Adamant Creeper Chutney/ Pirandai Thuvaiyal/ Pirandai Chutney

Pirandai, known as Adamant Creeper, Veldt Grape, Devil’s backbone etc, is a vegetable which is abundantly available in the countryside of India. All you have to do is plant a cut piece from this plant and it will grow on its own into a lovely creeper. If there is a plant nearby, it will wind around the plant as well. It has a lot of medicinal values. It helps in controlling mental depression, gastric disorders, bleeding gums, blood pressure. It prevents blood clotting in the veins. Overall, it helps in maintaining good health. It is a vegetable commonly used in Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines. At home, very tasty chutney is made with this vegetable as the main ingredient

Ingredients:

Pirandai – 150 Gms

Gingelly Oil – – 2 tbsp

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

Urad Dal – 2 ½ tbsp

Red Chilli – 6 to 8 (adjust to suit your taste)

Shallots (Small Onion) – ½ cup (or 1 Onion – chopped)

Curry Leaves – ¼ cup

Salt – to suit taste

Asafoetida – 1 small piece

Tamarind – small goose berry size

To temper:

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Curry Leaves – from 1 twig

Method:

Choose tender Pirandai. The thick and matured ones may cause itching in the throat.

Apply Oil to your palms and back of the hand to avoid any itching which may happen to some. String the Pirandai and scrape. Peel the sharp angular edges of all sides and discard the nodes and leaves. Wash and cut the Pirandai into small pieces.

Heat the Oil in a pan.  Roast the Pirandai in low to medium flame till it is roasted well. Transfer it to a plate.

Add Asafoetida and Tamarind and roast them. Transfer to a plate.

Add Red Chillies and Curry leaves. Roast for a minute in low flame. Add Shallots. Sauté it soft. Allow it to cool.

Add one more tbsp of Oil. Heat it. Add Mustard Seeds. Allow it to crackle. Add Urad Dal and roast till the Dal turns pink.

Grind the Pirandai with all the roasted ingredients to a slightly coarse paste.

Heat a tbsp of Oil in a pan. Crackle the Mustard Seed. Add Curry Leaves. Transfer this tempering to the Pirandai Chutney. Mix well.

The tasty Pirandai chutney is ready to eat with steaming hot Idlis, Dosa etc. You can also mix it with steamed Rice with a tsp of Sesame Oil and eat. It will taste very good.

Note:

You have to sauté the Pirandai well in Oil to avoid any itching in the throat for some.