" Walk with Pardhis " - A Guest Post by Vidya Murali and the recipe of Guava Chutney !

 "WALK WITH THE PARDHIS"

       

       ( A GUEST POST BY VIDYA MURALI )

It is an interesting initiative by The Last Wilderness Organization that helps city bred people to discover the charm and mysteries of the jungle led by members of the Pardhi tribe, who were once forest dwelling nomads of Panna, now relocated to nearby villages.

At the end of a four hour trek, we were treated , with much love and care , to a sumptuous hot lunch served on leaf plates and cups in the adobe house of a headman.

We climbed up some narrow steps into a large attic from the edge of which we could see the kitchen below. Two ladies were making fresh rotis on old fashioned wood stove.

" Tread softly," said the man of the house gently. " or the mud plaster might flake off and rain upon the kitchen below!"

                                                            

It was a wonderful spread . First came a salad of chopped raw onions and cucumber , with tomato slices and two whole green chillis . Then two varieties of chutnis - Guava and Amla . All raw ingredients , freshly ground on stone mortars . The guava chutni was a discovery . The sweetness of half ripe guavas was set off by the sharpness of green chillies and the rich aroma of coriander leaves , while a hint of garlic and some tang perked up the aftertaste. It was difficult to guess what imparted that very slight sourness - tamarind or lime . With the freshly roasted rotis ( made of a mix of three flours - Bajra , Gehu and jowar ), the Guava chutni tasted heavenly . Amla was also prepared similarly and the tang quotient was much higher . There was a sumptuous bharta , with mashed and roasted eggplant as base for mixed vegetables . Channadal mashed with greens was mild and wholesome and went well with rice . The meal was rounded off with a delicious kheer .

( Vidya Murali is a travel blogger and she blogs at https://ilupeju.blogspot.com/ . Her experiences and adventures come alive as she vividly describes even minute details about her sojourns on her return. I enjoy those arm chair travel moments when I visualize the beautiful scenes of strange places, and my ears prick up when the topic steers towards food ! The description of Guava Chutney she enjoyed inspired me to try out the relish immediately. I requested her to write a guest post about the Pardhis' food before posting this recipe. And here we go! )

GUAVA CHUTNEY/

Koyyapazha Chutney/ Seebehannina Chutney

INGREDIENTS

                                                                        

Guava (Half Ripe ) - 1 big 

Fresh coriander leaves ( Chopped ) - 1 bunch

Fresh ginger - 1'' piece

Green chillies - 3

Garlic ( peeled )- 4 or 5cloves

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Juice of half lime

METHOD

1. Wash and chop the guava into cubes.

                                                              

2. Remove the hard seeds.

3. Add all the ingredients into the mixer and blend into a slightly coarse chutney.

                                                        

                                               

Fresh and green Koyyapazha Chutney / Seebehannina Chutney is ready.                                        

                                                           

Enjoy the Guava relish with rotis, dosas, rice and with a whole list of other dishes.