Coconut Chutneyનાળિયેરની ચટણી
The white coconut chutney served with idli, dosa and vada. Ten minutes to make, and the homemade version is always better than the packet.
Ingredients
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- 1 cup fresh grated coconut
- 2 tbsp roasted split chana (daliya)
- 2 green chillies, 1 tsp ginger
- Salt and water
- Tempering: oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, 1 dried chilli, asafoetida
Method
- Grind the coconut, roasted chana, chillies, ginger and salt with a little water until smooth.
- Adjust with water to a thick, spoonable consistency.
- Crackle mustard seeds in oil, then fry the urad dal until golden.
- Add curry leaves, dried chilli and asafoetida.
- Pour the tempering over the chutney and serve with idli or dosa.
Tips
- The roasted chana keeps the chutney thick and stops it separating.
- Use fresh coconut; desiccated does not work here.
Storing and reheating
Fresh coconut chutney starts souring within three or four hours at room temperature, faster in hot weather. In a glass jar in the fridge it is good for two days. It thickens as it chills, so loosen it with a spoon or two of water before serving. The tempering oil separating on top is normal; just stir it through. Do not heat it.
What you can swap
- No roasted chana? Two tablespoons of roasted peanuts do the same thickening job. The colour goes a shade darker and the taste heavier, but it holds together well.
- Use chana dal in the tempering if you have no urad dal. It crisps up the same way, just browns a little sooner, so watch it.
- For milder heat, soak one dried red chilli in hot water and grind that instead of green chillies. You get good colour with gentler heat.
- Instead of lemon, a small spoon of curd or tamarind pulp gives the sourness. With curd, finish the chutney the same day.
What to serve with it
With idli, dosa, uttapam, medu vada and upma. A South Indian breakfast plate usually carries both this and sambar. In Gujarati homes, where dosa has become everyday food, this chutney has quietly become everyday too.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not add all the water at once. Grind smooth with very little water first, then thin it. Too much water early on and the coconut never breaks down, leaving the chutney gritty.
- Do not let the tempering smoke. Burnt urad dal makes the whole bowl taste bitter. The moment the dal turns golden, take the pan off the heat.
- Add curry leaves last and pour the tempering over immediately. Over-fried, they blacken and crumble to dust.
- Grind with cool or room-temperature water, never hot. Hot water makes the coconut release its oil and the chutney sours faster.
Questions people ask
Why does my coconut chutney separate and go watery?
Without something binding, like roasted chana or peanuts, the coconut and water simply split. The other cause is too much water. The fix is to grind in a tablespoon of roasted chana and stir it through; it comes together within fifteen minutes.
Can I use frozen coconut?
Yes, it works well. Take it out and let it sit ten or fifteen minutes before grinding. Rock-hard frozen coconut will not grind fine and is hard on the mixer blades.
What can I do with leftover chutney?
Next day, mix in a little curd and chopped cucumber for a quick salad, or stir a spoonful into upma or poha. Throw out anything older than three days; fresh coconut turns quickly.
