I discovered Veppilakatti very late in life and have been making up for it ever since. Veppilakatti is tangy chutney made with the lemon leaves and is a fantastic accompaniment to Curd Rice. In my case, it is a life saver as I use it to spice up my daily dose of oats.
One advantage of living in the old part of a metropolis is that there are still a lot of fruit-bearing trees around. Be it jackfruit, mango, guava, banana, or lemon; I can find all these trees within a hop-skip-jump distance of my home.
The other day, I saw some lemon trees and could not resist making a batch of Veppilakatti.
I have tried this recipe with kaffir lime leaves as well and it turns out just fine. I would increase the amount of curry leaves to 2/3 cups as kaffir lime leaves are more aromatic.
Do try this recipe whenever you get a chance and you will not regret it.
Time: 30 Mins
Ingredients
- Lemon Leaves – 200 gms
- Curry Leaves – 1/2 Cup
- Red Chillies – 15 to 20
- Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
- Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
or
Tamarind – 1 marble-size ball - Oil – 1 tsp
- Salt to Taste
Method
- Wash and dry the lemon and curry leaves.
- Fold each lemon leaf in half, and tear away the middle vein.
- Heat the oil.
- Add the red chillies and stir-fry till they just start to change color.
- Turn off the heat.
- Add the asafoetida to the chillies and mix well.
- Set aside to cool.
- When the chillies are at room temperature grind together all dry ingredients into a coarse powder. If you are using tamarind, grind the tamarind as is with the dry ingredients.
- If you are using lemon juice, add it to the chutney powder and mix well.
- Form balls of 1″ diameter and store in an air-tight container. You can also refrigerate it.
- Serve as an accompaniment to thair sadam.
Tips
- Lemon leaves could be a bit stringy so use as many tender ones as you can.
- I like my Veppilakatti to be spicy. You could use fewer red chillies, then you will have a tangier chutney and one which is more green.
I have access to a lemon tree and its leaves. It is so interesting, I just have to make this to see what it tastes like. Thank you so much for sharing this with us all.
Never heard of this, but sounds delicious!
Amazing. My amma prepares this every time I go to India. I just mix it with rice and add gingelly oil n gobble it up. 😉 😉 yum..
This is the favourite one for our entire family.. Though I tried to made it once, it didnot come out well.. I will try your method….
It took me a couple of tries, Niranjana. 🙂
never heard of this combo before and sound interesting and delicious…
Wow Aruna.. I adore your dear.. Whether its traditional dishes or international dish A-Z u rock big time..
Thank you so much for the kind words, Vidya. It is so encouraging to hear from you and motivates me to try harder. 🙂
Seriously Aruna.. Last month my mom was here and I was showing your page she also told the same.. Across India u covered so many states and many recipes.. I have bookmarked some:-) soon will try and tell u
interesting ! 🙂
could anyone PLEASE let me know where I can buy Veppalai katti online and have it shipped to my address at Redmond,WA, USA? I would be very greatful if anyone can help me with this. My email add is [email protected]
I grew up with Veppalai katti and now in my old age(well past 50 and in the USA) ..my husband got just one measely pkt of it when he went to India recently to attend a wedding…I literally gobbled it up in 2 sittings with thairu saadam…went online immediately to see if I could buy it online..no luck 🙁 Thats why I am desperate now..to see if can get it or have someone buy it for me and send it across to the usa 🙁 🙁 🙁
Your best bet would be to ask someone to get it for you. Courier from India will cost more than the Vepillakatti.
Yes…i guess I’ll have to do that ! Thanks Aruna 🙂