Smokin' Hot
I am talking about the "smoking" hot red chillies being roasted on my stove top. What did you think ;)?
I am on my way to make a tangy Ulli-Thenga- Chammanthi (a.k.a Shallots-Coconut- Chutney). Oh! Just talking about it makes my mouth water. It is a Malayali side-dish, generally served with Kanji, or rice-porridge. The spicy tangy chutney pairs well with the bland Kanji.
When I was a kid, we always had pej, (Konkani name for rice porridge) for dinner. It was a simple dinner, and my dad would make a fresh upkari or vegetable stir fry every night.
At my husband's house, having Kanji was frowned upon. They had Kanji only when they were sick. This is because of the fact Kanji is very easy to digest, thereby making it an ideal food for those sick days. My husband's family found it very amusing that we had Kanji for dinner every night (even though we were not sick :)).
I love Kanji and to make my husband also like eat it, I started making Ulli-Thenga-Chammathi (Onion Coconut Chutney) as a side dish. And shallots give it a distinct and unique taste, you can substitute shallots with onions. It's very simple to make and can be made in a few minutes, provided you have grated coconut. You can either use freshly grated coconut or thawed frozen coconut. I have even found frozen coconut at Walmart - in the dessert toppings aisle.
Onion Coconut Chutney
This is a tasty chutney made with shallots ground together with coconut. A zero-oil recipe.
Ingredients
- ⅔ Cup Coconut grated - Use the frozen coconut thawed
- 2 tbsp Onion chopped
- 1 Whole Red Chilli add extra for more spice
- 4-5 Curry Leaves
- ¼ tsp TamarindPaste
- 3 tbsp Water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the stove and using a small tong to hold the red chilli(es) roast them directly over the flame. [Have the vent-fan running since this process may produce a spicy smoke].
- Put all the ingredients in a blender and roughly blend. Ulli Chammanthi is ready. Serve with par boiled rice.
Onion Coconut Chutney
Ingredients
- ⅔ Cup Coconut grated - Use the frozen coconut thawed
- 2 tbsp Onion chopped
- 1 Whole Red Chilli add extra for more spice
- 4-5 Curry Leaves
- ¼ tsp TamarindPaste
- 3 tbsp Water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the stove and using a small tong to hold the red chilli(es) roast them directly over the flame. [Have the vent-fan running since this process may produce a spicy smoke].
- Put all the ingredients in a blender and roughly blend. Ulli Chammanthi is ready. Serve with par boiled rice.
Deepti Anand says
Made it again...this time used pearl onions instead of the big onions. It tasted better ... 🙂
Framed Recipes says
:).,Pearl onions would work.
Deepti Anand says
Wonderful combination with kanji and pappadam. The tamarind imparts a sweet-sour taste which makes this chammanthi unique. We had the left over with masala dosa the next day and it went along very well too.
Framed Recipes says
I will try it with Masala dosa next time. Thank you for the comment.