Homemade Kashundi (English Mustard Paste)

Eversince I posted the Kashundi Paneer recipe, which was tried and liked by all, the most common querry that I was asked was where can we get Kashundi or how can we make Kashundi at home. Kashundi is actually nothing but simple mustard paste made with a few other ingredients in big batches and can be had either as an ingredient for some curries or in salads or in sandwiches or as a relish with fritters too. It is a very versatile paste and if you like the zing of mustard, you will want to add it to every other thing. However, the storebought Kashundi has a slightly different taste owing to all the preservatives and other additives to keep it fresh for months altogether. This homemade kashundi will have a shelf life of a few weeks to a maximum of 1 month and needs to be stored in a squeaky clean glass jar in the refrigerator. Ensure that you use a clean spoon every time you take it out and do not leave on the kitchen counter for too long once refrigerated. Lastly, do not stir or overstir the paste while using a spoon as this might turn the paste bitter. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup black mustard seeds (you can use either a combination of yellow and black or only yellow too; I had only black at hand)

3/4 cup water

5-6 green chillies

5-6 big fat cloves of garlic

2" piece ginger

2 tbsp mustard oil plus more for storage

Juice of 1 big lime (about 3-4 tbsp)

Salt to taste

Pinch of turmeric powder

1/2 tsp sugar

Direction

Wash and soak the mustard seeds and chillies in the water overnight. 

In a blender, add the drained mustard seeds, chillies, ginger, garlic, and lime juice and grind to a fine paste. Try not to add any water. If at all required, add just a tsp of water as and when required. Now add the salt, sugar, and oil and pulse till all combined well. Transfer to a clean glass jar with a tight lid and pour some mustard oil (1-2 tbsp) on top and store in the refrigerator. Please read the tips given  above for longer shelf life of the paste.

Date and Tamarind Chutney

This is a chutney you would love to keep ready at all times in the fridge. Sweet, tangy, and spicy, it is a wonderful balance of flavors which can leave any Indian pallate to keep longing for more. Enjoy it with your chats and fritters and take the dish to the next level. I enjoyed this chutney with these wonderfully crispy baked Peas Kachori as well as with some healthy Spinach and Chickpea Cutlets!

Ingredients

1/3 cup tamarind pulp from seedless tamarind soaked in water for 30 minutes-1 hour

1 cup dates pitted and soaked in water for 30 minutes-1 hour

5-6 aam papad soaked in water for 30 minutes-1 hour (optional)

1/4 cup jaggery (I used Date Palm jaggery or Nolen Gur)

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 whole red chillies

1 tbsp chilli powder

2 tsp freshly roasted and ground cumin powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp oil

Direction

With your hands, mash the tamarind in the soaked water till the tamarind is all fibrous. Strain this liquid by pressing down with a spoon till you only have the fibrous remains in the sieve. Discard the skin and keep the pulp aside. 

Now in a blender, blend the dates and soaked aam papad without the soaked water to a paste. Keep aside. Do not discard the soaked water.

Heat oil in a pan and splutter the cumin seeds and whole red chillies. Add the tamarind pulp and the date and mango pulp and mix well till combined. Add the spices and stir. Next add the jaggery and continue stirring on a medium flame till it melts. Add the reserved soaked water from the dates and aam papad, about 1/2 cup, and cover and cook till the mixture thickens a bit. Check for seasoning and adjust as per your taste. Continue stirring till the chutney reaches your desired consistency. Remove from flame and let it cool completely before putting the lid on after transferring to air tight jar. 

                                   

Sweet and Spicy Iranian Carrot Pickle

I saw this recipe almost 3 months back and ever since, it was on my mind. In fact, I had bought my first pack of dried apricots just for this recipe and while I still kept fiddling with the thought of making it, the apricots managed to score highest on my favorite dry fruit list and now a regular in my pantry. Some more months would have still passed by before I could make this pickle when finally yesterday I did some jar shopping and I knew now is the time. Not that the recipe is difficult to make, in fact it is one of the simplest ones to make. I was just occupied with a few more important things and today when I finally made it, I realize what I had been missing all this while. The recipe was shared by a very talented fellow food blogger Amrita Gill which was passed on to her by her Iranian friend in her college days. A must try recipe, especially if you love your pickles and chutneys!

                                

Ingredients

2 cups carrot grated

1 1/2 cups fine grain sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (can be replaced with sugarcane vinegar or apple cider vinegar or any sweet vinegar)

1/3 cup dried apricots sliced

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup dates (I did not add as I do not like)

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp heaped red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Direction

Soak the apricots and raisins in the vinegar overnight in the refrigerator, preferably in a glass bowl. 

Heat a pan and add the carrots followed by the sugar. Strain the soaked apricots and raisins and add the soaked vinegar from the bowl. Let the mixture come to a boil while stirring continuously on a medium flame. Now add the chopped garlic, soaked and strained fruits followed by the spices. Mix everything well and let the mixture reduce while stirring in between. When all the liquid evaporates, remove from heat and transfer to glass jar or bowl and keep the lid open.  Refrigerate once completely cool. Enjoy with a wide range of Indian breads, fritters, samosas, or anything that you fancy!

                                     

The Perfect Green Chutney

Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Surely it was an Eureka moment when I tasted my chutney straight from the grinder. Perfect! Just the right balance of flavors and just the way me and, especially, my husband loves it. It is not the first time that I have made this but certainly a first for this perfection. I know that Green Chutney is a staple for most Indian households and most prepare it the perfect way with the blink of an eye, anytime and everytime. However, when you ask them the recipe, all you get to hear is "just put evetything together in the grinder and pulse!" Well, I do not blame them either. They are so habituated in making this chutney that it is more of instincts for them rather than measurements. Nevertheless, I have finally cracked down on the measurements today and henceforth, I will be able to proudly boast about my Green Chutney. Oh! And did I mention, my husband loves it and I strongly believe and implement that "The way to a man's wallet is through his stomach!" :D

Ingredients (Makes a big batch)

250 gms fresh coriander (preferably market fresh)

50 gms mint leaves (again, preferably market fresh)

10-12 fat garlic cloves (add more if you like it more garlicky)

6-8 green chillies (as per your heat tolerance)

12-15 cherry tomatoes/2 medium tomatoes (I wanted to finish off my stock of cherry tomatoes)

1 tsp sugar

Salt as per taste

Note: You can skip the tomatoes and add raw mango instead which is more preferable. Depending on the tanginess, add 1-2 mangoes. I did not have any stock.

Direction

Remove the mint leaves from the stems, except for the very tender ones, and wash thoroughly. Add it to the grinder along with the garlic, chillies, and tomatoes (eye removed). If you are using raw mango, peel and cut the mangoes lengthwise before adding and discard the stone. Pulse till everything is well grinded and smooth. 

Now cut the coriander at the root and discard any fat stem. Coriander usually has very tender stems and so need not be discarded. Wash thoroughly and with the help of a big kitchen scissors, roughly cut through the leaves. Add them to the grinder and continue pulsing with the other ingredients. At this point, taste the chutney for any additional garlic or chilly and adjust accordingly. Finally, add the salt and sugar and give the final few pulses. You might wonder the reason of not adding everything in one go. Basically, I am trying to recreate the traditional way of grinding the ingredients one at a time on the mortar and pestle (Sil Batta) and also adding ingredients one at a time ensures that everything is ground to a smooth paste without any chunks. 

Transfer the chutney to a clean and dry glass jar/bowl with a tight lid. Keep refrigerated. The recipe makes a big batch of chutney which stays fresh in the refrigerator in a tight lid jar for upto three weeks (if it does not get over by then)! Always use a clean spoon while serving out of the jar and you can see the chutney last even longer!

Sweet and Spicy Apple Cranberry Relish

In the kitchen, usually one thing leads to the other. While I was making my bread at home yesterday, I suddenly remembered my three bright shiny apples lying sad in the fridge. With a box of dried cranberries also at hand, I immediately jumped upon the idea of making a yummy relish to go with my beautiful bread. While I did not start making the chutney until I sliced my bread ( I wasn't sure if it would be good to eat), I jumped up with joy as this was the most delicious wholemeal bread I have tasted or had made in recent times. From there, it took me just under 1/2 hour to get the relish ready and what a combination it was! I will be making some pooris as well over the weekend to enjoy this delicious chutney apart from having it with bread.

                                         

Ingredients

3 firm apples, either finely chopped or grated

1/2 cup dried cranberries or 1/3 cup raisins

1 medium onion chopped

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp cumin powder

11/2 tsp chilli powder

3-4 tbsp brown sugar ( you may as well try with jaggery or simple white fine sugar)

1/4 cup balsamic or cider vinegar (can add regular vinegar too but lesser in quantity. If using jaggery, no need for vinegar) 

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

Direction

In a pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Fry till pink. Now add the apples, cranberries, and all other spices. Mix well. Add the sugar and salt. Mix again. Now, add the vinegar and cover and cook on a medium to low flame for about 15-20 minutes until the fruits are softened and the gravy is getting thickened. Check the seasoning and adjust as per taste. Keep stirring more often now as the liquid is drying up and there are chances of it getting burnt. Remove from heat and store in a glass bowl or container. Remains good for upto 1 week in the refrigerator, if it lasts that long though. Here is how I relished my Relish!

                                       

 

Launji--Sweet and Sour Raw Mango Chutney

There was a time when my mother would religiously watch the cookery shows telecast on national television and while she would be busy writing the recipes in her diary as fast as she could, I had the duty of prompting her and keep an alert eye in case she missed something. Times have now changed and while you still have cookery shows on TV, you may as well record the show and watch at your own ease later on. Also, the Internet has made every recipe so easily available that most people now hardly need to wait for a cookery show to cook something new. However, the charm of noting down new recipes in a jiffy while the show is still on is something incomparable to modern day technology. Coming to today's recipe, I had bought some ripe Thai mangoes earlier in the day for my baby and when I cut it, it turned out completely raw. While I was just thinking of making it into a chutney, this recipe just pops out in one of the food forums I have subscribed to. I immediately got onto the job and what super yummy it turned out! I could not even stop myself from licking the hot wok clean!

Ingredients

2 big raw mangoes or 3 medium ones

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

2 whole red chillies

A pinch of heeng 

1 tsp freshly roasted saunf powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp freshly roasted cumin powder

1/4 cup jaggery or as per taste

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp olive oil or any other oil

Direction

Wash and peel the mangoes. Cut into thin strips and keep aside. In a pan, heat the oil and add the heeng, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaf, and whole red chillies. Then add the mangoes and let it simmer for some time till slightly wilted. Add the turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder, and saunf powder. Mix well. Now add the jaggery and cover and cook on a low flame till the jaggery is melted and forms a thick sauce. Check the seasoning for the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and adjust accordingly. Lastly, add the roasted cumin powder and remove from heat. Enjoy your yummy chutney with a variety of dishes or just keep licking it through the day as I have been doing! 

                                     

Tomato Onion Chutney

It often happens that my family sits down to enjoy some homemade dosas and idlis but I have nothing to serve them for chutney. This time around I prepared my meal in advance and made sure I serve them a complete meal. So here is a quick and easy to make onion tomato chutney.

Ingredients

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2-3 dry red chillies

1/4 cup grated coconut

1 tsp mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

Oil 

Directions

In a pan, heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic till onions are translucent and garlic leaves a nice aroma. Add the red chillies and tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes become mushy. Add the coconut and fry some more time. It should not become too dry. Season with salt as per your taste and remove from heat. Cool. Transfer it to a blender and make a fine paste. In another pan, heat about 1 tsp oil and add curry leaves and mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add it to the blended chutney. Serve. You can chill it in the refrigerator for 1 week. Serve with your favorite dosa, idli, or uttapam.