Cilantro Chutney Balls | Coriander Leaves Chutney Balls | Kothamalli Urundai | Gluten Free and Vegan

Hi Supermoms,

Hope you are all staying safe! 

Staying at home all the time is not easy. It is important that we keep ourselves both physically and mentally, as fit as possible by constantly learning new and useful things that can help make our day to day lives more meaningful, by doing simple exercises at home and most importantly eating healthy.

The recipe that I am going to share today is something that is easy to make and an healthy accompaniment to any tiffin or rice, the Cilantro Chutney Balls! A spice powder that ensures you get your daily dose of protein without extra effort. 

You will all agree with me that, homemade spice powders and chutney podis/powders are truly handy. While growing up, I used to love the combination of curd rice with milagai podi/idli chutney powder better than any pickle. The idea behind the culinary tradition of roasting different dals/lentils along with spices and then powdering and storing them for months was to help manage on days when it was difficult to make subzis and curries and make do with these instant powders to eat along with rice or tiffin! Easy, quick, tasty and minimalistic! This is very relevant for current times when we are practising frugality in buying supplies with restrictions on going out frequently.

Cilantro Chutney Balls are great combination of fresh herbs along with spices. They are rolled into bite sized balls that is easy to store and serve. You can keep it refrigerated and use them as and when. It brings variety and taste to your every day food. 

How to use these cilantro chutney balls?

You can mix this with hot rice, pour hot ghee or oil over it, mix and enjoy.

You can make cilantro dal paratha 

You can serve it as a side dish to any tiffin. Break the ball, mix with coconut oil or ghee and enjoy

You can serve it along with curd rice

You can add 3-4 cilantro chutney balls into the jar of a mixer, add 1/4 cup water and make cilantro chutney. It will taste so yum . 

You can be so creative with these chutney balls. I have to thank Mrs.Padma Balasubramanian for this tasty recipe. I met her through instagram and our mutual love for cooking instantly connected us. Padmaji is a kind person always willing to help and share her culinary wisdom. 

I am so happy to share her amazing recipe with all of you. 

Cilantro Chutney Balls | Coriander Leaves Chutney Balls | Kothamalli Urundai Recipe:

Preparation time : 2-3 hours ( to pat dry the cilantro/coriander leaves)

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Makes : 22 small chutney balls

1 cup = 250 ml cup 

Ingredients :

100 gm fresh coriander leaves/cilantro

1 teaspoon oil (you can use coconut oil or sesame oil)

3/4 cup husked black gram/urad dal

4-5 dry red chillies ( adjust according to the variety of chilli you are using and also your family spice preference) 

large pinch asafoetida

Marble size tamarind ( de-seeded)

Salt to taste

Method :

1.Wash coriander leaves well and spread them on a kitchen towel.

2.Pat dry them completely so that there is no moisture.

3.Finely chop them and set them aside. Chef tip : After chopping , spread them again on a dry kitchen towel. Make sure that the cilantro is completely moisture free. 

4.Heat a heavy bottom pan with oil and roast the urad dal and dry red chillies till the dal turns golden brown.
5.Switch off and add tamarind , asafoetida and salt .

6.Once the mixture has cooled a little, add it to the jar of a mixer and pulse it till the dal is coarse.

7.Now add the chopped coriander leaves and pulse again .

8.Now our cilantro chutney ball mixture is ready.

9.Pinch small portions and shape them into small balls.

10.Transfer them to an air tight container and refrigerate . 

Use as and when required and keep it stored in the refrigerator. So simple to make, tasty , healthy and handy. 

Do try ! Share your feedback with me.

Happy Cooking !

With love,

Masterchefmom