ONION CHUTNEY /ROJA POO CHUTNEY

     Onion Chutney/Roja Poo Chutney is a spicy condiment which goes well with Idli, Dosai, Uthappam & Paniyaram.  There are many versions of this Chutney.  My Mom makes this Onion Chutney with Onions/Shallots ground along with Green Chillies.  She used to say this is Roja Poo Chutney(Rose Flower) when I was a kid. I thought it was prepared with Rose Petals and that is the reason it has a beautiful pink colour. Anything in the name of a flower I used to fall head over heels then and the love for this Roja Poo Chutney is no wonder. My Mom had her own tactics to make me and my brother eat.  As I was(am) fond of flowers I used to simply gobble up Idlis with this Chutney. She serves this Roja Poo Chutney with a drizzle of Coconut Oil. This trick also helps to subtle out the spiciness of the Onion Chutney. 
      To date, this Onion Chutney is called as Roja Poo(Rose) Chutney at home. Even during my last visit home, Amma asked me whether I wanted Roja Poo Chutney for Idli, and as always I happily said okay. Only Moms can bring out our childhood Nostalgias.
      During a TV show when Chef Damodar gave a recipe for a simple onion chutney to go along with Gothumai(Wheat Flour) Dosai and he said it is colloquially called Roja Poo Chutney.  I was immensely fascinated by the utter coincidence.  Even my friend Sasi used to bring soft white Dosa with this Onion Chutney/Roja Poo Chutney. The whole meal had an overwhelming flavour of Coconut Oil, Dosas were prepared with Coconut oil and the Chutney had a hearty drizzle of Coconut Oil, which took over my senses immediately. What so ever, this is my all time favourite chutney for too many reasons, it has a beautiful light pink colour, comes with the name Roja Poo Chutney, above all this Onion Chutney is an easy recipe which can be prepared within minutes and it is a wonderful chutney with an overall balance of tastes and flavours. Too many memories related to this Chutney...
    The spiciness from Onions and Green Chillies along with a tangy note from Tamarind makes this Chutney a wonderful combination to go along with Idli, Dosai, Uthappam, Paniyaram etc., Milagai Chutney - A similar recipe where Green Chillies are substituted with Red Chilli Powder is another simple Chutney I frequent at home.



For more CHUTNEY varieties, Click here...


Cuisine - South India
Recipe Type - Chutney/Condiment
Spice Level - Medium-High
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 2- 3
Author - SM

Preparation Time - 5 Minutes
Cooking Time - 5 - 7 Minutes

INGREDIENTS :

Shallots - 12 - 15 Nos.
Green Chillies - 3-4 Nos.
Tamarind Paste - 1 Tspn
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - a Pinch

For Seasoning :

Coconut Oil - 2 Tspn

METHOD :

• Grind Chopped Shallots, Green Chillies, Tamarind with a dash of Salt and a pinch of Sugar to a fine paste in a blender/food processor.
• Do not add Water while grinding the Onion Chutney.
• Remove the Chutney from the blender.
• Serve this Onion Chutney/Roja Poo Chutney with a hearty drizzle of Coconut Oil.
• Serve the Onion Chutney/Roja Poo Chutney along with Idli, Dosai, Uthappam or Paniyaram.

NOTES :

• This is a raw chutney, mix all the ingredients and grind it into a fine paste.
• Do not add water while grinding the Onion Chutney/Roja Poo Chutney.
• Can choose to season the Chutney or just pour few teaspoons of coconut oil over the Chutney and serve it as such.
• Can use Onions instead of Shallots.
• Adjust the number of Green Chillies to suit your spice level.
• Remove seeds if any and shred the tamarind into very small pieces before grinding it along with other ingredients. I have used Tamarind Paste in the recipe.
• Adding Sugar is purely optional.

MILAGAI CHUTNEY

     Milagai Chutney/Red Chilly Chutney is a spicy condiment which goes well with Idli, Dosa, Uthappam and Paniyaram.  There are many versions of this Chutney.  My Mom makes this Milagai Chutney/Mulagu Chammanthi in two ways one with Onions/Shallots ground along with Dry Red Chillies and another with Green Chillies.
      I had named the Chutney with Green Chillies as Roja Poo(Rose) Chuntey, as it had light pink colour. I thought it was prepared with Rose Petals when I was a kid and just for the reason I use to love them.  She serves this Roja Poo Chutney with a drizzle of Coconut Oil. The other version, the one prepared with Dry Chillies have a Bright Red Colour.  That Milagai Chutney looks really fiery and it is quite spicy.  She Dry Roasts the Dry Red Chillies on direct flame until they fluff-up and are fragrant.  Then she grinds it along with Shallots, Tamarind and Salt.  We can opt to season the Milagai Chutney with Mustards and Curry Leaves.  On the Contrary as any Keralite would do, simply drizzle few teaspoons of Coconut Oil over the chuntey. This trick also helps to subtle out the spiciness of the Milagai Chutney.
     My version of Milagai Chutney/Red Chilly Chutney is literally a cheat version of my Moms recipe, where I substituted Roasted dry red Chillies with Red Chilli Powder. The main reason why I used Chilli Powder was, I couldn't roast the Dry Red Chillies in direct flame perfectly during my initial cooking trials. My Mom was very skeptical about it saying the chutney would have quite a raw smell from the spice powder, but trust me it came out so well that since then I have prepared this chuntey only with Red Chilli Powder.  My MIL loves this Milagai Chutney and whenever she comes home, she has a list of dishes she wants me to cook for her and Milagai Chutney tops the list along with other dishes like Gothambu(wheat flour) Dosa and Thayir/Curd Semiya.

For more CHUTNEY varieties, Click here...

Cuisine : South India
Recipe Type : Condiment
Spice Level : Medium - High
Difficulty : Easy
Serves : 3- 4
Author : SM

Preparation Time - 5 Minutes
Cooking Time - 5 - 7 Minutes

INGREDIENTS :

Onions - 2 Nos.
Red Chilli Powder - 2-3 Tspns
Tamarind - 1 Tspn
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - a Pinch

For Seasoning :

Oil - 2 Tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tspn
Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig

METHOD :

• Grind Chopped Onions, Red Chilli Powder, Tamarind with a dash of Salt and a pinch of Sugar to a fine paste in a blender/food processor.
• Do not add Water while grinding the Chuntey.
• Heat Oil in a pan and splutter Mustard Seeds and Curry Leaves.
• Pour the seasonings to the Milagai Chutney and Mix well.
• Serve the Chutney along with Idli, Dosa, Uthappam or Paniyaram.

NOTES :

• This is a raw chutney, mix all the ingredients and grind it to a fine paste.
• Do not add water to the Chutney.
• Can choose to season the Chutney or just pour few teaspoons of coconut oil over the Chutney and serve it as such.
• Can use Shallots instead of Onions.
• Adjust the amount of Red Chilli Powder to suit your spice level.
• Remove seeds if any and shred the tamarind into very small pieces before griding it along with other ingredients.
• Adding sugar is purely optional.