This is a great way to include omega rich flaxseeds in your diet and the beauty of it is that you can be creative and add or minus ingredients and vary the amount of each ingredient as per your preference. This time I made it with sesame seeds and with only 3 chillies as I didn’t want it to be spicy. This is a great snack eaten with a roti. Some people add a little cold pressed coconut oil to give it added flavor.
Recipe: Darshana Muzumdar
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup flaxseeds
- ½ cup curry leaves (or more if you prefer)
- ¼ cup urad dal (black gram dal)
- ⅛ cup sesame seeds (optional)
- 5-6 red chillies (beydgi variety, and more or less according to your preference)
- 6-8 cloves garlic (add more if you like the taste of garlic or if you follow a Jain diet, don’t use it)
- 1 lime sized ball of tamarind
- 1½ tbsp jaggery or jaggery powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- ½ tsp salt
Method
- Wash and rinse the curry leaves. Drain them and leave them to dry for a day or two covered lightly in a muslin cloth. Make sure the leaves are spread out so they don’t get spoilt because of the moisture. If you wish, you can also use them without drying them but make sure there is no water or moisture on the leaves after washing them. Dry them thoroughly with a napkin.
- Roast the flaxseeds in a thick bottomed steel pot on medium to low heat till they start popping. Transfer them to a plate to cool off.
- Roast the urad dal next on medium to low heat till it is lightly brown. If you want to wash the dal, do so immediately before you roast it or dry it thoroughly for a few hours. Transfer this to the plate to cool down.
- Roast the sesame seeds till they pop. Sesame seeds get roasted very fast so be careful they don’t burn. Transfer them to the plate to cool down.
- Roast the dried curry leaves till they are slightly crisp. If you want to use them fresh, there is no need to roast them. Transfer this to the plate to cool off.
- Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and red chillies, and roast them till the cumin seeds splutter and the red chillies are lightly brown.
- Once all the roasted ingredients have become cool, transfer them to a blender jar. Add the garlic, tamarind, jaggery and salt and blend to a powder.
- This chutney is best eaten fresh as the taste deteriorates with time. However, it can be stored for up to 7 days after which the flaxseeds will lose their nutritive value even though the chutney may not get spoilt for some more time.
For the Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) version:
Do not use oil. Dry roast all the ingredients one by one.
Use unrefined salt like rock salt.
