Instant pot apple thokku

I have not blogged in a while and am happy to come back and share a lip smacking recipe with you all. It is fall season and there are plenty of apples every where. I have made a lot of recipes using my instant pot and pressure cooker. You would have seen them on  face book pages if you are in those instant pot for indian and OPOS group. Here I am today sharing a mouth watering south indian thokku using green apples or granny smith apple. My mom made them once when she visited the US. She grated the apples and made them like a mango thokku. I was lazy to grate and all and dumped them all in the instant pot and make this thokku.

They are a perfect combination with curd rice, idli, dosa, chapathi or on toast.

Get Ready

• Green Apple 4, washed, cored and cut into chunks
• 10-12 dried red chilli

• Salt 2-3 tsp or per taste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp asafoetida
• 1/4 cup gingelly oil( one can use canola too)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp brown sugar ( optional)
• 1 tsp methi seeds, dry roasted on low flame and pounded

Go

• Turn IP to saute. Add all the oil. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
• Tear apart the red chilli and add to the oil.
• Add the turmeric, hing, apples brown sugar and give a toss.
• Cancel saute
• Cover the IP,  turn the weight to sealing and cook on manual for 15 mins. Let the pressure release naturally

• With your immersion blender pulse several times in the pot till the chili is blended.

• Turn on saute, and let it simmer for 10-15 mins till thickened. It will splatter a little. So use any lid to cover. Add the roasted methi seeds powder.

Once cooled save in a clean dry container, refrigerate and enjoy as a side dish. Spicy, sweet, tangy pickle is ready!

Cranberry Avakka/ Avakkaya

A bag of bright red/ burgundy cranberries always beckon me at the supermarket aisles. The sour, tart flavor makes me think " Hmm.. I can do something interesting with this cute little thing than make a relish!" During my recent shopping, this thought made me pick a bag of cranberries.

 My friend gave me a bottle of cranberry pickle last year. She made the pickle in avakka style I love mango avakka and could not wait to try the cranberry avakka with some curd rice. It was delectable and I instantly loved it. I have wanted to make some by myself and the recent availability of fresh cranberries in the market encouraged me to do so. I asked my friend for the recipe and she was nice to share it with me. I made it last week and it came out pretty good. So, here is the recipe for cranberry avakka.

Avakka is a delicacy from the state of Andhra. Ava means mustard seeds and kai means mangai or raw mango.

The rule of thumb for the spice mixture for avakkaya is 8 measure of cranberry, 1 measure of salt, 1 measure of red chilli powder, 1/2 measure of mustard seed powder and 1 measure of oil. I used a large ladle and measured everything with that. You can use any measuring cup you you want. Adjust salt and red chilli powder as per taste.

There is no cooking involved except for roasting the vendhayam/ fenugreek. The ground cranberries give a little more " vizhudhu" for the pickle as they do not ooze as much liquid as mangoes. This is one of the easiest pickles to make and it tastes finger licking good.



Get ready

• 1 , 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries ( 1.5 cups)
• Salt
• Mustard seeds, powdered ( without roasting)
• Red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds, roasted and powdered
• oil ( I used canola oil, you can use gingelly or vegetable oil too)

Go

• Wash the cranberries and let it air dry completely on a towel. You do not want any moisture. It may take 2-4 hrs for it to dry out completely.
• Pick out those cranberries which are soft and squishy and set aside . You want firm cranberries for the pickle.

• Cut the firm berries in half or quarter depending on the size of your berries.

• Take the soft cranberries and pulse them in a blender for a few seconds.
• In a bowl add the chopped cranberries, pulsed berries, salt, red chilli powder, mustard seeds powder, roasted fenugreek powder, oil and mix well.

• The oil should be  floating on top of the berries and that is the adequate amount of oil one needs for the pickle.

• Adjust salt per taste and transfer it to a clean air tight bottle.

Enjoy this avakka with rice, dal, molagootal and  yogurt.

If you like garlic, you can a few cloves and pulse it with the soft cranberries. It takes the taste to another yummy level.

Tomato Thokku / Spicy Tomato Relish

I picked up some fresh tomatoes from our local farmer's market this summer. I made this thokku which is mouthwatering and goes along well with rice, idly, dosa, toast etc


Get Ready

• 5 tomatoes
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp hing
• 1.5 tsp red chilli powder ( make it 3 if you want it very spicy)
• 1 tsp sambar powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1/2 tsp jaggery/ brown sugar ( optional)
• salt to taste
• 2.5 tbsp gingelly oil
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• a few curry leaves

Go:

• Wash and chop the tomatoes. set aside

• In a dry kadai, roast some vendhayam or fenugreek till they are dark golden. once cool, powder them and set aside.

• In a thick bottomed pan, add the oil and do the tadka with mustard seeds, red chilli and curry leaves.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and toss well.
• Add the red chilli powder, sambar powder ,turmeric powder, tamarind past, salt and asafoetida to the tomatoes.
• Cook uncovered on a medium flame. The tomatoes will ooze juice and will become mushy. You can use the back of the spoon to mush them up more.
• Add the jaggery and cook till the tomato mixture is thick and till oil starts leaving the sides of the tomato mixture.
• Add the vendhayam/ fenugreek powder. mix well and cook for 1 minute.
•  Turn the heat off.
• Once cool, store in a dry air tight container. Keep it refrigerated.

This thokku will stay good for a week in the fridge. Well, Mine was finished in a few days.

Cranberry Thokku / Spicy Cranberry Relish

Cranberries are in plenty now. I had posted a recipe for Cranberry Orange Bread, Cranberry Salsa and White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge

Recently, I saw a recipe for cranberry thokku and was interested in making that. It is super easy to make and tastes great with rotis, idly, dosa and rice. The original recipe also called for tamarind. Cranberries are so tart themselves, I avoided the tamarind, but used brown sugar instead to balance the tartness and heat from the red chilli powder.


Get Ready:

• 1 Pack Fresh cranberries
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp vendhayam/ fenugreek or methi seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/ kadugu
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 red chilli broken in half
• a few curry leaves
•  1/2 tsp Hing/ asafotida
• 3-4 tsp red chilli powder or to taste
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp brown sugar or jaggery to taste

Go:

• Wash and drain the cranberries.

• In a pan, dry roast the fenugreek/ methi or vendhayam. Once cool, powder them. I used my mortar and pestle to powder them. set aside.
• In a large pan, add the oil and do the tadka with mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilli curry leaves and hing. Turn the heat to medium

• Add the cranberries, salt toss them and cover. The berries pop and will become mushy very soon.
• Add the red chilli powder, brown sugar and cook till everything is mushy. Adjust spice level as per your taste.

• Add the vendhayam/ fenugreek powder and cook till the thokku comes round like a ball without sticking to the sides of the pan.
• Turn the heat off and store in a clean air tight container. It stays good for a week if refrigerated.

Spicy Apple Pickle/ Apple Thokku

Fall is here and apples are in abundance!

I'm sure one wouldn't mind to spice up the kitchen, will you? I'm not talking about the usual fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, brownsugar etc...

Yes, I'm talking about out hard core red chillies, asafetida, turmeric and methi!

We are not talking Apple pie with chillies :))

It's Apple pickle......This is my mom's recipe  that I've used for a while and would like to share it you all!

Get Ready

• 
  
  4 cups grated granny smith apple
• 
  
  1 cup red chilli
• 
  
  2 tsp Salt or to taste
• 
  
  1 tsp Methi seeds
• 
  
  1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 
  
  1 tsp Asafetida
• 
  
  1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 
  
  1 cup canola oil

Get Going:

• 
  
  Dry Roast methi seeds in a pan till golden brown. Keep aside
• 
  
  In the same pan add a drop of oil and roast the red chillies till they are fragrant. Set aside.
• 
  
  Once cool, Powder the  roasted redchilli and roasted methi seeds to a fine powder and set aside.
• 
  
  In a heavy bottom pan, add the oil. When hot, add mustard seeds & let them pop.
• 
  
  Add the Asafetida ,grated apple & turmeric.
• 
  
  Keep stirring till the apple is cooked and soft.
• 
  
  Add the chilli and methi powder ans keep frying till the oil separates or the appple mixture doesn't stick to the pan anymore.
• 
  
  Serve with Rice, roti's, Parathas or spread it on bread to enjoy!

I personally like it with Rice & yogurt! Store and refrigerate.

So, what are you waiting for, Please go pick  your apples either from a farm or orchard and make your own mouth watering Apple pickle .

Sending it to Priya's bookmarked-recipes -8

Manga Kari/ Quick Mango Pickle

Manga (mango in tamil) kari is a quick and easy mango pickle made from raw mango. This is an authentic kerala dish. My mom and grandma always made this. It tastes wonderful with curd/ yogurt rice. I some times eat it with out any thing, just by itself.

You need crunchy, but not too sour mangoes for this. This pickle does not have any vineger or too much oil and hence does not last long.So make in small batches and enjoy.

What you need:

1 cup mango chopped into small pieces
2& 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder (you can increase this to your spice level)
2 tsp salt or according to taste

For tempering/ tadka:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 th tsp Hing/ asafetida.
1 red chilli, torn apart

How I did it:

• Add salt and chilli powder to the chopped mango and let it sit for about 20 -30 mins.
• This incorporates all the flavors into the mango.
• Do your salt and spice test and adjust accordingly.
• In a pan, add oil and let it heat up.
• Do the tadka with mustard seeds, Hing and redchilli.
• Enjoy pickle with a bowl of yogurt rice or parathas.

I would like to thank Akheela  for this wonderful participation award.