South Indian Capsicum Chutney

Have breakfast like a king and I am true believer and follower of this sentence. No matter what I always make sure that breakfast is filling, healthy and fresh. All you need is little preparation a night before, Example- boil potatoes and knead the dough a night before and make piping hot Aloo Parathas in the morning. Or cook chopped vegetables like potato, peas, carrots and onions beforehand ,just mix it up wet poha the next day and there you have Kanda Poha ready. The best is the to have dosa batter in the fridge because nothing beats south indian breakfast.

South Indian breakfast in my favorite Even though I hardly post south Indian recipes on the blog, okay let me count- yeah there are 3 south Indian post, one being south Indian flavored rice and second the capsicum massala and lastly sambhar chutney. No it’s not that I don’t like south Indian cuisine, in fact we both love it so much that we eat it every two weeks-but always in the restaurants. Soaking, grinding and fermenting the batter to perfection is what I lack- I can blame the cold weather in London or just my patience level. Anyways once a while on my visit to East Ham (south Indian place of London) I pick up the readymade batter.

So the days when dosa batter is ready in the fridge I experiment and make new chutneys to pair up with uttapam or soft idlis. This is South Indian Capsicum Chutney. South Indian ingredients like curry leaves, mustard seeds, tamarind and lentils are cooked  to release the aroma. Capsicum or bell peppers are then mixed with spices and are cooked until soft which is finally grinded into smooth paste. This chutney is a great balance of flavours and consistency. Rich colour, smooth velvety texture and high in taste experience. Do do do try this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 capsicums chopped roughly

5-8 curry leaves

1 clove garlic chopped/lehsun

3 green chillies

1 tablespoons urad daal

1 teaspoon mustard seeds/rai

1 small piece tamarind/imli

1 teaspoon oil

1 tablespoons coriander leaves/dhaniya

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add in mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dal.

Bring heat on medium heat and add urad daal and garlic, green chillies and coriander leaves.

Lastly add chopped capsicum with 1/2 cup of water and tamarind. Cook covered till capsicums turn soft.

Let the water evaporate and grind in the mixer. Serve.

Notes:

I used red capsicum. You can use any colour capsicum, remember only the colour of the chutney will change, taste will be same.

You can also use channa dal instead or with urad daal.

Use lemon juice or half tomato in place of tamarind.

Serving suggestions:

Serve as a side with dosa, idli or cheelas.

Great accompaniment with sandwiches and rolls and savory snacks like pakodas, dhoklas, momos or tikkis.

Serve the Indian way with daal and rice or parathas.

You can also serve as a dip for bread, nachos or crackers.

This goes well as a spread  for frankies or pitta pockets.