Karale (Gurellu) Chutney / Spiced Niger Seeds powder

Karale / Khurasni / Gurellu chutney is a delicious condiment made using Niger seeds and is very popular in parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Roasted niger seeds are pounded with garlic and red chilies to make this fiery hot khurasni chutney with a typical nutty and garlicky flavor. I have added roasted sesame seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds also in this recipe to make this karale chutney all the more healthy and flavorful. This vegan and gluten free podi can be served as a side dish to the main meals or paired with flat breads like bhakri, thalipeeth or paratha. You can even use this versatile spice mix as a stuffing in dishes like bharli vangi (stuffed egg plant) or bharvan bhindi (stuffed okra). This niger seeds chutney has a good shelf life and can be stored up to a month on refrigeration in an air tight container.

What is Karale / Gurellu ?

Niger seeds are called as Karale or Khurasni in Marathi and Gurellu or Uchellu in Kannada. These edible seeds are glossy and black in color. They look similar to sunflower seeds in shape.The seeds have a typical nutty flavor and are a good source of important amino acids. The best way of including these healthy seeds in our regular diet is in the form of this chutney.

Health Benefits of Niger Seeds:

There are many health benefits of consuming Niger seeds. Niger seeds is believed to be good for heart health and rheumatism. It heals wounds and reduces inflammation, gives relief from cold and flu and many gastrointestinal issues, boosts immune system and curbs morning sickness. It helps in weight gain and keeps the skin healthy.

What goes into my Karale chutney ?

Traditionally karale chutney in Maharashtrian style is prepared using only niger seeds, garlic, red chilies and salt. It is a fiery hot chutney with nutty taste and dominant garlicky flavors. However, i have also added sesame seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds in this chutney to make it all the more flavorful and healthy. This is basically a dry chutney powder. Sesame seeds can be replaced with peanuts or completely skipped. I have used red chili powder instead of dried red chilies. Addition of curry leaves is purely optional. I love its taste and find this chutney a great way of sneaking a handful of curry leaves in it. 

Serving Suggestions for Karale chutney

This flavorful karale chutney is typically served with Bhajra bhakri /roti or ragi roti but it goes well with any flat bread like chapati, Thalipeeth , cheela or paratha. I love it even with our varan bhaat. This is a dry chutney or podi and you can pair it with South Indian breakfast dishes like idli, upma or Pesarattu. This chutney is so versatile that it can be even used as a stuffing in veggies like egg plant and okra to make dishes like bharli vangi or bharwa bhindi.

Condiments Magic on Foodie Monday BlogHop

It is the 231st theme on our Facebook Gourmet group, Foodie Monday Blog Hop. It was Renu's turn to suggest the theme for the week and she suggested that we share our condiment recipes with lesser known ingredients. It could be any pickle, jam, chutney or dip recipe that is less popular or probably a forgotten gem that needs to be brought back to lime light. Khurasni chutney or karale chutney is one such gem which was once regarded as a pantry essential in many parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka and can still flavor up any dull meal. Hence my humble contribution towards this condiments magic theme is this Niger seeds chutney. Mean while do check out Renu's versatli blog, Cookwithrenu for some healthy bakes and wonderful recipes from around the globe.

                                     

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1 1/4 cup chutney

Ingredients:

• 100 grams Karale / Khurasni /Gurellu/ Niger seeds 
• 1/2 cup curry leaves
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 10-12 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 5-7 dry red chilies / 1-2 tablespoon red chili powder or as per taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or as per taste

Method:

1. Dry roast the Karale / Niger seeds in a pan on low flame for 3-4 minutes. Remove in a plate. Next, add in curry leaves and roast on low flame until the leaves turn crisp and no more moisture is left in them.\

2. Remove the curry leaves and add the sesame seeds and cumin seeds to the pan and dry roast until you hear a popping sound and the seeds turn aromatic. Take care you do not burn the seeds.

3. Remove the seeds in the same plate and allow all the roasted ingredients to cool down completely.  Add the garlic cloves, salt and red chili powder also to the roasted ingredients and either pound in a mortar and pestle or transfer to a grinder jar and pulse to get a coarse chutney. Do not grind the chutney for a long time as the roasted seeds will release oil and the chutney will become like a oily sticky paste which we do not want. Do a taste test at this stage and add more salt or red chili powder if required and pulse one more time.

4. Healthy and delicious karale chutney is ready. Serve it as a side dish along side your meals. We love to pair the karale chutney with our methi paratha , thalipeeth, bajra bhakri and even with Varan Bhat. 

Recipe Notes:

• Do not dry roast the niger seeds for a long time as the seeds may turn bitter on doing so.
• You may skip garlic for a satvik version but otherwise, i would recommend its use for the typical garlicky and spicy flavor.
• You may add roasted peanuts also in this chutney or use it in place of sesame seeds.
• Use of curry leaves is purely optional. If you are using them, make sure you rinse the leaves thoroughly with clean water and pat the leaves dry using kitchen towel.
• This karale chutney has a coarse texture so just pulse it and do not grind it for a long time as the seeds will release oil and the podi will turn  like a sticky oil paste which we are not looking for.
• Adjust the number of chilies or chilly powder as per your spice tolerance.

I hope a few of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.\

• Facebook Handle: https://www.facebook.com/poonambachhavblogspot/
• Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/poonambachhav/
• Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/poonampagar_B
• Pinterest Handle: https://in.pinterest.com/poonambachhav/

More more chutney recipes, do check out the following recipes from this blog

• Garlic / lehsun Chutney

                              

• Sesame seeds / Til Chutney

                              

• Hirvu Mirchi Thecha / Green chili garlic chutney

                              

• Momos Chutney

                              

• Amla Chutney

                              

• Coconut Chutney

                             

• Dahi Shengdana Chutney

                            

• Khajur Imli Chutney

                           

• Coconut Curry leaves Chutney