Coconut chutney - Made with roasted red chillies

After 3 days of the Blogging Marathon (my first) I am taking it easy today with an easy chutney recipe today. As if I’d blogged elaborate Swiss rolls in the Blogging Marathon! I had blogged Idli batter fritters, Falooda and Kamarkat for the theme - Sweet Treats for kids and all 3 recipes were easy, quick, non-fussy recipes. Today also, it’ll be an easy one. I can’t shake off my lazy-ass habits. So what’s in a coconut chutney? Who doesn’t know coconut chutney? First of all, I take it upon myself to blog all these Kappi recipes (non-recipes) which everybody already knows and so many have already blogged about because I want to help fellow somberis (lazy people) and I also need to blog about something! And Secondly, coconut chutney can be made a myriad number of ways and each chutney has its own distinctive taste and flavour.

I am a discerning chutney eater (chutney lover) and I am going to tell you my readers how subtly different and unique each of these are. This red coconut chutney is made with roasted whole dry red chillies and urad dal. Small details make a lot of difference. The chutney would taste very different if you were to leave out the urad dal or if you added the red chillies as is without roasting. The roasted red chillies and urad dal add a nice hot and nutty punch to the chutney. 5 chillies I’d think would be average. If you like your chutney hot, you may add 6 or even 7 chillies. If you like it milder, reduce the number of chillies. You may add a pinch of asafoetida while tempering for the aroma.

I’ll be posting other coconut chutnies soon.

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

Coconut – One half of a coconut, grated
Whole dry red chillies (long ones) – 5-6 (adjust)
Urad dal/Black gram - 1 tbsp
Roasted gram/Udacha Kadalai/Pottu kadalai – 2 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Tempering

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal/Black gram – 1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 stem
Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

1.      Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai/skillet. When hot add 1 tbsp urad dal and let fry till it starts colouring. Then add the whole dry red chillies (stalks removed) and fry for about half a minute. Remove from fire.

2.      Grind together the grated coconut, fried rad dal-red chilli mixture, roasted gram and salt along with a little water to a chutney consistency.

3.      To temper, add oil in the same kadai/skillet, drop in the mustard seeds and let splutter. Then drop in the cumin, curry leaves and urad dal and let fry till the urad dal starts colouring. Then add the ground chutney and mix well. Switch off. Serve with Idli, Dosa, Pongal or Upma.