Thalippu Vadagam Chutney

Thalippu (=seasoning) vadagam is a very particular seasoning item in my house. Every summer, along with pickle and vadam (fryum) making, vadagam is on the list. I remember "hating" the peeling process of pearl onions given by my aunt. Quiet daunting task, but the final product is worth. My aunt is an expert, she does this one very meticulously every summer. She makes sure no water is involved in the whole process. She pounds the pearl onion and garlic using mortar and pestle (called Ammi khal and kuzhavi)  and mix with fenugreek, curry leaves, mustard, urad dhal drizzle with good amount of castor oil. All the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and shaped into balls. Those balls are kept under sunlight for many days until they turn solid like a rock but still breakable. Vadagam are stored for years without refrigeration.
I always bring along with my spice this "Thalippu Vadagam" and store it for years.
We use to season: sambar, kootu, Kaara kuzhambu, fish gravy and chicken dish. Usually the mustard, urad dhal, channa dhal, fennugreek seasoning is substituted by a teaspoon of this vadagam. This  Vadagam chutney is very aromatic and have a very peculiar taste.






Those vadagam balls are broken and little tsp of seasoning goes a long way!





Yield: probably for 2 adults serving

Ingredients:

Vadagam: 1 1/2 tbps
Onion: 1 medium- diced
Tomato: 1 medium-diced
Red Chillies: 4
Tamarind: 1/2 to 1 inch
Oil: 1 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp  less or more

Seasoning:
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal: 1/4 tsp
Oil: 1/2 tsp

Method:

Heat oil and fry the vadgam, add the onion fry few more minutes. Now add the red chillies, tomatoes,tamarind and salt. Cook until the tomatoes loose shape.

Let it cool completely and grind into coarse paste.

Season in oil, the mustard and urad dhal and mix with chutney.

Serve with hot idlis or dosai.


Comments

Hi cham,
eppudi irrukenga...i jus love this vadaga chutney...thx for sharing:)
Soma said…
This sounds like a treasure in the kitchen. Versatile and stores well and looks fantastic.
Unknown said…
Looks very tempting:)
Lakshmi said…
chutney looks yummy Cham..i have never heard of preserving vadagam with castor oil, this interesting indeed..
kitchen queen said…
lovely and yummy chutney.
sangeeta said…
Hi Cham...this vadagam looks really interesting. In north of India wadis are made but there is no onion in them n the spices are different ...my dad used to like chutny made with them n i make it occasionally too...this one looks really good.

Recipe of this vadagam is highly awaited...
Lovely chutney...Never used vadagam in a chutney recipe, Sounds great.Thanks for leaving your comment in my blog !!
Unknown said…
sounds interesting..and yumm too..
jayasree said…
Just reading through the chutney recipe is making my mouthwater..I have heard gravies with his vadaam. Chutney sounds interesting and delicious too.
Indian Khana said…
I have seen vadagam but never used so far ....this chutney looks so delicious ..perfect with those idly
Chitra said…
My mil makes this. LOve this with pongal :)ur clicks made me drool :)
Priya Suresh said…
My grandma used to making this chutney quite often,been ages i had this chutney,idli with this chutney,omg salivating..
Suganya said…
Vadagam is my pantry staple too. I bought a packet full from my India trip 2 months back. But never tried chutney out of it. Will try it soon. YUM!
Priya dharshini said…
i try this chutney with loads of coconut,urs seems to be healthy..Wish to try this chutney..Thank u for commenting on my blog..i will read the manual for sure..
Latha said…
We don't make vadagams...but I remember my neighbours making these and the aroma I used to love it. Chutney looks awesome and I'm sure it tasted great too.
Unknown said…
This sounds interesting n yummy
Cilantro said…
We make vadagams too and it adds so much flavor to Kuzhambu. We also make chutney but a little different with coconut. I have to try your version too someday.
thats a total new concept to me. loved reading about this traditional seasoning. are they available in shops too? the chatni looks awesome and am gong to make it this way.
SS blogs here said…
Hey Cham.. Looks delicious! Must pack a strong concentrated punch of flavour!
Cham said…
Sayantani: It is available in Tamil Nadu, mainly "seashore places" because it is a main seasoning for fish based gravy :) I remember seeing in Nilgiris stores in ball shapes or sometimes broken ...
Usha said…
Interseting and the vadagam chutney looks delicious!
Bong Mom said…
Vadagam -- sounds like such a clever way to make ready-made masala way ahead, no refrigeration either I guess. Would love to have something like that in my kitchen
Unknown said…
The pics of your idli and chutney is making me drool, dear - TOTALLY YUMMY!
Rahin said…
the vadagam does look meticulously made n the chutney looks delicious
Srivalli said…
Pictures are so yum Cham!..
Homecooked said…
Looks yummy! Totally worth all the trouble :)
lata raja said…
This is totally new vadagam and chutney to me, who is into vadam season year after year. I am adding this to the list of to make this season!
Kayal said…
Hi Cham,

Its longtime since I blogged or left comments anywhere, but following yours regularly. Can you please post the exact recipe for vadagam?? I am using it but dont know the exact proportions
CurryLeaf said…
This is new to me. Have heard of vadagam,but this thalippu vadagam is something never heard before. Its very handy and the chutney looks great
Sumi said…
Iam a big fan of this vadagam, My mom mom makes this religiously even now.
I first had this chutney at my in-laws place, the very next day after marriage, but felt very odd to ask about the ingredients immediately. It took my more than 5 months to ask for the recipe from my in-law :). Since then have been making it regularly.
very nice post :)
aipi said…
That looks absolutely delicious and quite tempting! Got to learn something new today :)

US Masala
Pushpa said…
Loving this chutney,simply superb.
Raks said…
My mom and my MIL too has this stock,me and my hubby never used to like it,so they keep separately for us first and season it with this...This chutney is said to be perfect with pongal too...
Sarah Naveen said…
nice recipe..looks so yumm!!
Pavani said…
yummy chutney..never had .
Sanjeeta kk said…
A treasured recipe indeed. My MIL makes these vadams in summer, but am too lazy to even tell out the name :)
Namitha said…
I love this...have had this from a Tamilian friend but I didn't now how to make it..Thanks for the recipe,Cham :-)
Nandinis food said…
Both look very perfect! Good job! Superb.
Usha said…
This is such an interesting and unique chutney, looks delicious!
Cham said…
Kayal: I need to cross check the amount with my aunt. I will post the recipe.