Naga Tomato Chutney

Naga tomato chutney is a simple spicy chutney from the North-East Indian state of Nagaland. This oil free chutney has a distinct smoky flavor coming from the roasted tomatoes and green chilies. Boiled potato is sometimes mashed with the burnt tomato and chili. This mash is further seasoned with salt and garnished with available fresh herbs. Naga chutney is typically served with rice, boiled veggies and meat. I have served it as an accompaniment with simple dal and rice.

Nagaland is one of the smallest state in the North-East of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam to the north, Myanmar to the east, and Manipur to the south. Mostly a mountainous state, Nagaland is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Nagaland is known in India as the land of festivals. The diversity of people and tribes, each with their own culture and heritage, creates a year-long atmosphere of celebrations.

Nagaland is home to the bhut jolokia or ghost pepper, one of the hottest chilies in the world. The state is inhabited by 16 tribes and all the tribes of Nagaland have their own cuisine, and they use a lot of meat, fish, and fermented products in their dishes. Naga dishes use a lot of locally grown herbs, ghost peppers, ginger, and garlic. A typical Naga meal consists of a meat dish, a boiled vegetable dish or two, rice and a chutney (Tathu).  Nagas tend to prefer boiled edible organic leaves. Some common dishes are "fermented bamboo shoot" (made from the tender shoot of the Bamboo tree) with fish and pork. The state dish is smoked pork cooked with fermented soya bean. Famous dishes include snails cooked with pork and silkworm larvae,which is an expensive delicacy of the state.Source: Wikipedia

                               

For the month of April, for our Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge Facebook group  we were on a virtual trip to Nagaland . My partner for this month was Narmadha who blogs  at Namscorner. She gave me green chilies and coriander leaves as my two secret ingredients and i cooked this flavorful Naga chutney with it. In return, I gave her red chilies and fish. She made Dried Fish Chutney . Do check out her wonderful space for some interesting recipes. 

                                                                        

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes
• 1 boiled potato
• 3 green chilies
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Roast the tomatoes directly on the flame. Its outer skin gets charred and starts peeling away. Cook for another 1-2 minutes and put off the flame.

2. Similarly roast the green chilies.

3. Now, mash the roasted tomato and green chilies along with its burnt skin in a bowl. Add boiled potato and salt to it and mix well.

4. Lastly garnish the chutney with some torn coriander leaves and serve .

5. I have served the Naga chutney with simple dal and rice.

Recipe notes:

• I have referred this recipe from here.
• Mash the tomatoes and chilies with its burnt skin as it gives a unique smoky flavor to the dish.
• Adding boiled potatoes to this tomato chutney is purely optional.
• Adjust the numbers of green chilies as per your liking and spice tolerance.

If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below.

Follow us on #Facebook  #Instagram ,  #Twitter, #Pinterest and #Google+  for more recipes and new updates. 

For more recipes from the North-East Indian states from this blog , do check out the following 

• Panch Phoran Tarkari from Mizoram

                              

• Shana Jhiej - Bengal gram Fritters from Meghalaya

                              

• Mangal Ooti and Khichdi from Manipur

                              

• Vegetarian Thukpa from Arunachal Pradesh

                              

• Pumpkin Ombal from Assam

                              

Aloo Posto / Potatoes In Poppy Seeds Paste

Aloo Posto is a traditional Bengali dish in which potatoes are cooked in spicy poppy seeds paste. Khus Khus or poppy seeds are known as Posto in Bengali and aloo is obviously potatoes, hence the name of the dish. This creamy spicy potato dish is onion-garlic free, gluten-free and vegan. It has a typical aroma and taste coming from mustard oil, poppy seeds, and nigella seeds. It tastes best with simple dal bhaat, though you can serve it with chapati or poori as well. I have served the Aloo Posto with cholar dal and steamed rice.

This fuss-free dish with few ingredients is comfort food in a Bengali household. The simple recipe calls for stir-frying the potatoes in mustard oil tempered with nigella seeds/kalonji. Then a paste of ground poppy seeds and green chilies is added to it and the potatoes are allowed to simmer in it until done.

I have added dried red chilies also but it is optional. Some people add Panch phoran ( 5 spice mix) for tempering. This is a dry dish but you may adjust the consistency to gravy types if you wish. The only challenging part in this recipe is to grind the poppy seeds into a smooth paste. For that you have to soak the poppy seeds overnight in water, however, you may soak the seeds in warm water for a couple of hours to get a smooth paste. Always use good quality poppy seeds that are not very old as it turns rancid on storage for a long time and that will taste bitter and ruin the whole curry. Poppy seeds can be refrigerated in an airtight container to increase its shelf life and retain its freshness. Do not replace the mustard oil with other cooking oil if you are looking for the authentic taste of this dish. So let's get started.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes ( does not include the soaking time of poppy seeds)
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 large potatoes around 250-300 grams
• 3-4 tablespoon poppy seeds 
• 2 green chilies
• 2 whole red chilies
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds/kalonji
• 2 tablespoon mustard oil
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Rinse and soak the poppy seeds in water overnight or at least a couple of hours in warm water. Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Immerse the potatoes pieces in water until use.

2. Sieve out the soaked poppy seeds into a grinder jar with 2 green chilies. Add very little water and grind this to a smooth paste.

3. Heat mustard oil in a pan. Once it smokes, lower the flame and add nigella seeds to it. Once the seeds sizzle, tip in the potato cubes and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the potatoes turn golden at the edges.

4. Next, add the red chilies and turmeric powder and stir fry the potatoes for another 1 minute.

5. Now add the ground poppy seeds paste, followed by 1/2 cup water. Season the curry with salt and sugar. Give a quick stir and cover cook the potatoes until they are done. Keep checking in between to ensure the potatoes do not catch the bottom of the pan.

6. Once the potatoes are done, open the cover and allow the moisture to evaporate. The poppy paste must have coated the potatoes very well by now. If you wish to have a gravy type consistency, adjust the cooking time accordingly. Put off the flame.

  7. Garnish the delicious Aloo Posto with more green chilies and coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice and enjoy with your loved ones!

                        

Recipe Notes:

• Authentic recipe of Aloo Posto has just nigella seeds tempering in mustard oil and use of only green chili, however, you may temper the oil with Panch Phoran (5 spice mix) and use dry red chilies as a variation.
• To grind the poppy seeds to a smooth paste, soak the seeds overnight in water or at least 3-4 hours in warm water.
• Always use good quality poppy seeds that are not very old as it turns rancid on storage for a long time and that will taste bitter and ruin the whole curry. Poppy seeds can be refrigerated in an airtight container to increase its shelf life and retain its freshness.
•  Do not replace the mustard oil with other cooking oil if you are looking for the authentic taste of this dish.
• Aloo Posto tastes best with simple dal bhaat but you may serve it as a side dish with chapati or poori as well.
• Adjust the number of green chilies as per your spice tolerance.
• I referred to various sites on the Internet and a cookbook to settle down to this recipe.

Linking this flavorful Aloo Posto to the #193rd #FoodieMondayBlogHop with #BengaliFoodFest as the theme for the week. As per the theme we have to cook any dish from Bengali Cuisine. This lovely theme was suggested by Sujata Roy who blogs at Batter Up With Sujata. Sujata di is a humble sweet lady just like her Bengali sweets. Do check out her wonderful space for lip-smacking dishes and healthy bakes. I am awed with the variety of Sandesh she has on her blog. I have tried my hands on quite a few Bengali sweets and savories and this time I wanted to try out a dish which is simple and fuss-free yet flavorful and that I can cook on a regular day, ie not a sweet or festive dish. My son loves anything with aloo so I decided to settle down with this dish. I also made the Cholar dal for the first time to serve with steamed rice and this aloo posto. My family enjoyed the flavorful Bengali meal. 

If you are also a potato fanatic like my son, then check out these potato recipes from this blog

Kashmiri Dum Aloo, Achari Aloo, Spicy Potato Salad, Batata Harra, Aloo Chutney Pulao, Aloo Matar Curry in 1 teaspoon oil. 

                                                                

If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below.

Follow us on #Facebook  #Instagram ,  #Twitter,#Pinterest and #Google+  for more recipes and new updates. 

For more recipes from Bengali Cuisine, do check out the following from this blog

• Bengali Vegetarian Thali - Durga Pooja Platter

                                 

• Sponge Rasgulla

                                 

• Bengali Sandesh

                                 

• Kasundi - Indian Mustard Sauce

                                 

• Vegetable Chop - Bengal Style Vegetable Cutlet

                                 

• Begun Bhaja

                                 

• Mishti Doi

                                 

Mango Phirni / Indian Mango Rice Pudding

Mango Phirni is a delightful variation to the North Indian classic dessert, Phirni. This summer dessert is basically a creamy, egg-less sweet rice pudding flavored with fresh mango pulp. This Mango Phirni is sweetened with jaggery powder and the cardamom powder compliments very well with mango flavors. It is further topped with pistachio slivers and dried rose petals and served chilled in clay containers which soak the extra moisture and make the phirni firm and creamy. Make this delectable mango phirni on festivals and special occasions or just to enjoy the sweet juicy mangoes that are in the season right now.

I prefer to flavor my desserts and bakes with fresh seasonal fruit pulps over the artificial essence. It not only makes the dessert lot more healthy and flavorful but also naturally lends beautiful colors to them. Strawberry Shrikhand, Apple Rabadi, Pineapple Kesari, Orange Rava Kesari, Gulab Ki Kheer are some of my naturally flavored Indian dessert experiments that have turned out pretty well. Indian markets are flooded with sweet juicy mangoes and it is the best time to make some chilled creamy filling dessert using them. I have already shared the recipes of Kesar Phirni and Peach Phirni on this blog and this mango phirni is yet another successful attempts.

Use good quality sweet mangoes to make this dessert as the color and the flavor of the phirni solely depends on the type of mango used. Also if the mangoes are very sweet, the amount of sweetener can be reduced. Usually, the recipe for any phirni calls for soaking and grinding of the rice paste and then adding it to the boiling milk. By this method, there are chances of lump formation of rice in the milk. To avoid this, in this method, the milk is first boiled and cooled down. The rice paste is added to the cold milk, mixed properly to ensure there are no lumps and then placed on the gas top and cooked further. Almonds are soaked and ground to a paste with the rice. This gives a nice creamy texture to the Phirni. So let's get started. 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 250 ml

• 3 tablespoon basmati rice
• 4-5 almonds
• 2 cup full cream milk
• 1 cup chopped mango
• 1/3 cup jaggery powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 tablespoon pistachio slivers for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals for garnishing

Method:

1. Rinse and soak the rice in water along with almonds for at least 30 minutes or preferably for 1-2 hours. Meanwhile, boil the milk in a pan and allow it to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Let the milk cool down at room temperature and keep covered until use.

2. Transfer the soaked rice and almonds to a grinder jar along with little water or milk and grind to a coarse paste.

3. To a heavy bottom pan or a nonstick pan , add the boiled and cooled milk and rice paste and mix very well , ensuring there are no lumps. Now heat this pan on medium flame and allow the rice to cook for about 10 -12 minutes.  Keep stirring in between , so that the pudding do not stick to the bottom. Once the phirni is cooked well, put off the flame.

4. Take the chopped mango pieces in a grinder jar. Add jaggery powder to it and pulse to get a lump free puree. Add this sweetened mango puree to the prepared phirni and stir well.

5. Lastly add the cardamom powder to the mango phirni and give a quick stir.

  6. Transfer the mango phirni into a large earthen container or spoon it to individual earthen bowls. Garnish it with dried rose petals and pistachio slivers. When the pudding cools down to room temperature, cover it with a cling film and refrigerate at least for an hour before serving. Enjoy the delicious and flavorful mango phirni with your loved ones!

                               

Recipe Notes:

• Phirni is traditionally served in clay containers that absorb the extra moisture and make the phirni firm and creamy. You may serve the phirni in containers of your choice.
• The color and the taste of this phirni solely depends on the type of mango used, so use the best quality sweet mangoes for this recipe.
• You may top the mango phirni with some chopped mango pieces if you like.
• Refrigerate the mango phirni at least 1 hour before serving as it tastes best when served chilled. 
• Adjust the amount of jaggery or other sweetener depending upon the sweetness of the mangoes used.
• Saffron strands and other slivered nuts may also be used to garnish the phirni.
• Consume the phirni the same day or maximum by next day, as we have added fresh uncooked mango pulp in this recipe.
• Vegans may use almond milk to make this phirni.
• Usually, the recipe for any phirni calls for soaking and grinding of the rice paste and then adding it to the boiling milk. By this method, there are chances of lump formation of rice in the milk. To avoid this, in this method, the milk is first boiled and cooled down. The rice paste is added to the cold milk, mixed properly to ensure there are no lumps and then placed on the gas top and cooked further. 
• Almonds are soaked and ground to a paste with the rice. This gives a nice creamy texture to the Phirni.

Linking this delectable Mango Phirni to the Healthy Wellthy Cuisines Group with #TangoWithMango as the theme for the fortnight. Checkout the following shares by my fellow bloggers on this theme.

Mango Chilli Sauce by Swaty
Mango Spritzer by Seema
Aam Pora Sharbat by Geetanjali
Mango Nice Cream by Vanita Bhat
                                                            

If you ever try this recipe, do share your feedback with us in the comment section below.

Follow us on #Facebook  #Instagram ,  #Twitter,#Pinterest and #Google+  for more recipes and new updates. 

For more Mango recipes from this blog, check out the following

• Mango Falooda

                                

• Mango Coconut Fudge

                                

• Mango Halwa

                               

• Amrakhand / Mango Shrikhand

                              

• Aam Papad / Mango Fruit Leather

                             

• Mango Icecream

                             

• Aamras