JEERANA THOGAYAL- South Indian detox Chutney recipe - Excellent for tummy health

Indians are very fervent when it comes to festivals. Needless to say, food during festival is gorgeous, elaborate and fun leaving ones appetite satiated for days together. As a freebie, festive meals also result in aching tummies. We Indians have a remedy for that as well. I thank the Almighty for bestowing our country with a vast agricultural diversity. I also appreciate our ancestral efforts in formulating home remedies for simple ailments - prepared using common ingredients in the kitchen sourced from local resources . While every household in India gears up to prepare an array of sweets and savouries for every festival, they also prepare homemade medicines well in advance anticipating a possible tummy upset, esp. for gluttons !! :)

In that line - Turkey berry (Sundaikkai), Garden huckleberry 
(Manathakkali kai), Neem flowers (Veppampoo) - are the key ingredients in today's recipe. These trio are incorporated in dried form, ie..., the former two are harvested fresh, mixed in a salted yogurt paste and sun-dried. The later is just shaken off from the branches when dry. These are stored in air tight containers and used as required. All the three have excellent medicinal properties and are tummy  cleansers. Some people may not like the bitter taste, but I urge you all to try this as it is good for health. 

Cooking time: 5 min + 5 min cooling time
Grinding Time: 2 min
Category: Accompaniment, Detox
Cuisine: South Indian
Spice Level: Moderate
Serves: 5-6
Source: MIL

Nutrition Facts
Servings 6.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 26
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g	1 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg	0 %
Sodium 57 mg	2 %
Potassium 0 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 4 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	3 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 1 g	2 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	7 %
Calcium	1 %
Iron	0 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 fistful Dry Turkey berries/ Sudaikkai vatthal
• 1 fistful Dry Garden huckleberries/ Manathakkaalikai vathhal
• 1 fistful Dry Neem flowers/ Ularntha Veppampoo
• 2 -3 tbsp Urad dhal
• 2 dry red chillies
• 3-4 flakes compounded asafoetida
• Tamarind - size of a marble
• 1 tbsp oil 
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Jaggery
• Sesame oil for serving

METHOD

• Heat oil in a pan or Kadai and fry the asafoetida until crisp. Set aside. Throw in the tamarind and fry followed by the red chillies. Set that aside as well.
• In the same, roast all the dry berries one at a time until it starts fuming. Take care not to char it. It should be roasted until almost dark but not burnt. Transfer to a plate and cool.
• Add the neem flowers and roast until it is coated well with oil and set aside.
• Roast the Urad dhal until a nice aroma wafts and it turns a deep orange all over. Transfer and cool.
• Grind all the above in a mixer jar with salt, jaggery and pulse the mixture to smaller bits. Then add 1/5th cup of water and pulse again to form a thick and coarse paste.
• Mix 1 tsp with a serving of hot rice and 1 tsp sesame oil and consume this as your first serving.
• Keep your following meal simple and avoid eating anything fried.