingredients do not burn.

2. Now, add the coconut and roast for a minute. Switch off gas and allow the ingredients to cool down completely.

3. Chop the onion and tomato roughly. Transfer to a mixer jar.

4. When completely cooled down, add the dry roasted ingredients to the mixer jar too. Grind to a paste. Keep aside.

Now, we will prepare the sambar.

1. Take the tamarind water in a pan. Add in a little salt, the turmeric powder, the cooked radish, and the curry leaves. Cook together on high flame for about 2 minutes.

2. Now, add the cooked and mashed toor daal to the pan, along with the spice mix paste we ground earlier. Add in salt to taste, red chilli powder to taste (if using) and jaggery powder, along with about 1 cup of water. Mix well.

3. Stirring intermittently, cook on high flame till the raw smell of the tomato and onion goes away and the sambar thickens a little, 4-5 minutes. Switch off gas.

Lastly, we will prepare the tempering for the sambar.

1. Heat the coconut oil in a tempering pan.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add in the mustard seeds and allow them to pop.

3. Add in the dry red chillies and let them stay in for a couple of seconds. Switch off gas. Pour this tempering into the sambar cooking in the other pan.

4. Mix in the finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Your Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar is ready!

Notes:

1. You can use any other vegetable of your choice in making the sambar. Here, I have decided to use only radish.

2. In a traditional Arachuvitta Sambar, tomato and onion are not used in making the spice mix paste. I usually add them in, for the delicious flavour they provide to the sambar.

3. Since this is the pegan version of sambar, I have used organic coconut oil to do the tempering and have omitted asafoetida in it. To make a non-pegan, non-gluten-free version, you can use asafoetida in the tempering and any other variety of oil you prefer.

4. Make sure the toor daal is cooked well. Mash it well before adding it to the pan, for best results.

5. Adjust the quantity of coconut you use in the spice mix, as per personal taste preferences.

6. Adjust the amount of water you add in the sambar, depending upon the consistency you require.

7. I use a mix of the spicy Salem Gundu dry red chillies and the non-spicy Bydagi ones to make the spice mix paste. You can use any variety of chillies that you prefer.

8. Adjust the quantity of tamarind you use, depending upon personal taste preferences.

9. If you think the heat from the red chillies is enough, skip using any red chilli powder in the sambar altogether.

10. Don’t miss out on adding the jaggery powder to the sambar. It doesn’t make the sambar overly sweet, but balances out the other flavours beautifully.

11. Instead of the regular, starchy white rice, I have served this Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar with Rajahmudi rice, a type of red rice that is local to Karnataka. About 3/4 cup of cooked Rajahmudi rice, a cupful of this Arachuvitta Mullangi Sambar, a cupful of salad, along with a little gluten-free South Indian poriyal would make for the perfect pegan meal.

12. I am no expert on peganism, nor am I a qualified nutritionist. I am just your regular home-maker who loves food and working with different ingredients, and tries to feed her family meals that are as healthy as she can make them! I present the above recipe based on my understanding of ingredients and the pegan diet, which comes about from extensive reading up from various sources.

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This recipe is for the Foodie Monday Blog Hop. Every Monday, the members of this Facebook group cook for a pre-determined theme. The theme this week is #PeganDiet, as suggested by Veena of Veena’s Veg Nation.

I am also sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #264, co-hosted this week by Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau.

Murunga Poo Poriyal| Moringa Flowers Stir-Fry

Did you know that the blossoms of the moringa tree are edible? Not just edible, moringa flowers (called ‘murunga poo‘ in Tamil) are chock-full of health benefits, just like the pods and leaves of the tree are! It is not for nothing that the moringa is called a ‘miracle tree’ and that its pods, leaves and flowers are touted as ‘super foods’ the world over!

I was so thrilled to get my hands on some moringa flowers, recently!

The flowers are quite tasty too, and lend themselves beautifully to various sweet and savoury preparations. Many parts of India have their own indigenous recipes using these flowers. The Bengalis have their Sojna Phool Posto (moringa flowers cooked in a poppy-seed paste), while the Sindhis have their Swanjhro (drumstick blossoms cooked with onions, tomatoes and black pepper). In Tamilnadu, these flowers are traditionally used to make Murunga Poo Poriyal, a simple stir-fry with coconut added in. People from Orissa use these flowers to make fritters, called Sohjne Phuler Bora. Modern-day cooks use these highly nutritious flowers in a variety of soups, daals and stir-fries. Why, I was surprised when I read about drumstick flowers being used to make a delectable kheer!

The moringa flowers, all cleaned up and ready to be used

It was just a week or so ago that I had the chance to try out moringa flowers, for the first-ever time. Growing up, I never saw them in Ahmedabad, and they weren’t a common find in Bangalore after I shifted here. Having read about the various delicious things that one can do with these flowers, I tried searching high and low for them, at several places across Bangalore, a fruitless search that did not yield any results. So, imagine just how thrilled I would have been when, recently, my regular ‘soppu‘ seller asked me if I would like some drumstick flowers – just like that, out of the blue! I grabbed a bag of them, and got home hugging them close. When the time is right, the stars align, and all that jazz!

Murunga Poo Poriyal, aka Tamilnadu-style moringa flower stir-fry

I used the drumstick flowers to make a traditional Tamilnadu-style Murunga Poo Poriyal, which I learnt from Amma. This turned out to be an extremely delicious, hearty affair that was much loved by everyone at home. It was such a breeze to make, and paired beautifully with the sambar rice I served it with.

Let’s now see how I made the Murunga Poo Poriyal, shall we?

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. About 2-1/2 cups cleaned drumstick flowers
2. 1 medium-sized onion
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
5. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6. 1 teaspoon split urad daal
7. 2 pinches of asafoetida
8. 1 sprig curry leaves
9. 3-4 dry red chillies
10. Salt to taste
11. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
12. About 1-1/2 tablespoons jaggery powder or to taste
13. 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut

Method:

1. Wash the drumstick flowers thoroughly to remove all traces of mud. Drain out the water from them.

2. Chop the drumstick flowers and onion finely. Keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Now, add the urad dal, cumin seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Allow them to stay in for a couple of seconds, taking care to ensure that they do not burn.

4. Now, add the chopped onions to the pan. Cook on medium flame till the onions turn brown.

5. Add the chopped drumstick flowers to the pan. Turn flame to medium.

6. Saute on medium flame for a minute or till the drumstick flowers start slightly wilting.

7. Add salt to taste, turmeric powder and jaggery powder. Mix well.

8. Cook on medium heat till the drumstick flowers are cooked, 2-3 minutes. Stir intermittently.

9. Add in the fresh grated coconut. Mix well.

10. Cook on medium heat for half a minute more. Switch off gas. Your Moringa Flowers Stir-Fry is ready! Serve it hot or at room temperature along with sambar/rasam and rice.

Notes:

1. Leave the drumstick flowers wrapped in a newspaper overnight, on the kitchen counter. Most flowers would have fallen off the stem in the morning, ready to be used in your cooking.

2. Ensure that all the drumstick flowers are removed from the stems before use.

3. Use fresh moringa flowers, for best results.

4. Adjust the amount of coconut you use in this Moringa Flowers Stir-Fry, depending upon personal taste preferences.

5. Gingelly oil or coconut oil works best in the making of this Moringa Flowers Stir-Fry.

6. The jaggery powder counters the slight bitterness that moringa flowers possess. So, do not skip using jaggery. Adjust the quantity of jaggery you use, as per personal taste preferences.

7. You may use sugar in place of jaggery powder. Personally, I prefer jaggery powder.

8. There is no need to cover the pan, while cooking this Moringa Flowers Stir-Fry. You can cook it in an open pan, on medium heat, sprinkling a little water at intervals if you feel the stir-fry is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

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I am also sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #264, co-hosted this week by Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau.

Check out the other recipes using moringa on my blog!:

5 ways we incorporate moringa in our daily diet

Drumstick leaves roti

Saragva ni kadhi| Gujarati drumstick kadhi

Manjal Thokku| Turmeric Root Pickle

Manjal Thokku or Turmeric Root Pickle is one of my most favourite things to make using turmeric. All of us at home love it, and it goes well with everything, from rotis and dosas to curd rice.

Turmeric, as we all know, is loaded with health benefits. It helps not just in keeping cold and cough at bay, but also increases the body’s ability to fight chronic diseases, improves digestive functions, improves skin health, and aids in better control of one’s blood sugar, for instance. Our ancestors have always revered turmeric for its medicinal properties, and now its healing properties are being recognised the world over, due to which it is being touted as a ‘super food’.

The turmeric root that we got home for Pongal, this year

Turmeric powder is the most common form in which this medicinal plant is used. However, turmeric root or fresh raw turmeric is available in India in the months of winter, nature’s way of helping us combat the major and minor illnesses that prevail at this time. Consuming turmeric root is a great way of getting in all those health benefits, without any of the processing that converting it into powder form might involve. I typically use turmeric root (manjal kizhangu in Tamil) to make a simple South Indian-style pickle, but I recently started making a sweet-sour-spicy thokku with it. It turned out so finger-licking delicious, everyone at home loving it so, that it has now become a regular. I have made it quite a few times this winter already.

Manjal Thokku or Turmeric Root Pickle, my way

Here’s how I made the Manjal Thokku or Turmeric Root Pickle.

Ingredients (makes about 3/4 cup):

1. About 1 cup roughly chopped raw turmeric
2. A small gooseberry-sized ball of tamarind
3. A 1-inch piece of ginger
4. 5-6 cloves of garlic
5. 1 large onion
6. 4-5 dry red chillies or as per taste
7. Salt to taste
8. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. 1 tablespoon jaggery powder
10. 1 sprig curry leaves
11. 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons of oil
12. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
13. A pinch of fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
14. 2 generous pinches of asafoetida

Method:

1. Remove seeds and impurities, if any, from the tamarind. Soak the tamarind in a little boiling water for at least 10 minutes. This will soften it. Keep aside.

2. Peel the ginger and chop it roughly. Keep aside.

3. Peel the garlic cloves. Keep aside.

4. Remove the skin of the onion. Chop into cubes. Keep aside.

5. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan. Add in the chopped turmeric, ginger, garlic and onion, along with the dried red chillies. Cook on medium flame for about 2 minutes. Take care to ensure that the ingredients do not burn. Transfer the roasted ingredients to a plate, and allow them to cool down fully.

6. When the roasted ingredients have completely cooled down, transfer them to a mixer jar. Add in the soaked tamarind along with the little water it was soaked in. Add in jaggery powder, salt to taste and turmeric powder. Grind to a paste, using a little more water if required.

7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan we used earlier. Add mustard seeds, and allow to sputter. Now, add in the asafoetida, curry leaves and fenugreek seeds. Allow them to stay in for a couple of seconds, taking care to ensure that they do not burn.

8. Turn the flame to medium. Now, add the turmeric paste we ground earlier. Mix the paste and the tempering well, and cook together on medium flame for about a minute. Your Turmeric Root Pickle or Manjal Thokku is ready!

Notes:

1. Use very fresh turmeric root when in season, for best results.

2. Turmeric roots tend to have a lot of mud on them, typically. Make sure you wash them thoroughly, and get off all the mud.

3. Gingelly oil works best in the making of this Manjal Thokku. However, if you don’t have it, you can use any other oil of your preference.

4. Allow the Turmeric Root Pickle to cool down fully before transferring it to a clean, dry, air-tight container. Use only a clean, dry spoon for the same.

5. When stored hygienically, the Turmeric Root Pickle stays well for up to a week. Refrigeration increases its shelf life even more.

6. Adjust the quantity of dry red chillies you use, depending upon how spicy you want the pickle to be.

7. Turmeric root tends to stain yellow everything that it touches, including your hands, utensils and kitchen surfaces. Please be prepared for the same. Wear disposable gloves while preparing this pickle, if you so wish.

8. Turmeric root, on its own, can be quite strong in taste. Hence, it is advisable to use ingredients like tamarind, onion, ginger and garlic to make this thokku, as they help mellow down the turmeric’s strong flavour.

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This recipe is for the Foodie Monday Blog Hop. Every Monday, a bunch of foodies get together and cook for a pre-determined theme. The theme this week is #IndianSuperfood, as suggested by Vidya Narayan of Masala Chilli. We are all sharing recipes made using three key superfoods – moringa, makhana aka foxnuts and turmeric – for the theme.

I’m also sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #263.

Kadala Paruppu Thogayal| Chana Daal Chutney

We love our chutneys, as I’m sure you would have figured out already from the many chutney recipes already on the blog. Today, I present to you one more type – Kadala Paruppu Thogayal or Chana Daal Chutney.

As a child, I was brought up on a steady diet of various types of chutneys, because I refused to eat my vegetables. 🙂 In adulthood, my love for chutneys only intensified, and I began experimenting wildly with different ingredients and grinding techniques.

The husband grew up with various chutneys in his life too, loving them to bits. Keerai kootu, rice and rasam with different types of chutneys were a permanent fixture on his home’s dining table. So they are in our house today, too.

Chana daal is a sort of binding agent in most chutneys, whereas a vegetable usually is the star ingredient. However, in this Kadala Paruppu Thogayal, chana daal is the primary ingredient. Can you imagine just how protein-packed it would be? A simple dish to prepare, the chana daal makes it super flavourful!

We Tam-Brahms prepare something called Paruppu Thogayal, a delicious chutney made with toor daal that makes for an awesome accompaniment to rasam rice. This Kadala Paruppu Thogayal, though quite similar to the traditional Paruppu Thogayal in a lot of ways, differs from it in a lot of ways too.

I made this Kadala Paruppu Thogayal from Lathiya’s blog recently, and it was a big hit at home. I followed the original recipe mostly, with a few small variations of my own. We are going to be seeing more of this chutney in the times to come – I’m sure of that!

I cooked this dish for Food Bloggers Recipe Swap, a Facebook group that I am part of. Every month, the food bloggers in the group pair up, and each pair cooks dishes from their partner’s blog. What a lovely way to explore food from around the world, right? Mireille, author of The Schizo Chef, who is spearheading the recipe swap group, paired me with Lathiya for this month. I decided on this simple chutney recipe from Lathiya’s blog.

Do check out the way I made the Kadala Paruppu Thogayal! This is definitely something you must try out too!

Ingredients (yields 3/4 cup):

1. 1/2 cup chana daal
2. 1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
3. A 1-inch piece of ginger
4. A small piece of tamarind
5. Salt to taste
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1 tablespoon jaggery powder or to taste
8. 4 dry red chillies or to taste
9. 1 sprig + 1 sprig of curry leaves
10. 1 teaspoon + 1/2 tablespoon oil
11. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
12. 2 pinches of asafoetida

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in a little hot water for at least 10 minutes. Keep aside.

2. Peel the ginger and chop it up. Keep aside.

3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan. Add in the chana daal and dry red chillies, and roast them on medium heat till the daal begins to brown. Ensure that the ingredients do not burn.

4. Add the chopped ginger, 1 sprig curry leaves, soaked tamarind (without the water it was soaked in), and grated coconut to the pan. Roast on medium heat for a minute, ensuring that the ingredients do not burn. Switch off gas.

5. Allow the roasted ingredients to cool down completely, and then transfer them to a mixer jar.

6. To the mixer jar, add salt to taste, jaggery powder, and turmeric powder. Add in the water which the tamarind was soaked in. Add in a little fresh water. Grind the ingredients together to a paste, as fine or as coarse as you want it to be.

7. Transfer the chutney we ground to a serving bowl.

8. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add mustard and allow to sputter. Now add the asafoetida and the remaining curry leaves. Let them stay in for a couple of seconds, ensuring that the ingredients do not burn. Switch off the gas. Pour this tempering onto the chutney in the serving bowl. Mix well. Your Kadala Paruppu Thogayal is ready to serve!

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

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Do check out the exciting recipes that the other members of the Food Bloggers Recipe Swap have come up with!

Harissa| Chana Daal Chutney| Fresh Green Chana Chaat | Koeksisters|Til Ke Laddu | Pineapple Ginger Bubble Tea| Masala Chai|Ragi, Banana & Dates Smoothie | Roasted Beetroot Hummus| Mamra Upma| Spiced Plantain Chips| Fiery Habanero Pepper Hot Sauce| Sweet Potato Soup

I’m sharing this recipe with Fiesta Friday #263.