Asparagus Coriander Chutney

Heloooo! Yes I am back! :-). So many things have been going on lately that i just haven't been cooking at all and the blog had to be neglected. To cut the long story short, this blog has moved to the West. So thats like a huge affair and I am still running around setting up my home here, and getting all other things done so we can settle down into a routine quickly.

I am in the phase of getting to know my kitchen and its members - my dishwasher, dryer, cooking range, oven, electric pressure cooker- all of them. I am hoping we can hit it off well very soon :). Its been only a couple of days since I have started cooking in my new coil range [ which I absolutely dont like at the moment, why cant people just use gas aargh!] and I had some issues at first, but now I am thinking I have got the hang of it. Almost!

I dont have quick access to an Indian grocery store here and so I had to buy the veggies available in the local market like - asparagus, zucchini, chayote etc which I must admit I never bought in India. I dint see a point in paying the extra money to get these veggies back home. I am better off using the seasonal veggies that is commonly available. So I am going to get into the same system here - get these western-vegetables and do what I enjoy doing most - Indianise them ;).

Asparagus is something I have been wanting to cook with for a while. I have a very vague memory of having an aspargus soup in barbeque nation in Bangalore and that was pretty much it, I never saw asparagus again. Something new for our dinner today - asparagus-coriander chutney which was really delicious and I am sure is going to be a part of our menu often. I have half a pack of asparagus left and I am going to be back with a yummy soup for this winter season. All said and done I am glad to be back here in this space. Hope you guys enjoy this recipe.


Ingredients

Serves - 3
Spice Level - Moderate
Prep Time - 10 min
Cook time - 10 min

Asparagus stalks - 10 , stems trimmed, and chopped into small pieces
Coriander - a handful
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped roughly
Tomato - 1 medium sized, chopped roughly
Garlic cloves - 3
Dry Red chilli - 3
Mustard - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/4 Tsp
Urad dal - 1 Tsp
Jeera/Cumin - 1 Tsp
Saunf/Fennel - 1 Tsp
Salt - as per need
Oil - 1 Tbsp

To temper

Oil -1 tsp
Mustard - 1 Tsp
Urad Dal -1 Tsp

How do you do it

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add hing,mustard - when it crackles, add jeera and saunf. Let them roast. Once done, add the chopped onions and saute till translucent.

2. After the onions are cooked, add the chopped garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add tomato pieces, 1/2 the amount of salt required, wait for the tomatoes to becomes soft and mushy - 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the chopped asparagus now and drizzle 2 tbsp of water on top and cover and cook for 5 minutes till they become tender.

4. Add the coriander leaves and red chilli now and saute for a minute. Switch off flame and cool the mixture.

5. Once cooled, grind with 1/4 cup water to a smooth paste. Transfer to bowl, add the remaining salt and mix well.

6. Now to prepare the tempering, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add mustard,let it crackle, add urad dal, let it brown. Transfer this to the chutney. Mix well.

Serve with Idli/Dosai or mix this chutney with ghee rice for a very healthy delicious dinner.