Red Chili-Coconut Chutney

Chutneys can be made in a hundred ways, seriously! A little variation of ingredients, some additions, some replacements, a total set of new ingredients, grind it coarse, grind it smooth, use green chilies, use red chilies....... the options are many. And each preparation gives a totally new variant, a fresher taste. And knowing which chutney goes well with what dish is an important thing too, as the taste of either depends on the other most of the times. A very good dish served with a wrong combination of chutney can make the whole meal bad. Similarly a good chutney that goes well with a dish will definitely enhance the taste of the dish.

Here’s a simple chutney that tastes very good with dosas – especially Neer dose. And it also makes the already superb dosa taste still better!! It tastes very good with rice too.

Red Chili-Coconut chutney

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 5 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Coconut - 1 cup, grated Dry red chilies - 5-6, depending on taste Asafoetida - a big pinch Cooking oil - 1 Tsp Fried gram dal - 2 Tsp Jaggery - a small pinch (optional) Tamarind - a small marble sized ball Salt - ½ Tsp or as per taste For tempering / tadka: Cooking oil - 1 Tsp Curry leaves - A few strands Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp Asafoetida - a pinch, powdered Method: • Roast red chilies and asafetida in a tsp of oil, till the chilies become crisp • Grind the above with all other ingredients, adding a little water if needed • Transfer the ground chutney to a serving bowl For tempering / tadka: • Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter • Add asafetida and curry leaves • Garnish the chutney with tadka Tips n Tricks: • Do not make the chutney too smooth – a little coarse consistency will give a better taste Variations: • A small onion can be roasted and ground together with chutney