Asparagus Chutney

Asparagus is rich in Vitamin C and E, dietary fiber and potassium. It is also fat free and cholesterol free. It is a natural diuretic and laxative with a beneficial effect on the kidneys, liver and bowel.

Recently when I visited our local grocery store, I came across fresh, appealing asparagus. I immediately grabbed them, but I didn’t know any recipes with them. So I gave it a long thought and finally came up with this chutney. It tasted really great.

Ingredients:

• 8 Asparagus Spears
• ½ Green Bell Pepper
• ¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp Black Gram Dal (Urad Dal) (Minappappu)
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
• ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds
• 6 small Green Chilies (or According to individual taste)
• ½ tsp Tamarind Paste
• ¼ tsp Asafetida
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash and cut the asparagus, green bell pepper and green chilies into medium pieces.

In a pan heat half of the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and fry for a while. Then add the urad dal, the coriander seeds and the fenugreek seeds and fry till they turn brown. Remove them from the pan and transfer to a plate.

Then add the remaining oil along with the asparagus, green bell pepper and fry for some time. Later add the green chilies and the asafetida and fry for some more time. When the vegetables look little cooked, stop the flame and transfer into a different plate. Let all the contents cool for some time.

Then grind all the contents together into a fine paste by adding the tamarind paste, salt and water as required. Don’t add too much water, as the chutney would look good when thick.

This chutney can be eaten alone with hot rice and ghee or as a dip in idlis or dosas. It even tastes great with chapathis if mixed with yogurt just before eating.