Coconut chutney

Complete your dosa with coconut chutney.

Coconut chutney is a quintessential south Indian condiment that is famously served as a side dish alongside dosa (fermented rice and dal crepes), but it also complements other Indian snacks and even curries. It is a simple condiment made primarily from fresh coconut, and is best known for its vibrant, slightly sweet and nutty tropical taste. Make coconut chutney at home and elevate your dosa experience to a whole new level.

Coconut chutney recipes vary from family to family. The traditional method, which ground the ingredients on a stone slab, has been replaced with the ease of blending. With the Vibe Blender System coconut chutney takes less than a minute to prepare. Our recipe combines coconut, green chilies, and aromatic spices with roasted chana dal (or peanuts) for depth of flavour and texture.

The spiciness of coconut chutney can be adjusted according to your personal taste. We used three green chilies for this recipe for a mild chutney. Add more, or less to achieve your desired level of spice.

Ideally, you should use freshly grated coconut to get the most authentic flavour. However, for convenience, you can use frozen coconut (as we have) or even desiccated or flaked coconut. If you use frozen coconut, to avoid the fats separating in the blender, bring the coconut to room temperature before blending. The final consistency and texture of your coconut chutney is a personal preference and can be anywhere between a thick paste and a thin dipping sauce.  

For an extra layer of flavour, aroma, and texture, a tempering is added to the chutney. Tempering is a technique used in Indian cuisine where whole spices, and sometimes ingredients like curry leaves and dried chillies, are fried in oil or ghee. The process intensifies the flavour of the spices and infuses the oil. The tempered spice mixture and flavoured oil is then poured over or stirred into the chutney. Any whole spices can be used for tempering. Use our tempering ingredients as a suggestion and feel free to get creative.

INGREDIENTS

Chutney
1 heaped cup freshly grated or frozen & defrosted coconut
¼ cup roasted chana dal or roasted peanuts 
3 green chilies, adjust to taste
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
8 curry leaves
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water 

Tempering
2 teaspoons of ghee, coconut oil or oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds 
1 teaspoon urad dal  
1-2 dry whole red chilies
8 curry leaves 

METHOD

1.   Add all the chutney ingredients into the blender jug.
2.   Insert the tamper into the lid. Blend on ‘nut’ mode rotating the tamp to push the ingredients down into the blades. Blend for approx. 60 seconds or until a smooth paste. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the jug.
3.   Adjust with extra water until you have reached your desired consistency.

4.   Pour the chutney into one serving dish or individual ramekins.
5.   To make the tempering, heat a pan over medium heat with ghee, coconut oil or oil.
6.   Add all the ingredients. Sauté until the mustard seeds crackle.
7.   Remove from the heat and add to the coconut chutney. Leave the tempering on top for decoration but mix it through before serving.
8.   Serve coconut chutney fresh with hot dosa or masala dosa (coming soon)
9.   Store left-over chutney in an airtight container in the fridge for up to week. If the chutney dries out and becomes too thick, add a little water to thin it out.

PIN THIS RECIPE