Tomatillo Chutney

Event: Blogging Marathon #41
Theme: Stove-top cooking with alphabets - N, P & T

The idea of this chutney came to me when my husband one day mentioned about his mother's green tomato pachadi. Since my mother-in-law is not there any more and I never had an opportunity to taste that pachadi, it was hard to replicate it. And instead I came up with a version of my own using the tomatillos. The tomatillos and unripe green tomatoes are different even though they look the same particularly when tomatillos are dehusked. Tomatillo, original to Mexico comes with an inedible papery husk and is quite tart to taste. They have a sticky film which needs to be washed off before using them in recipes.
Tart tomatillos are paired with aromatic cilantro here and the addition of garlic lends a great flavor according to my husband. One day I had packed this chutney along with idlis in his lunch box and the yummy chutney had become a great hit among his colleagues. And so, I thought of sharing this flavorful chutney today.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1 big onion or 2 onions, chopped roughly
4 - 5 green chillies
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3 tomatillo
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
* Peel off the husks  from tomatillo. Rinse and gently rub to remove the sticky film. Cut each tomatillo into 6 - 8 chunks.
* Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter add turmeric, asafoetida and chillies. Fry for about 30 seconds.
* Next add garlic and and onion. Fry until onion turns translucent.
* Then add tomatillo and cook until it turns mushy.
* Finally add cilantro leaves and salt. Just cook until the leaves wilt.
* Let cool the mixture and grind coarsely.
* Serve with idlis / dosas / rice.

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