Coriander Seeds Chutney, Vidhai Kothamalli Chutney

Coriander seeds chutney is an everyday chutney that can be put together in minutes for breakfast or dinner. Coriander is also called as Dhania or “dhanya” which literally translates into rich or wealthy. Coriander is known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties. This is a very easy chutney to make and here is how to make it.

Take a pan and roast coriander seeds, urad dal and dried red chillies in half a teaspoon of oil till the dal turns golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.

Saute Indian Shallots (Indian small onions) in half a teaspoon of oil till the onions are soft. Transfer on a plate to cool. Add in fresh coconut, a piece of tamarind, jaggery and salt to the plate.

Grind the cooled ingredients with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Pulse several times to get to a smooth consistency.

For Tempering

Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds pop and the dal brown. Add it to the chutney.

A small tip: Do not mix the tempering after adding it to the chutney. Just mix the tempering right before serving. The tempering stays fresh, crisp and crunchy if the tempering is mixed right before serving.

Serve with Idli , Dosa , Ragi Dosa , Paniyaram varieties .

For the Chutney

• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon white urad dal (split or whole)
• 4 - 5 dried red chillies
• 10 Indian shallots (Indian small onion)
• 2 tablespoon fresh coconut
• 1 inch piece tamarind
• 1 teaspoon jaggery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Tempering

• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
• 2 dried red chillies

For the Chutney

1. Take a pan and roast coriander seeds, urad dal and dried red chillies in half a teaspoon of oil till the dal turns golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.
2. Saute Indian Shallots (indian small onions) in half a teaspoon of oil till the onions are soft. Transfer on a plate to cool. Add in fresh coconut, a piece of tamarind, jaggery and salt to the plate.
3. Grind the cooled ingredients with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Pulse several times to get to a smooth consistency.

For the Tempering

1. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds pop and the dal brown. Add it to the chutney.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Category: Chutney
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

For the Chutney

• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon white urad dal (split or whole)
• 4 - 5 dried red chillies
• 10 Indian shallots (Indian small onion)
• 2 tablespoon fresh coconut
• 1 inch piece tamarind
• 1 teaspoon jaggery
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Tempering

• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
• 2 dried red chillies

For the Chutney

1. Take a pan and roast coriander seeds, urad dal and dried red chillies in half a teaspoon of oil till the dal turns golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool.
2. Saute Indian Shallots (indian small onions) in half a teaspoon of oil till the onions are soft. Transfer on a plate to cool. Add in fresh coconut, a piece of tamarind, jaggery and salt to the plate.
3. Grind the cooled ingredients with half a cup of water to a smooth paste. Pulse several times to get to a smooth consistency.

For the Tempering

1. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Add in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal and dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds pop and the dal brown. Add it to the chutney.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Category: Chutney
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/coriander-seeds-chutney-vidhai-kothamalli-chutney/

The Kanchipuram Idli or the Kovil Idli is the traditional prasadam offered in the Varadharaja Perumal Temple at Kancheepuram. The idlis are cooked in bamboo casings lined with dried “mandharai” leaves. The mandharai leaves add to the flavour of the idlis. The batter for the idlis is mixed with spices and steamed. I adapted the recipe from here .

Wash and soak the raw rice, parboiled rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water over night. They all can be soaked together. Drain the water and grind the mixture to a slightly coarse paste. Run the batter in your fingers and you should feel the texture similar to that of very fine rava. Stop grinding when you reach that texture. The batter should not be very smooth. Add up to a cup of water for grinding and grind the batter in batches in the mixie. Do not add too much water while grinding.

Soak the avalakki / aval / poha for 10 minutes in half a cup of water. Grind it to a smooth paste and add it to the batter. This is not a very traditional ingredient but I like to add it as it makes for a very soft textured idli at the end. I really like adding a little bit of aval as it tremendously improves the texture of the idli.

Next comes the star ingredients. Its the spices that makes the kanchipuram style idli so tasty. The main spice in the idli is the dry ginger, cumin seeds and black pepper. The aroma of dry ginger in the batter is so heavenly!

Note: Dry ginger is called as Sukku in tamil.

Pulse the pepper and cumin in a mixie jar for a couple of times to slightly crush the spices. The cumin and pepper can also be crushed in a mortar and pestle.

Heat ghee in a pan and add in the ground cumin pepper mixture and curry leaves. Once the curry leaves are crisp, switch off the flame. Add in the dry ginger powder and asafoetida. Toss well and add it to the batter.

Add in the salt to the batter and mix everything well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and allow it to ferment in a draft free place for 8-10 hours.

The batter is now ready for steaming. You can steam the idlis in the regular idli plates but Kanchipuram idlis are steamed like cakes and cut afterwards. We will be using a 2 inch deep bowl to steam the idlis today. Grease the bowl with some oil and fill the bowl half way through.

Steam the bowl for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, insert a toothpick and the idlis are cooked if it comes clean. Cook for some more minutes if need be.

Remove from heat and let the bowl rest for five minutes. Insert a knife on the edges to release the sides of the idlies. Cut the idlies and serve.

Serve with chutney and sambar .

• Measurements used – 1 cup = 250 ml (approx)

For the batter

• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 cup parboiled rice
• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1/2 cup whole white urad dal
• 1/2 cup poha / aval
• 1 teaspoon salt

Spices

• 2 teaspoon ghee
• 2 sprigs curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida / hing
• 1 teaspoon dry ginger powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1. Wash and soak the raw rice, parboiled rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds in water over night. Drain the water and grind the mixture to a slightly coarse paste. Add up to a cup of water for grinding and grind the batter in batches in the mixie. Do not add too much water while grinding.
2. Soak the poha for 10 minutes in half a cup of water. Grind it to a smooth paste and add it to the batter.
3. Heat ghee in a pan and add in the crushed cumin pepper mixture and curry leaves. Once the curry leaves are crisp, switch off the flame. Add in the dry ginger powder and asafoetida. Toss well and add it to the batter.
4. Add in the salt to the batter and mix everything well to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and allow it to ferment in a draft free place for 8-10 hours.
5. Steam the idli for 20 minutes. Serve with chutney and sambar.

• Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
• Prep Time: 8 hours
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Category: Idli
• Cuisine: Tamilnadu