Chitti Garelu Tomato vankaya pacchadi

I love little things. Long time ago when we went to Tirupati, we went to the Bhima's restaurant on top of the mountain there and for the first time I ate Chitti Sambar Idli. They were sooo cute. And once I ate Chitti Sambar Garelu and they were cute too. The chitti Garelu I made today are a bit bigger than those in part because I add baking soda to it and they kind of blew up

                   I made the most amazing Tomato Brinjal chutney to go with it. Hop you will enjoy it too as much as I did

Chitti Garelu (Mini Lentil Donuts)

Garelu being fried

Chitti Garelu

Ingredients:

1. 2 cup Urda dal soaked overnight
2. 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped onions
3. 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
4. 1 teapoon each of finely chopped ginger, salt
5. 1 green chilly finely chopped
6. 1/2 teaspoon cumin, baking soda
7. oil for deep frying

Grind the urad dal with as little water as possible. Add the rest of the ingredients to it and stir well to combine. Wrap a polythene cover on a bowl and take some water in another bowl. Heat oil in a pan. Apply some water on the polythene and take a tablespoon of batter and spread it. With your finger make a hole in the middle. Tip the bowl and slide the donut onto your hand and carefully drop it into hot oil. Fry till it turns golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve with chutney

Tomato Vankaya Pacchadi (Tomato Eggplant dip)

Tomato Brinjal Chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium American eggplant or 2 medium Japanese eggplant
2. 2 medium or 1 large tomato chopped
3. 1 tablespoon oil+1 teaspoon oil
4. 1/4 cup each of chopped onion, cilantro (optional)
5. 1 inch ginger chopped
6. 2 small or 1 large green chilly chopped
7. 1 small lime sized tamarind soaked in 2 tablespoons oil
8. 1 teaspoon salt

For Tempering

1. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal
2. 2 dried red chillies
3. few curry leaves

Dry roast the eggplant until its skin turns dark. Sscrape the flesh and keep aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add onions and ginger and fry for a couple of minutes. Add tomato and cook covered for 5-7 minutes. Add tamarind and cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Add green chillies and cilantro and salt  and cut the heat and let it cool. Grind this and the eggplant flesh into a fine paste. In a pan heat the teaspoon of oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds and urad dal for a couple of minutes. Add dried chillies and curry leaves and fry till they start to splutter. Add this to the ground paste. Serve

Also try

Peanut Chutney

Carrot Chutney

Eggplant Chutney

Mint Chutney