RAW TAMARIND THOKKU/ CHINTAKAYA THOKKU

Tamarind thokku is a mouthwatering preparation similar to the pickles. Thokku is also referred to as chutney or pachadi.

This is a very old recipe of thokku which comes from my nanima, who belonged to Andhra. Thokku rice has always lit up my mood, especially when mom fed me with her hands.  I think that added to the taste and made it much tastier.

First the base for thokku is prepared with raw green tamarind, salt and turmeric powder. Then as per the requirement the thokku is removed in a bowl and tempered. This is grinded to a coarse paste. Water should not be added to it. The tempered thokku can be stored for one to two months in the refrigerator.

Thokku has a good shelf life, it can be stored for over a year. As a child I remember thokku pounding used to be a big affair involving all the females and kids of the house. Washing, cleaning and then pounding the tamarind with turmeric and salt.

Choose green, big, fuller and hard variety of green tamarind. Discard the flat ones and the ones which have started to ripen. Such tamarinds are available in the market around the month of October and November.

Use ceramic achaar barni or jar only to store the thokku. Wash the jar thoroughly. Then sundry it. Also remember to cool the jars to room temperature. Do not put the thokku in a warm jar.

I have used sea salt in this recipe. Table salt can also be used. The number of green chillies may seem too much. The pungency of green chillies balance the sourness of tamarind. The amount of green chillies can be adjusted according to their pungency.

Recipe for Raw tamarind thokku

Ingredients for Raw tamarind thokku

• 1 kg raw tamarind
• 2 tbsp turmeric powder
• 250 gms sea salt or table salt

For tempering

• ¼ cup oil
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds or rai
• ½ tsp fenugreek or methi seeds
• ¼ tsp asafetida or heeng
• 12 to 15 green chillies

How to make

Firstly wash and dry the tamarind in shade.

Separate the flat and small size tamarinds. Remove the dried stems.

Cut the tamarind into one inch pieces.  Check the pieces from inside for any dark patches, discard it.

If the seeds are hard remove them.

Pound the tamarind in small batches. Gradually keep adding the salt and turmeric while pounding in batches.

Transfer the pounded thokku to a clean and dry jar. Keep in a cool dry place for a week.

For preparing the thokku, remove the required quantity in a bowl.

Heat oil. Roughly break the chillies in two or three pieces. Fry it in oil for a minute. Remove and keep aside.

In the same oil add methi seeds, rai and heeng. As the rai splutters remove from heat.

First grind the green chillies.

Then add the thokku and seasoning to it. Grind without adding water to get a coarse paste.

Serve it over steamed rice and a spoonful of ghee or oil.

RAW TAMARIND PACHADI/ CHUTNEY

Raw tamarinds are available in market in the months of October or November. During this time a number of delicacies are prepared with raw tamarind like tamarind pickle, tamarind thokku, tamarind dal and so on.

This recipe is simple and flavourful. It tastes wonderful with plain steamed rice and pappadums. It can also be enjoyed with yellow dal and chawal or with chapatti.

Recipe for Raw tamarind pachadi

Ingredients for Raw tamarind pachadi

• 1 cup raw tamarind (cut into 1 inch pieces and deseeded)
• 10 dry red chillies
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 10 cloves garlic
• 10 to 15 curry leaves
•  ½ cup oil
• Salt to taste

How to make

Heat oil in a kadai or skillet. Add mustard and fenugreek seeds.

As the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add curry leaves and red chillies.

Add in the garlic cloves. Saute for a minute. Remove from heat.

Transfer the above ingredients to a chutney jar (leave some oil in the kadai). Let it cool for some time.

In the same kadai, saute the raw tamarind pieces for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat or until soft. Let it cool for some time.

Dry grind the ingredients in the chutney jar.

Now add the tamarind and salt. Grind it further to get a coarse textured chutney. Do not add water.

Transfer to an airtight container.

MURREL FISH CURRY/ CHAPALA PULUSU

Murrel fish or snake head fish is extensively used in southern and south-east Asian countries. In India it is popular in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Bengal. Murrel fish is called murrel in Marathi, koramenu in Telgu and shol in Bengali.

Murrel fish curry with ragi muddi is an awesome combination from the Andhra cuisine.

This tangy curry, simply tingles your taste buds. The preparation doesn’t take much time.

My Nanima, who belonged to Nellore used to prepare this curry in an earthen pot which added to the taste. She used til or sesame oil for this curry. I am a proud inherent of this recipe. Every vacation I get to relish this curry prepared by Maa. Lucky me!

Recipe for Murrel fish curry

Ingredients for Murrel fish curry

• 6 pieces murrel fish
• 1 cup or 2 medium sized onions (roughly chopped)
• ¼ cup fresh coconut (grated)
• ½ cup tamarind pulp
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 medium sized tomato (roughly chopped)
• 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder                                                                                                   
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp mustard seeds10 curry leaves
• ¼ cup oil

How to make

Toss the fish pieces in ¼ tsp turmeric powder and some salty. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Wash the fish pieces to get rid of the excess turmeric and salt.

Make a fine masala paste of onions, coconut and garlic.

Heat oil in a kadai or skillet. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.

As mustard seeds begin to crackle, put in the tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes or until tomato softens.

Now add in the masala paste along with chilli powder, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water. 

Add in the tamarind pulp and salt at the same time.

Taste the curry for salt and spices. Adjust the taste and consistency of the curry at this stage only.

Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until oil floats on the surface.

Gently slip in the pieces in the curry. Give it a gentle stir. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Serve with raggi muddi or plain steamed rice.

ARISELU WITH JAGGERY

Ariselu is a festive sweet prepared during Makar Sankranti, Dusshera and Diwali. This indian sweet is from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana. Similar preparation is made in Karnataka called as kajjaya and in Tamil nadu it is called as adhirasam. The maharashtrian sweet dish, Anarsa has similar taste, but the procedure varies.

Whenever I go to my parents, I take ariselu from Hyderabad for them. Maa loves ariselu which is not available in Pune. This time I have decided to make them at home and take it for her.

Ariselu is made with rice flour and sugar or jaggery. In this recipe we are going to use jaggery. The rice is soaked overnight, drained and then grinded into flour. The flour has to be sieved to get a fine texture. We will be using 600 grams of sieved flour. I soak a little more rice than required for the recipe. The rest is reserved in case we require it later and the rice granules in the sieve can be reused in other dishes.

Recipe for Ariselu

Ingredients for Ariselu

• 750 gms rice
• 350 gms jaggery (crushed or grated)
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tbsp sesame (lightly roasted)
• ½ tsp crushed cardamom
• Oil for deep frying
• ¼ cup water

How to make

Rinse and soak rice for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain the water. Let the wet rice sit in the sieve for 10 minutes to get rid of the excess water.

While the rice is still wet, grind the rice in batches and sieve simultaneously. 

Approximately 50 to 100 gms of rice will remain back in the sieve which can be used to make kheer or dal khichdi. The flour will weigh approximately 600 grams.

Now melt the crushed jaggery with water in a pan.

Bring the syrup to boil. When the syrup begins to bubble,take some syrup and put it in a bowl of water. If the syrup doesn’t spread and forms into a soft ball, the syrup is ready.

Add ghee and sesame to the syrup. Mix well.

Now add in the flour to combine well.

Take a portion and try shaping it into a ball. If it doesn’t lose its shape it is ready to be fried. In case the dough starts spreading and losing its shape add more flour to it.

Take a two folded butter paper or a thick plastic sheet. As the dough has ghee there is no need to grease the sheet. Dip you fingers in ghee and spread it on your palm. Now take a small portion of dough, roll it into a ball, keep it on the butter paper and lightly press with fingers to shape into a circle of 3 to 4 inches of diameter.

Deep fry on low heat. Approximately it takes 4 minutes to fry one ariselu. 

Press it between two slotted spoons to get rid of the excess oil.