Coconut Chutney Varieties

Chutney accompanies idlis, dosas or curd rice.

How to make chutney:

Grind to a paste all the ingredients listed in each recipe in a small mixer jar. Start grinding only the dry items at first. Add just enough water to immerse the blades. Grind again till you get a paste -not too coarse nor too smooth. Put it in a bowl. Wash the chutney jar with a few teaspoons of water and add to the bowl, if served with dosa or idlis. Keep it in a semi solid state if you serve the chutney with rice (Thuvaiyal form). Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves tempered in 1 tsp hot oil in a small pan.

Basic coconut chutney

1 cup of grated coconut

1 or 2 green chillis (the more the hotter, if you like)

1/4 inch piece of peeled ginger

Salt to taste (1/2 tsp)

Coconut pottukadalai chutney

1/2 cup of grated coconut

1/2 cup fried gram (pottukadalai)

1 or 2 green chillis (the more the hotter, if you like)

1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger

Salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp)

coconut coriander leaves chutney

1 cup of grated coconut

1 green chilli

2 garlic cloves

1 cup of cleaned and washed coriander leaves (cilantro)

1/4 tsp cumminseeds (optional)

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of lemon juice

coconut garlic chutney (hot)

1 cup of grated coconut

1 or 2 red chillis

6 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp salt

coconut onion chutney

1 cup of grated coconut

1 or 2 green chillis

1 cup sambar onions

Marble size of tamarind

1 tsp of salt

A variety is made by sauteing the onions before grinding

coconut red chilli chutney

1 cup of grated coconut

2 or 3 red chillis

a pea sized-piece of asofetida fried in a drop of oil

1 tsp salt

Make this a bit watery. Goes well with dosas.

Coconut Thuvaiyal

1 cup of grated coconut

1 or 2 red chillis

Marble sized Tamarind

Salt to taste (1/2 tsp)

Grind to a coarse paste with as little water as possible. Goes well with curd rice.

Ginger Chutney, Inji Thuvaiyal

3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled washed and sliced.

2 tbsp of urad dal

1/2 red chilli

1/2 marble size ball of tamarind

1 tbsp of grated coconut

salt to taste ( 1/2 to 1 tsp)

Shallow fry the red chilli, urad dal in 1/2 tsp of oil. Add the hing powder and the ginger pieces and saute it till dry (2 minutes). Add the tamarind and coconut. Saute for 1 more minute. When cool, grind it with salt to taste with very little water. Good for digestion at the end of a heavy meal, as an accompaniment to curd rice.