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Rustic Chutney with Coconut & Peanuts

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By Rajani / 12/10/2010 / chutneys & sauces, coconut, maharasthrian / 13 Comments

Generally speaking everyday Indian food is of the rustic sort, nothing fancy, and is made up of simple ingredients that are locally available, and are thrown together in various combinations with fabulous results. Chutneys fall in this category, Indians love their piquant, hot, sweet, tangy, and spicy chutneys. In villages everyday meals are often incomplete without some sort of chutney as an accompaniment to the daily fare. Take for example in Kerala, southern India, wet chutneys called chammanthi is a popular concept, and considering how easily these are available, coconut is the chief ingredient of these chutneys. Dried coconut is toasted over an open fire and ground coarsely with ginger, curry leaves, tamarind, and red chillies, seasoned with sea salt and coconut oil, this simple chammanthi is at the heart of  a simple village meal.

In Maharasthra, western India, dry chutneys are more popular and again here peanuts/groundnuts being abundant, a garlic and peanut chutney is quite popular. In Andhra, chutney podi (powder) is made with easily available lentils and pulses, again Tamil Nad is popular for its molaha podi (roughly translated as gunpowder), eaten with soft, steamy idli.

This dry chutney is similar to the simple garlic and peanut chutney Maharashtrians make. But for the record you must know, that I have improvised just a tiny bit. The chillies I have used are Kashmiri chillies, gives a fantastic, smoky taste and is not too hot at all. Do try this chutney, tastes great mixed with plain rice, sprinkled over bread or roti, with a dollop if ghee. You can’t get more authentically desi than this!

Ingredients for the Chutney

1 cup shredded coconut
4 to 5 kashmiri red chillies (kashmiri laal mirch)
1/2 cup skinned peanuts, toasted
1 teaspoon coriander powder
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated jaggery
salt to taste

Method

1. In a skillet, over medium low heat, toast the kashmiri red chillies. The chillies need to be toasted just short of it smoking, at this point add the chopped garlic and shredded coconut into the same skillet. Keep stirring and toast until the coconut turn golden brown. Take off fire and let cool, enough to handle.
2. Using the grinder option in your blender, grind together, toasted peanuts, garlic, coconut, kashmiri chilly, coriander powder and salt – all to a coarse powder. Check for salt, add more if needed.
3. Now add the grated jaggery and pulse a couple of times.
4. Store in an air tight container. At room temperature this chutney should last a couple of weeks at least, you could refrigerate it for longer storage.

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Tags: chutney, food, maharashtrian, peanut, recipes, vegetarian
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  • http://www.7spice.net Sonia{7spice}

    With addition of peanuts would be turned into more tastier chutney. I’ll try your version soon. Thanks for recipe. Chutney looks mouth-watering.

  • http://www.nanchanglu.blogspot.com Fiona at Life on Nanchang Lu

    This looks delicious, and I enjoyed reading about all the regional variations too.

  • http://www.indiencooking.blogspot.com Suchitra

    Nice, loved the spices and the flavors

  • http://potatochopsandbonelesschix.blogspot.com/ Potato Chops and Boneless Chicken

    One of my favourite chutneys. Even better when served with a piping hot batata vada. I have managed to source Kashmiri chillies in Mississauga so this is definitely on my to-do list. Thanks for the recipe.

  • http://bakerwanabe.com Anna

    That’s is a wonderful combination of spices, I love Indian flavors. It sounds great with rice.

  • http://www.tasteofbeirut.com tasteofbeirut

    I would love to try my hand at making different chutneys for weeks on end. Love the inspiration of this one, with its coconut (which I have never had in a chutney) and nut combo!

  • https://marshalkathakal.wordpress.com/ marshal

    Chutney powder! Great! I think adding a spoonful of asafoetida/hing might be good, gives a good punch. South Indians love chutney powder with rice. I think the climate has a great role in developing tastes… Indians in general and South Indians in particular, are fond of spicy food and care a damn for the protein or starch contents or its calorific factors. In my childhood I’ve seen working class men devouring so much food that present day folks might need 3 days to finish!

    I had seen the weight records of some British Johnnys at POONA Garrison weighing in STONE, may be equivalent to 105 KGs or so at present day! In Tambola game announcements,we used to say: ONE FAT MAJOR , NO 8. ETC!! That means an old Major Saahab of British Origin might have had a big tummy and a figure resembling #8!! And the Indian counterparts were not lesser in any way! So eat your spicy meals along with chutney powder and fried dried chilly and grow slim! Jai Hind!!

    • Rajani

      Jai Hind!!

  • Rajani

    Thanks all for stopping by :)

  • http://www.peppermill-miri.blogspot.com Miri

    Lovely – just the right mix of flavours that appeals to us! and also, besides the mologai podis, Tamilians love their thogayals! Atleast I do :)

  • http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/ Sunshinemom

    Sinfully making my mouth water, Rajani! Not a very nice thing to do when one is lazy to cook!

  • http://www.riceandwheat.com riceandwheat

    Oh cool, I’ve never heard of dry chutneys until now – thanks so much for posting about them! Thanks for leaving me a comment on my pide post too, Rajani. I’m so excited to scour your archives to bookmark more recipes to try!

  • http://amisvegetariandelicacies.blogspot.com/ Ami

    Congrat’s on being on top 9 in foodbuzz, i luv this chutney recipe, may be adding tamarind would enhance the taste. i’m gonna try this.

    pls do check my veg blog….u might find some interesting stuff.

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