South Indies: Balaka/Majjige Menasu - Marinated Sun Dried Green Chillies
When the sun is at its peak, why not make good use of it?? Atleast this is what my grandmom believed in. Of all the things that my grandmom made during summer, I particularly love Balaka - sun dried green chillies.
Though these are readily available in most stores, there is something very charming about home made stuff .. Go ahead & make good use of the sun.
These are usually made in bulk & are stored for over more than a year. And, these are fairly simple to make as compared to papads & the like. Though, a time consuming process, its totally worth the wait. These are perfect for monsoons, when one craves for something fiery & spicy.
You Will Need:
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50 Green Chillies
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3 cups Sour Buttermilk
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3-4 tsp Salt
How To:
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Wash & pat dry green chillies. Make slits halfway along, such that the chillies remain intact & do not open up. You could use a toothpick or a small knife for this
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In a huge bowl, mix buttermilk & salt
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Immerse the slit green chillies in the buttermilk-salt mixture. Keep them in the mixture for 3 complete days. Keep stirring the chillies atleast twice a day.
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Now, take a wide plate or spread a huge plastic sheet & sun dry the chillies. At the end of the day, transfer the chillies back to the buttermilk mixture.
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Repeat the procedure for about 3 days.
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Throw way the sour buttermilk & sun dry the green chillies for another 4 days until the chillies lose all moisture & are completely dry.
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Store in a air-tight container.
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Fry them for a few seconds, until golden brown.
Enjoi with a simple Dal Tadka , Majjige Huli or Curd Rice . . .
NOTE:
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You could also use these chillies to temper plain Dal Tadka & Green Mango Dal in particular.
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Those of you who are not used to spicy food may find this very fiery. So first, take a small bite to see if you can take the heat
Chutney Pudi ( Red HOT Chillies & Mixed Lentil Powder )
Chutney Pudi is a very common spiced lentil powder mix all over South India. Chutney Pudi, as it is known in Kannada is also referred to as Molaga Podi in Tamil.
- 1 cup Bengal Gram
- 1 cup Black Gram
- 1 cup dry coconut/kopra/kobbari - Grated
- 25 - 30 dried Red chillies - Byadagi Variety
- 1 tbsp jaggery
- Tamarind - A small lemon sized ball / 1 tbsp Dry Tamarind powder
- 1 1/2 cup - Curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp - Hing/asafoetida
- salt as per taste
- 2 tsp oil
Method:
- Dry roast Bengal Gram & Black Gram separately until they turn slightly reddish & starts leaving aroma
- Roast Red chillies separately with 1 tsp oil until slightly brown
- Roast curry leaves with 1 tsp oil for 2 mins
- Dry roast grated dry coconut until it turns slightly reddish
- Roast Tamarind for 1 min
- Mix all the roasted indredients along with jaggery, asafoetida & salt
- Gring coarsely into powder NOTE: DO NOT powder it very smooth as it will not taste very good.
- Store in air-tight containers
Serve with Idli/Dosa/Rice/Upma/Curd Rice or just about anything .. ENJOI !!!
NOTE: You can alter the taste by adding more jaggery if you want this mix to be slightly sweet. You can also add less/more curry leaves as per your taste.
Iam sending this recipe to Jeena’s Place for her event : Its all about MEMORIES
I have fond memeries of eating chutney pudi mixed with piping HOT rice aong with 1 tsp of groundnut oil .. It tastes awesome .. My Mum makes amazing chutney pudi & I remember those school days when I would come home for lunch & I would eat this occassionly.
Drooling over my Mum’s chutney Pudi ..
Thanks Jeena for Hosting
Translator
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