Mango chatni

I had a couple of these half-raw mangoes. They were sweetishy tangy mangoes and so I decided to make this tangy spicy chatni that can be served as a pickle in a regular thali.

Ingredients:

1. Half -raw mangoes - 4 (Small sized)
2. Jaggery - 25 grams ( adjust it as per the sweetness required)
3. Salt to taste
4. Mustard seeds
5. Green chilli - chopped - 1 tsp
6. Curry Leaves - 8 to 10
7. Coriander leaves - 1 tsp chopped
8. Asefoetida - 1 pinch
9. Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Peel and pulp out the mangoes into a bowl. Add the jaggery to this and mix till it dissolves.You can add about 3-4 tbsp of water if the pulp is very thick.
2. In a kadai heat oil and add in the mustard seeds . Once they splatter, add the green chilli , curry leaves and asefoetida. Fry for about half a minute and pour the mango pulp.
3. Cook covered for 5 min on medium flame.
4. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Facts: This can be stored in fridge in an air tight container good to go for about a week.

Simple Drumstick - Aloo - Brinjal curry

Drumsticks are once such vegetable that people avoid cooking because of the tediousness in eating it.  I love this super vegetable that is rich in nutrients. So I love to add it into various dishes in different forms. One such curry/gravy that goes well with Chapatis/rotis/phulkas or even rotis is what I prepared last weekend.

Here is how I went about it.

Ingredients:

1. Drumsticks - 2 sticks (Medium sized)

2. Potatoes - 2 medium sized.

3. Brinjal( Green small Variety) - 3 medium sized.

4. Onion - 1 small

5. Tomato - 1 medium

6. Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

7. Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves

8. Ginger  grated - 1 tsp

9. Coriander leaves - 5 tsp chopped 

10. Oil - 1 tbsp

11. Salt to taste

12. Turmeric Powder - a pinch

13. Red Chilli powder - 1 to 2 tsp (according to your taste on spice levels)

Method:

1. Peel the hard part of the drumsticks( not completely but on a scaling level). Cut them into long pieces about 1.5 inches each.

2. Cube the Potatoes and boil them with the drumsticks for about 5 min.[ I add a little salt to the vegetables while boiling so that they absorb the right amount of salt in them. This enhances the taste of the dish.]

3.Meanwhile grind coconut, garlic coriander leaves and ginger into a fine paste.

4. Dice tomatoes, onions and cut Brinjal into almost same size of potatoes.

5. In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, once they splutter add the onions and fry for a minute.

6. Next add the turmeric, red chilli powder and the ground paste. Fry for about 2 minutes to which yo later add the brinjal.
7. Next add in the boiled drumsticks and potatoes with the diced tomatoes.

8. Add about one cup of water and cook the curry on low flame covered for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes are until everything comes together.

9. Add salt if required.

This is an awesome dish for rotis/chapatis/phulkas . It goes well with rice too.