Radish leaves chutney

As part of our amatuer gardening efforts, G and I grew radish in our balcony. After 2 months of nurturing, we decided to harvest them. The radishes are stowed away for Sambhar, while I turned the leaves into chutney.

This is a recipe given by my m-i-l. Radish leaves are supposed to be beneficial for recovery from jaundice. If you are finicky about taste, a bit of warning: Do not expect this to be yummy. It tastes a little coarse and leafy, but makes for a good change from the regular chutneys.

Ingredients:

1. Radish leaves - 20-25
2. Chana Dal - 5-6 tsp.
3. Urad Dal - 5-6 tsp.
4. Red chillies - 3
5. Garlic - 8 pods
6. Jeera - 1 tsp.
7. Tamarind - a small 1/2 inch piece
8. Grated coconut - 5-6 tsp.
9. Oil - 3-4 tsp.
10. Salt - to taste

Procedure:

1. Wash the radish leaves and chop them coarsely.
2. In a kadai, heat oil and roast the chana dal and urad dal on low-medium flame till they turn lightly golden.
3. Throw in the red chillies, garlic pods and jeera and sauté for ten more seconds on low-medium flame.
4. Transfer the contents in the kadai to a mixie and grind to a powder.
5. Meanwhile in the kadai which is smeared with the oil used for roasting, sauté the radish leaves. If required, add one or two more spoonsful of oil to the kadai before that. After sautéing the leaves will shrink and give out water.
6. Add the sautéed leaves, tamarind, salt and grated coconut to the powder in the mixie and grind again to make a slightly coarse, but homogeneous paste. Add very little water if required to achieve the required consistency.