From Veena Sridhar's Kitchen

We all have some memories of people, places, food or an event from our childhood that we cherish. One such person from my childhood was my grandma's baby sister - Grandma Pattu.  Even though we visited Grandma Pattu often, I have very vague memories of her cooking.  But as they say "Grandma's recipes are grandmas recipe's . Theres all that stuff and then tonnes of love which is what makes that recipe extra special !". 

This particular recipe is apparently from her kitchen. And the one thats shared this with me (Veena) , is an amazing cook herself .  So here goes the recipe for Coriander Onion Chutney (Dhania Tohail). From Grandma and Veena's cookbook to my blog.

Coriander Onion Chutney (Tohail)

Ingredients:

Coriander 2 bunches, Onion 2 (medium) chopped roughly,  Tamarind pulp 1 tsp,  Green Chili pepper 2-3, Red Chili pepper 1,  Mustard seeds 1 tsp, Black Gram Lentil 1/2 tsp,  Asafoetida 1 pinch,  Salt to taste( about 1/2 tsp), Oil 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and Asafoetida. Once the seeds start to sputter add Black Gram Lentil and red chili pepper and saute until the lentil starts to turn golden brown . Add onions and green chilli pepper and saute’ till it is light brown. Dilute 1 tsp of tamarind pulp/paste in half a cup water. Add the diluted tamarind water to onion and bring it to boil on medium flame. Add salt to taste. Roughly chop 2 bunches of coriander leaves and add to the Pan and saute’ for additional 2 minutes. Take the pan off the flame and let it cool. Grind it all in grinder/food processor to a smooth paste consistency. If the chutney is too dilute add more coriander leaves and grind. Adjust salt according to taste.

This chutney is a great accompaniment with rotis, parathas, dosa, idli, and sandwiches. The shelf life of this chutney if refrigerated, is a couple of days .

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There is another variation to this chutney which I had learnt from another wonderful person a distant aunt and the recipe of that is as follows

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Coriander Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

Coriander 2 bunches, 1-2 Medium Onions chopped roughly,  1 bunch Mint, Tamarind paste 1 tsp,  4-5 Green Chili pepper , 1-2 inches Ginger (cut to small pieces),  Mustard seeds 1 tsp,  Asafoetida 1 pinch,  Salt to taste( about 1/2 tsp), Oil 1.5 tbs

Method:

Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan and add  Asafoetida.  Add onions and green chilli pepper and saute’ till it is light brown. Add tamarind paste , salt , Ginger coriander leaves and Mint leaves and saute for 3-4 mins until the leaves are cooked and the tamarind paste is uniformly absorbed. . Take the pan off the flame and let it cool. Grind it in grinder/food processor to a smooth paste consistency. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds . Once the seeds start to sputter,  mix in the paste.  Adjust salt according to taste.

The shelf life of this chutney is about a month if refrigerated in an airtight container.