Friday, November 25, 2011

Sweet Potato Chutney With Roasted Dals

Kozhakattais & Sweet Potato Chutney

This deeply sunset colored chutney is a delicious addition to any meal; it is a very gratifying result of my experiments to incorporate more veggies into chutneys in place of coconut. I love coconut, but am trying to cut down fats. The dals add toasty flavor and richness to the chutney.

The fresh red chiles available in autumn impart zing and enrich the color of this beautiful chutney made with the deep orange colored sweet potatoes sold as "yams" in the United States. If fresh red chiles are unavailable, use dry red ones; if using dry chiles, add them to the hot oil first and toast along with the dals. You can spice it up by adding more red chiles if you wish.

About 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 medium Sweet Potato (Yam)
1 tsp Oil
2 Tbsp Chana Dal
2 Tbsp Urad Dal
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 pinch Asafoetida
3 stems Fresh Curry Leaves
1/4 cup fresh Coconut (or 2 Tbsp dry, unsweetened)
4-6 fresh hot Red Chiles
2 marble-sized lumps dry Tamarind (or 11/2 tsp concentrate)
1 Tsp Sea Salt

Tadka:

1 tsp Oil
1 dry red chile
1/4 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
a few fresh Curry Leaves, minced

Method:

Soak the tamarind lump in a couple of tablespoons of warm water.

Heat the oil in a small pan and toast the fenugreek and dals until dals are red-gold; add asafoetida and cook for a couple of seconds. Let cool.

Scrub and wash the sweet potato well; cut into chunks. It is not necessary to peel.

Combine all the chutney ingredients including the curry leaves (stems and all) and grind to a nice smooth puree.

Prepare thalippu by heating the oil; add chile, mustard seeds, and dal. When the mustard seeds pop and dance, remove from heat and add the curry leaves carefully.

Pour the thalippu over the chutney and mix well before serving.

Serve the chutney at room temperature or cold with your favorite snacks (upma, dosas, idlis, toast) or meals. Enjoy!!

Any leftover chutney may be stored in the fridge; the chutney stays fresh for a few days.

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