Monday, August 13, 2012

Simple Red & Green Chile Chutney/Relish (Chile Pesto)

Avocado Toast Topped With Green Chile Chutney 
With its inimitable and lovely chile flavor, Chile relish is a delicious all purpose seasoning to have on hand; it is wonderful to spice up whatever you are cooking, as a chutney/pickle with meals, Dosa, burgers, bajjis or other snacks, and as a sandwich spread.  I concocted this so that the members of the family who love their food hot can spike their foods to their hearts' content :).  I love to add a little dollop as a side with rice and mild curries.  It is fantastic as a starter spread atop yogurt, ricotta, or cream cheese surrounded by crostini or crackers; a little schmear makes plain old grilled cheese come alive!  Once you start making and enjoying chile relish, I am sure that you will find it indispensable and discover many uses for it.

Try both green and red chile relish; each has its own unique flavor - the green chile has that fresh, crisp  taste while the red is a bit sweetly fruity.  Any chiles may be used to make this simple but wonderful chutney; they do not need to be searingly hot either.  You can use mild to hottest chiles in any combination according to your preference. 

Ingredients:

20 fresh Green or Red Chiles ( I used Jalapenos and Serranos)
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Crushed Fenugreek seeds
1 pinch Asafetida
1/4 tsp ground Turmeric
1 Lime, juiced (optional)

Method:

Wash the chiles well and drain.  Wipe dry and remove stems.

Place the chiles in the container of the food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade and finely chop using the pulse button.  Alternatively the chiles may be finely chopped or pounded using a mortar and pestle.

Heat a non-reactive skillet/kadai and add the oil.  When hot, add the seeds and let them pop.

Remove from heat and stir in asafetida and turmeric and then the ground chiles with the salt.

Return to heat and cook for two or three minutes until chiles turn bright green and the liquid evaporates a little.

Remove from heat, cool completely, and stir in the lime juice if using.

Spoon the relish into clean, dry, sterile jars and keep in the fridge. Enjoy!!

9 comments:

Archana said...

Love this. Sounds like my chilli pickle but is different.
I am hosting WTML All through August’12. Do send me your entries

Geetha said...

Thank you Scientist for your comments; the chile chutney is simple but delicious. Thanks for the invitation too :)

Anonymous said...

Dear Geetha, whether we can eat raw oats (oats as such without any preparation/cooking etc)at any time(ie for bf/lunch/dinner)?

Geetha said...

Hello Anon, you can eat rolled oats or oatmeal (looks like poha/flattened rice)any time; initially you may want to eat small amounts as your body may need time to get used to it. But it is certainly nutritious to eat it raw - muesli is a very healthy way to enjoy it.

Anonymous said...

DEAR GEETHA,

GOOD DAY!.

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY REG OATS.

Anonymous said...

Dear geetha,

know that radish is good for health but it is very difficult(because of pungent smell and teardropping taste) to take as raw .is there any method to minimise the irritation of raw radish to take

Anonymous said...

dear geetha,

also one more thing same is the case for karunai kizhangu which is considered to be a good vegetable casue much irritation to hands while we prepare(cleaning/cutting)and while we eat it cause irritation to tongue .

Also want to know if we boil while cooking and discard the water is there any loss of nutrient,the same cooking method for roots like tapioca,chenai kizhangu,koopankizhangu,cheevai kizhangu,palm kizhangu because in all the above methods we used to discard the boiling water.

Geetha said...

Hello Anon,
1. Chill the sliced or grated radishes and serve sprinkled with lots of lemon/lime juice, salt and chile powder or chat masala. Delicious!

2. There is some amount of nutrient loss when the cooking water is discarded from any vegetable; the veggies may be steamed over boiling water or cooked in a small amount of water to minimize loss of nutrients. Most of these veggies may also be prepared without having to parboil them and discarding the cooking liquid. Happy cooking!

Anonymous said...

THANKS GEETHA FOR YOUR REPLY ONE COOKING YAMS AND VEG LIKE RADISH.