Coconut Chutney 1, Priya's
Narial ki Chatni
Priya Aditya
Note from mamta: This recipe comes from my South Indian niece in-law, who is an excellent cook. It is eaten with Dosa, Idli, Semolina Dosa, Vada and other South Indian dishes.
The word ‘chutney’ comes from original Hindi word ‘chatni’ which is a tangy and spicy paste, that makes you smack you lips, makes your tongue and mouth come alive! The word ‘chat’ or ‘chaat’ mean ‘lick’ and ‘chatna’ means ‘to lick’. The original Indian chatni is a mix of uncooked fruit (raw mango/apple/other fruits), green chillies, herbs like coriander and mint, a few spices, lemon or vinegar or tamarind, sometimes sugar, all ground together to a paste. Other ingredients can also be added according to taste. In England, and the West, it is called Chutney and it generally means a spicy preserve/condiment, where fruits or vegetables have been cooked in vinegar, with spices and sugar, and then bottled.
Ingredients
Chutney ingredients;
2 cups of grated/dessicated coconut
1/2 cup of roasted Bengal gram or bhuna chana. If this is not available, you can use skinless chana dal.
1/2 cup of coriander leaves
1 tsp. tamarind pulp. Tamarind purée can be bought in jars from Asian grocers. It is much better than the dark coloured tamarind concentrate, it is just tamarind pulp with fibrous bits removed.
1 big green chilli
Salt to taste
Tarka or tempering, optional:
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp.mustard seeds or rai
5-6 curry leaves
Instructions
If you use chana dal instead of roast chana, fry it in a little oil until it is lightly browned.
Grind all the chutney ingredients in a grinder until the chana is ground well. Transfer to a small bowl.
Add water to make a thick paste. If you are freezing it, do not add water, to keep freshness.
You may serve it as it is or with a tarka or tempering, for added flavour
Tarka:
Heat oil in a ladle
Add mustard seeds and wait until they begin to splutter.
Add curry leaves, stir for a few seconds until crisp and add to the chutney.
If you don't like the curry leaves floating in your chutney, blend it for a few second (last picture).
Notes
Any left over chutney freezes well.
Also see Pickle and Chutney Selection.
