Pirandai Thuvaiyal | Adamant Creeper Chutney

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Pirandai thuvaiyal, a healthy chutney with chilies and lentils. This mildly spicy thuvaiyal can be served with rice and also with South-Indian breakfast dishes like idly/dosa and upma.

Pirandai Thogayal | How to make Pirandai Chutney | Easy Thuvaiyal with Pirandai | Thuvaiyal without Coconut | Spicy Thogayal Recipe | Heirloom Recipe | South-Indian Thuvaiyal | Tamil Brahmin Style Pirandai Thogayal

Jump to:

• What is Pirandai | Adamant Creeper
• How to Handle Pirandai| Hadjot
• Chutney or Thuvaiyal | Thogaiyal | Thuvayal
• Ingredients to Make Adamant Creeper Thuvaiyal
• How to Make Pirandai Thuvaiyal
• Pro Tip From My Mother
• Pirandai Thuvaiyal | Adamant Creeper Chutney

What is Pirandai | Adamant Creeper

Pirandai is a creeper that has wonderful medicinal uses and health benefits. It is called Adamant Creeper | Devil's Back Bone | Veldt Grape in English and it's botanical name is Cissus quadrangularris and it is called Hadjot in Hindi. This creeper grows easily everywhere and can be very easily grown in pots at home.
Since ancient times, people have used it to help treat pain, regulate menstruation, and repair bone fractures
The healing properties of this plant are attributed to its high contents of vitamin C and antioxidant compounds like carotenoids, tannins, and phenols

How to Handle Pirandai| Hadjot

Many hesitate to use pirandai because of it's itchy nature, but if we handle it properly, we can prevent itchiness in our hands. Few pointers to note

• To prevent itching in the hands, smear your hands with a bit of sesame oil before handling pirandai.
• Always pick tender pirandai, tender pirandai can be easily broken with hands and as the pirandai ages it thickens.
• String the pirandai and scrap or peel the sharp angular edges (all sides) and discard the nodes and leaves. If you pick tender pirandai, there is no need to string. Amma never peels the tender pirandai. Only if there is thick, aged pirandai, then you have to string the ridges and chop the nodes away.

Chutney or Thuvaiyal | Thogaiyal | Thuvayal

Thogayal or thuvaiyal is a condiment made with lentils and spices. Whereas Chutneys made to pair with idly/dosa not necessarily include lentils.

As a south-indian we love our Thogayal/thuvaiyal. Growing up in my parents home, our Saturday menu used to be thogaiyal/thuvaiyal and rasam. Coconut thogayal with jeera rasam is a delicious combination.

South-indian households we make lot of thogayals, even with vegetable, fruit peels and scraps. Like Ridgegourd peel thuvaiyal and orange peel thuvaiyal. Check this herbal thuvaiyal with ajwain and tulsi leaves.

When in season this turmeric thogayal is a must try with fresh turmeric root. Also this healthy and colorful amla and carrot thogayal boosts your Vit A & C.

Check this nut free pesto made with fresh herbs, packs a punch on your pizza, pasta and sandwiches.

Ingredients to Make Adamant Creeper Thuvaiyal

• Main Ingredients : 3 tender links of Pirandai /adamant creeper. Make sure you use tender links, aged or hard pirandai has lot of strings and will cause throat itchiness.
• Lentils : i have used chana dal and urad dal along with sesame seeds to the thogayal. They add volume to the chutney

• Spices, i have used red chilies and fresh ginger along with curry leaves and tamarind to spice the chutney.
• A small piece of jaggery is added to the pirandai thuvaiyal to balance the flavors.

How to Make Pirandai Thuvaiyal

Please check recipe card below for exact measurements of each ingredient used and also for the detailed instructions

• Measure and keep all ingredients ready on the counter. Pick 3 tender links of pirandai and chop into bite size pieces.
• In a small pan, add 2-3 drops of oil and roast the chana dal and urad until golden brown.
• Towards the end of the dals turning brown add white sesame seeds, curry leaves, ginger and red chilies.
• Remove all the roasted ingredients on to a flat plate. Now to the same pan, add 2 tablespoon oil.
• Add the chopped pirandai to the hot oil and roast until they shrivel and turn slightly brown on the edges. The bright green of the pirandai will turn into pale green.

• Remove the roasted pirandai to the same plate as lentils, let this all cool well.
• Once it cools, take all the ingredients together along with asafoetida and salt in a mixer jar.
• Pulse grind to a powder first then add 3-4 tablespoon water and grind to a thick paste. South-Indian thuvaiyals are thick. Remove the thogayal to a serving bowl.
• Serve this healthy pirandai thogayal with steaming hot rice and drizzled with gingely oil.

Pro Tip From My Mother

To make this healthy hadjot chutney we need to fry the chopped pieces of pirandai in hot oil. Once roasted, remove the chopped pirandai pieces from the oil. The leftover oil after roasting the pirandai can be used as a pain relief oil for joint pains.