Hmarcha Rawt - Roasted Green Chili Chutney from Mizoram

Today we are in Mizoram, Like most of their sister states,the primary staple food of the Mizoram people is rice. Mustard oil is the most preferred medium of cooking , however, the dishes are cooked with the least amount of oil. Bamboo shoots are amongst the most used vegetables in Mizo cuisine and among meats, ducks have a special place.

Boiling, steaming and sautéing are the most preferred cooking methods followed in Mizoram cuisine, as the whole motive is to retain the maximum possible nutritive value of the ingredients. While looking for recipes, i came across this webpage with information on mizo cuisne along with their food pictures, with no recipes. The page was in another language and thanks to google translate, it displayed in something similar to English! :). From what i could make out from the pictures, there was a dish with banana stem, banana flower and the chutney i m posting today made using red chilies and some dal.

This chutney today pairs well with curd rice, or you can use it like a spread on your dosa, like yerra karam on Mysore masala dosa!! Little warning, it is spicy, you cannot taste it as such, pair it with some dish, it will mild out the spice level!!

Source here

Ingredients

10 nos green chili

1 medium-sized onion

1 teaspoon grated ginger

salt to taste

Method

Dry roast the chilies in a very low flame, until they are blackened. Please note, it should be done in low flame and not in high flame to burn the chilies. It should be roasted in low flame.
Once done, take it off the stove, let it cool, grind it coaresely, transfer it to another bowl. add chopped onions, grated ginger and salt. Mix well and serve as a condiment to Roti/Dosa/Curd Rice.

It paired well with Curd rice. i even packed some for my hubby's lunch along with Dill-leaves parantha's.
The Chutney can be made with red chilies, in that case you need to soak the chilies in water for few minutes and drain completely, then grind. Why to soak? red chilies do not have that moisture,the green chilies have.