Accompaniments – The Secret Ingredient

Chutney

Kaccha Aam Aur Lehsun Chutney | Raw Mango Garlic Spicy Chutney

By anshu April 30, 2016

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My Love for Mango is growing with my age. Its not just the ripe pulpy mangoes which makes my heart skip a beat but also the green mangoes which are ideal for making pickles and chutneys. I have a lot of green mango recipes on my blog like the Instant Raw Mango Pickle, Sweet and Sour Raw Mango Chutney, Mint and Raw Mango Spicy Chutney, Raw Mango Rice and the refreshing Aam Ka Panna. Looks like I am not going to stop here I will keep adding more to this inexhaustive list. The other day I saw Bijal, my facebook friend posted a recipe of Raw Mango and Garlic Chutney and since then it was haunting me to try it down. I am happy I did it for it had the most intricate flavours. The Sweetness of Mangoes, the strong flavour of Garlic and the Hotness of Chillies. It made a beautiful melody of distinct flavours.

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Its fairly easy and takes no time to put it together. You can use it as a side dish for your everyday meal but at the same time use it as a dip for your nachos and even top it on your patties in a burger. It gives that kick and takes your dish to another level of deliciousness.

Directions:

1. Peel and chop some green raw mangoes and put them in a blender or chutney grinder. I had a little ripe mangoes, they had turned pale yellow but were still quite sour.

2. Add few cloves of peeled garlic to the grinder.

3. Throw in some salt, red chilli powder and jaggery powder to balance the acidity.

4. Blend it together into a smooth paste.

5. In a pan add some oil and when it gets hot add some cumin seeds and asafoetida.

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6. Pour the blended mango into the pan and cook for a minute or so or until the raw smell of garlic diminishes from the chutney.

7. You are ready to serve your chutney. Let it cool down and place it in a jar or bottle an refrigerate until use.

Other Chutneys you can try on The Secret Ingredient are: Spinach Coriander Salsa| Phalahari Chutney, Green Ber Ki Chutney, Coconut Chutney, Fresh Plum Spiced Chutney , Coriander Chutney without Onion Garlic

MangoGarlicChutney_Featured4 [whohit]MangoGarlicChutney[/whohit]

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Ayurvedic Recipes

Kacchi Haldi ka Achar | Fresh Turmeric Pickle with Green Mangoes | Amba Haldi Pickle | Mango Ginger Pickle

By anshu April 9, 2016

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Turmeric is a gift from Nature and has numerous health benefits. Its has powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and is used in Ayurveda medicine in India. In India and in other South East Asian Countries turmeric powder is used in everyday cooking in curries, in baking, in stews and plenty other dishes.

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When I saw Kacchi Haldi or Turmeric Root in the market I decided to buy it and make a pickle out of it. Ordinarily raw turmeric is cut into pieces and added to lemon juice with a sprinkle of salt and is eaten alongside main course. But this time I wanted to make a real pickle which does have some kind of shelf life. I decided to team it up with raw mangoes and I tell you the pickle was simply lip smacking. My fussy husband also liked it.

Directions:

1. Wash the Turmeric root and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Peel its skin and cut it into thin sticks. You may like to wear gloves if you don’t want your hands stained with yellow colour for the following days.

2. Grate a raw mango and keep aside.

3. In a coffee grinder or a dry spice grinder add, Fenugreek Seeds, Red Mustard or rai and Fennel Seeds or Saunf.

4. Pulse them together into a semi coarse mixture.

5. In a wok add some mustard oil and heat it till smoking point and turn the flame on low.

6. Add the spice blend in the oil and toss for a few seconds.

7. Also add asafoetida, salt and red chilli powder.

8. Add to the oil the turmeric sticks and grated mango. Mix them well with the spice induced oil. Turn the flame off and let the pickle come down to room temperature.

9. Transfer the pickle to a sterilized dry glass jar. The pickle should be ready to eat in another 2-3 days.

Other Pickles you can try here are: Instant Raw Mango Pickle South Indian Style, Stuffed Red Pepper Pickle and Ginger Garlic Pickle.

HaldiKaAchar_Featured4 [whohit]HaldiKaAchar[/whohit]

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Chutney

Red Chilli & Red Bell Pepper Jam | Red Chilli and Capsicum Preserve | Red Chilli Sweet Chutney

By anshu February 27, 2016

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It was a season of Red Chilies. I made about 20 kilos of Stuffed Red Chilli Pickle and was busy with its distribution all winter. I am back to my hills and I spotted more red chilies in the market. Oh man! Its my weakness. I cant resist red chillies for they are so darn pretty. Then I remembered I had once asked a dear friend of mine Kiran Padsala Amin to share this recipe of Red Chilli Jam. Its originally from Megha Vikram Singh. I must thank the girls for this lip smacking recipe.

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The jam or preserve was a hit in my family. My Mother in law who doesn’t like hot spicy food, also appreciated it and greedily ate with a parantha. Ah! what else do you want. If you ask me to describe the taste, its the taste of chillies with the sweetness of sugar. Of course, it has a hint of hotness which makes it to die for. I am not gonna add more words for I want you to try and leave back your comments below.

Directions:
1. Wash the Red Chillies and Red Bell Pepper and pat them dry.

2. Deseed the Red Bell Pepper and cut them into small pieces. Add the pieces in a blender and make a coarse puree. It can be just a little chunky.

3. Similarly deseed the Red Chillies and Pulse them with the Red Bell Peppers to make a chunky puree.

4. In the meanwhile add sugar in a large heavy bottom pan. Also add White Vinegar and salt. Put the flame on on medium and let the sugar dissolve in vinegar. Do not stir the sugar, let it slowly melt. If you try to stir it, it will crystalize and you don’t want that to happen to your jam. So have patience and let it take its own sweet time.

5. Once you see the sugar has melted. Its time to put all the puree to the pan. If you are adding pectin* then this is the time. Add it to the sugar syrup. Give it a gentle mix and let it boil for good 20-25 minutes.

6. After 20-25 minutes you will see the mixture is syrupy but hasn’t thickened. Dont worry! Let it sit for 45 minutes or so to cool down. It will thicken as it cools.

7. Transfer this to glass jars and indulge. Try it on a slice of bread or paratha or just eat barely!

You can even try Stuffed Red Chilli Pickle.

Other Accompaniments you can try here are: Spicy Chinese Sauce, Pudina Chutney, Sweet and Sour Raw Mango Chutney, Coconut Chutney , Argentine Chimichurri Salsa, Fresh Plum Spiced Chutney.

RedChiliJam_Featured2 [whohit]RedChilliJam[/whohit]

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Easy Recipe

Adrak Lehsun ka Achar | Ginger Garlic Pickle

By anshu November 23, 2015

These days you can easily find fresh ginger root sold in the markets. The newly dug ginger root is pinkish in colour and is very soft without any membranes which makes them perfect for pickling. This is a very easy recipe of Adrak Lehsun ka Achar or Ginger Garlic Pickle which I learnt from my mother. I made this pickle for the Uttrakhand Food Festival where I participated last month. I sold more than 30 bottles of pickle in one day. That was quite an achievement for me.

My husband is completely gaga over this pickle. He eats his every meal with this. Oh well he hasn’t been fond of pickle ever but wonder why he is hooked to this 😉 You must try this for you will fall in love with its simplicity.

Directions:
1. Wash Ginger Root thoroughly and remove all the mud. Cut or break it into small pieces. Peel its skin using a sharp knife.

2. Cut it into thin slices and further cut into thin sticks.

3. Place the ginger sticks into a bowl and add white vinegar. Add half teaspoon salt and cover. Let it rest overnight. The ginger will absorb vinegar and become pink in colour.