Mirchi ka Saalan

I love mirchi ka Saalan, it has the ability to add the excitement on your full plate. It’s spicy, has texture and I like to add various kinds of chillies and peppers to give character. The squishy tomatoes also give a break from just the spice. It has never failed us. Do try.
Mirchi ka Saalan

INGREDIENTS - makes 500 gms
100 gms big chillies slit into halves
1/2 bell peppers sliced
10-15 green chillies sliced
5-8 garlic cut into halves
1 onion sliced
4-5 small tomatoes halved
1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chillies crushed
2-3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 tsp roasted sesame
2 tbsp roasted coconut
1 tsp dhaniya powder
1/2 tsp haldi
1.2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp gur
Salt to taste
Hing
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera
Curry leaves
Walnut size tamarind
METHOD
1. Heat oil, add curry leaves, hing, mustard and jeera.
2. Add GGG paste and sauté.
3. Add onions and sauté slightly.
4. Add all the 3 kinds of chillies and sauté till well coated and glossy.
5. Grind peanuts, sesame and coconut together.
6. Add the paste and tomatoes and sauté.
7. Add all the spices, tamarind and water.
8. Cook till it starts to come together.
9. Add tomato halves and cook for just few mins.
10. Serve hot with rice. 

5 peppers spicy pickle

This time when I peeped into my fridge I had lovely red chillies, green chillies 2 different kinds and thought this time I would try and put all the different chillies I have in the house and make a nice spice mix that I can use as a chutney, relish or as an addition in another dish.I tried this new one and it was fantastic.I mixed it with some cooked rice and melted butter, spicy red rice is ready too.Enjoy with a nice salad.
Ingredients
Big red cillies                               5 nos
Big green chillies                          3 nos
Sharp thin green chillies                5 nos
Dry red chillies                             5 nos
Pickled green peppercorns           1 tbsp
garlic pods                                   3 nos
tomato paste                                3 tbsp
salt                                              3/5 tsp
yellow mustard seeds                   2 tbsp
Vinegar                                       2 tbsp
Olive oil                                      150 ml

Method
Clean all the fresh chillies.
Soak red chillies in vinegar for 30 mins.
In a blender put the chillies,garlic,yellow mustard seeds and vinegar chillies and grind to a coarse paste.
Heat oil and add this mixture and cook on high heat to evaporate the water in it.
Add the salt and tomato paste and keep cooking.Now add the pickled peppercorns.
Cook till all the water is gone and the oil seems to come out.
Cool and store in jars.
Enjoy with anything that needs spicing up.

Spicy Red chilli and tomato sauce/chutney

      My husband does not leave any opportunity to pick up chillies from any store he sees.We had about 4 different varieties of chillies in my fridge and was today forced to finally make 2 different chutnies.I was very pleased with this one in particular.The colour is fantastic, red and spicy hot!!I look forward to eating it with all my meals this week!!

Ingredients
Thick red chillies                 3 nos
peeled garlic                       1 full pod
tomato paste                       50 gms
olive oil                              2 tbsp
lime juice                            2 tbsp
salt to taste

Method
Wash and chop the chillies roughly.Roughly crush the chillies with the garlic in a blender.Heat oil and pu the crushed chilli mixture.Add salt and cook on high heat till water gets dried.Add the thick tomato paste , salt and lime juice.Cook till it thickens.Cool and store in dry jar.Serve with pancakes,sandwiches,dosas and snacks.

Chilli garlic chutney no. 2

This chutney is my favorite!! I love it as it is spicy,sour,garlicky and it tastes great with dosas, idlis,rice,curd rice and almost anything.I just hide it in my fridge.I have a good friend who is from south of India and she is one reason why I have suddenly activated my taste buds and they drool over that cuisine.My family is happy that I am again doing more of south Indian food.Try this lovely chutney.
Ingredients
Green chillies               250 gms
garlic                           200 gms
ginger                           25 gms
tamarind                       size of a lemon
olive oil                         1/2 cup
hing                              1/4 tsp
bengal gram                  1 Tbsp
curry leaves                   1/2 cup
mustard seeds                1 tbsp
salt to taste
Method
Wash and dry chillies.Peel ginger and chop.In a mixer, crush green chillies,garlic,curry leaves,tamarind and ginger.They should not get pureed.Need to be crushed roughly.Heat oil, add hing,mustard and let them splutter.Add the bengal gram and let them color.Add the crushed chilli mixture and cook at high heat.Add salt to taste.Cook till there is no water and oil comes out.Store in a jar in the fridge.Keeps for months.