Aish Cooks

Hotel Style Coconut Chutney

I first tasted this version of coconut chutney at a party last year – SK made this right around Diwali last year, and it was exactly like the kind you find at the typical South Indian hotel/mess.. sooo good! It comes as no surprise, as it turned out her mom actually runs one back in India. I still do very much like the lemony version of the chutney I used to make, but then it’s hard to pass up on this one cause it’s so perfect with tiffin dishes like pongal/idly/dosa. It’s so good, that even D finds it hard to believe it has raw onions in it! Glad he was there to taste it at the party or he would have never believed this had onions in it.. and ever gladder that SK let me have her recipe! 🙂

Give it a try, and you’ll never want another recipe for coconut chutney ever again!

Hotel Style Coconut Chutney

Serves: 6 | Total Time Needed: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For the chutney:

1. 1 cup coconut, shredded (frozen and thawed can be used)
2. 3/4 cup roasted chana dal (pottu kadalai / split dalia / chutney dal)
3. 1 medium shallot (or 2 tbsp red onion), peeled and chopped
4. 2 green chilies
5. 1/2 tsp tamarind
6. 1/2 tsp ginger (1/2″ piece)
7. 1/8 tsp garlic (1/2 small clove)
8. 4-5 curry leaves
9. salt, to taste

For the tadka / tempering:

1. 1 tsp oil (coconut prefered)
2. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3. 1 tsp broken white urad seeds

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients listed ‘For the chutney‘, except the coconut and grind in a blender or food processor until well ground (can be somewhat-coarse).
2. Add the thawed coconut, and warm water in batches of 1/4 cup at a time, and then grind in pulses until desired consistency is reached.
3. Remove chutney onto the serving bowl, and check for salt.
4. Add more warm water to make the chutney thinner if desired.
5. For the tadka: Heat the coconut oil in a small pan, and when hot add the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Allow the mustard to crackle (on medium heat), and urad to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and add to the ground chutney!

The chutney does well in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, and to reheat add a little water, mix and microwave for 20-30s.

I’ve also been able to freeze this in small batches, and thaw packs in warm water and reheat again.

Serve at room temperature (or slightly warm) with your favorite tiffin or snack!