Feb 23, 2009

Flax Seeds Chutney powder/ Chutney Pitto...

This recipe is from my Mom. Due to the health issues that she and my dad are having, my mom has been using a lot of flax seeds in their diet. One such recipe is this Chutney Powder/Pudi/Pitto where Flax seeds plays a main role. When I heard about this recipe, I made a picture of it in my mind being a dark, husky kind of powder which wouldn't be so tasty. Nevertheless, I thought, atleast because its good for health, I will try it once. I was wrong and must say here, this is one of the most aromatic and tastiest chutney pudis I have eaten. I think I will stick to this recipe from now on. Do give it a try once and you will agree with me. The combination of garlic, tamarind and other ingredients is just awesome and cannot be explained in photos here.

Ingredients

Flax seeds - 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves - 1/8 cup. I used 4 big cloves
Putani/Roasted Split chana dal/ Dalia - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp or more
Tamarind - 6- 7 small 1/2 inch pieces
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

Method

- Heat a pan and dry roast the flax seeds. Take care not to burn them. Switch off flame and then add the red chilli powder to the flax seeds and cover the pan.
- Separately, dry roast the garlic cloves also. ( slightly crush or cut the cloves into smaller pieces and then roast).
- Once all these cool down completely, grind the flax seeds, red chilli powder and garlic alongwith the tamarind to a fine powder.
- Separately, powder the putani, sugar and salt to a fine powder and then mix it to the flax seeds powder and mix well.
- Serve as side with idlis or dosas or even with rice and curries.

Note :

- The shelf-life of this chutney powder is atleast 2 months.
- I added only 1 1/2 tsp of Red Chilli powder, but a little more would be better for spicy buds.
- You can reduce the amount of Putani/Roasted split Chana dal if you want to.


I am sending this post to 'Colors of Taste-Podis/Powders' , hosted at Kadumanga.

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24 Comments:

Pavithra Kodical said...

Using flax seed seems interesting.I am sure anything with garlic tastes great..Will try this. Wanted to know what type of tamarind you used.You dont have to soak tamarind correct?

Varsha Vipins said...

wow..thats such a new thing to me..Flax seeds are so full of goodness..Thanks for the recipe..:)

Cham said...

Using flax seeds in podi is very interesting. That is great recipe!

Divya Kudua said...

Such a great dish Maya..thanks to your amma.I've been wanting to include flaxseeds in our diet since long but never knew how to use them,this seems like an apt dish to make.It looks quite delicious too.Thanks for sharing a great,healthy recipe!!

Grandma Lilly - said...

Flax seeds are very good for controlling the Bad cholestrol. I also make this chutney, in a slightly different way.

Raks said...

flax seeds are new to me! Sounds healthy,thanks for sharing!

Meera said...

That's really a very healthy recipe. I have started using flax seeds powder in the daily chapatis to make them healthy. chutney sounds great. i think flax seeds do not have any strong taste so they can be used anywhere, isn't it? thanks for ur mom's wonderful recipe. will try soon!!

FH said...

You know,, when I had LASIK surgery last year my eye doc advised me to take Flax seeds to make my eyes naturally moist by making more tears.I didn't even try eating those because I didn't know how, didn't look good! Chutney pudi looks fab, I could have some flax this way easily.Thanks Maya! :)

Red Chillies said...

Maya, this is an awesome recipe. I have heard so much about the benefits of flax seeds that it is amazing.

One question about the tamarind, do we need to use dry tamarind and do we have to roast it?

Wishing your parents well and hope their health recovers soon.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Pavithra, you're rite, garlic makes anything good. Please use the dry tamarind pieces, and yes, no soaking the tamarind.

Varsha, Cham, Raks, Thank you ladies.

Divya, yes, try kornu palay, avadatale tukka.

Asha Mai, yes, I think Aayi got the inspiration from you only abt the seeds. Do blog about ur recipe too.

Meera, I have learnt from you to use the flax seeds powders in so many of the rotis and dosas and all. Do try this chutney pitto, you may like it.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Asha, do flax seeds help with the eyes too? Well, I should tell my mom to use more then, she has Glucoma, so it will help her. I do remember ur surgery, hope you all fine now.

Supriya, thank you for your wishes. Its dry tamarind pieces that you have to use, it gets powdered well with the rest of the ingredients. I did not roast it.

Anonymous said...

This is one great recipe u have shared. We get organically ground flaxseed, & incorporate it in any place we can, even smoothies. this is an excellent idea!!!

& ur potato Burfi idea is just amazing too. Cool.. thanks to ur mom:-)

Ashwini said...

Wow Maya, Great recipe..The other day, hubby was telling to buy the flax powder from Costco.Din't know where to use it..This is really a wonderful recipe to use it..Thank You maya..

Shilpa said...

Wow..aayi was supposed to post this recipe too :). But her recipe is slightly different than this one. I will try your version sometime soon.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Soma, Thanx..You put flax seeds in smoothies also?? wow, that's a great idea, thanx for sharing..

Ashwini, thanx. Try putting the powder in roti doughs, dosa batters etc. Heard it works as a egg replacer also, but haven't yet tried.

Shilpa, will wait for your Aayi's version too. More the versions, better it is :).

Lakshmi said...

A very healthy podi..actually falx is good antha amma heltha idru. Thanks for your feedback on Sago Almond milk. I am glad that you liked it with the pista and elaichi!

Shama Nagarajan said...

nice recipe...

Archy said...

Chutney pudi using flax seeds amazing Maya, healthy though.. shall surely give a try,
Hey, i have flax seeds meals, can i make of that too ??

Shivali said...

Flax seed chutney ..such a innovative idea.

Namrata Kini said...

This is a great recipe. I have never used flax seeds in any of my preparations.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

This sounds intriguing, Maya. I use flax seeds to replace eggs while baking and in bread sometimes.
Does the chutney powder have a slightly oily tatse of the flax seeds?

CurryLeaf said...

I agree with Aparna,I too use flax to replace eggs.Never ever dared used them in pitto.I hve heard of flax benefits,but pitto is too good to be true.

Archy said...

Hey, maya.. i made this chutney powder with flax meal, its so gud.. eat it daily.. :)!! Thank you for the recipe.. do check it out at my blog..!!

Rajee said...

I came to know u from Asha's blog that she tried it. I too love to try it. Can I know why u add sugar. I am very mad at any podis like you. Very intersting recipe.