How to make coconut chutney indian recipe || how to make coconut recipe

How to make coconut chutney indian recipe
How to make coconut recipe
how to make coconut chutney recipe

What is Coconut Chutney
Chutneys are a class of condiments that originated in India and can be made from a multitude of different ingredients. Just on this site, I have recipes for tomato, coriander, peanut, tamarind and onion chutneys, and that isn’t even my full list! All of these delicious savory sauces and relishes are used to enhance the flavors of various meals.

Coconut chutney originated from the South Indian cuisine. It is most often served with breakfast or snack dishes. In its simplest form, it is made by finely grinding fresh white coconut meat with either green chilies or dry red chilies and salt added to it.

Chilies lend a bit of heat and spice in the chutney. Garlic or ginger can be added for more savory depth. A tempering of oil with crackled mustard seeds, fried urad dal (black gram), crisp curry leaves and asafoetida (hing) brings more flavor to otherwise plain coconut chutney.

Why This Recipe Works
I have been making this easy-peasy basic coconut chutney recipe for decades now, and it is still a favorite in our house. As someone who cooks very often, the fact that this coconut chutney makes regular appearances on our table should indicate just how delicious it is!

Made in the Tamil Nadu style, this particular recipe calls for roasted chana dal to be added. Also known as chana daria, these husked and split black chickpeas have a lovely rich and nutty taste.

While roasted chana dal are readily available for purchase in India, I know that they are not available everywhere. You can either opt to fry these lentils on your own at home, or simply skip it. Don’t worry, the coconut chutney will still be delicious without it.

If fresh coconut is not available to you, simply swap in frozen coconut or unsweetened dessicated coconut flakes instead. This easy recipe will work with whatever you have on hand.

You can also adjust the basic recipe by adding different ingredients. For example, if you add some roasted sesame seeds, dry red chilles and a touch of tamarind, it makes a lovely sauce for serving with steamed rice!

One of my favorite things about coconut chutney is how versatile it is! Apart from serving with breakfast foods like idli, dosa and vada, you can also serve it with tons of South Indian snacks.

We like to put it on Upma, Mysore Bonda, Onion Pakoda, Semiya Upma, Pongal and so many other dishes. I have a feeling that once you try it, coconut chutney will become one of your favorite condiments, too. When paired with Idli Sambar, it is even more enticing.

My mom-in-law who is Punjabi absolutely LOVES South Indian food, and this coconut chutney is one of her favorites. If you, like her, love anything with coconut, then you’re sure to love this traditional coconut sauce.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Coconut Chutney
Grinding Ingredients
1. Add ½ cup tightly packed freshly grated coconut in a chutney grinder jar or a small grinder jar.

coconut added to chutney grinder bowl

2. Add 1 to 2 chopped green chillies (depending on your heat preference), ½ inch chopped ginger (optional, can substitute with 2 small cloves of garlic) and 2 tablespoons roasted chana dal.

NOTE: 1 green chili will yield about ½ to 1 teaspoon of chopped chillies. I have used about ½ teaspoon of chopped green chillies. For a spicy coconut chutney, depending on the pungency of the chilies, consider to add 2 to 3 green chilies.

TIP: You can swap the Indian variety of green chillies with ½ teaspoon of Serrano or Anaheim peppers. If using Thai green chillies, add about ¼ teaspoon chopped as they are very spicy.

green chiles, ginger and roasted chana dal added to grinder bowl

3. Add salt to taste. I suggest starting with less salt at first. Then, after grinding, check the taste and add some more salt if required. Remember, you can always add MORE salt, but you can’t take it away once it has been added.

salt added to grinder bowl

4. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water. You can make this coconut chutney thicker by adding less water. You can skip roasted chana dal if you do not have it.

NOTE: Roasted chana dal is different from raw chana dal. Roasted chana dal is crunchy and directly edible, unlike raw chana dal.

water added to grinder bowl for making coconut chutney recipe

5. Grind to a smooth consistency. If the blade is unable to grind or the chutney looks thick, then you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water or as needed.

coconut chutney base after grinding

6. Remove the chutney with a spoon or spatula in a heat proof bowl (e.g. steel, pyrex or glass). Check the taste and add more salt if needed.

base of coconut chutney in a white bowl on a black background
Tempering Coconut Chutney
7. In a small pan or a tadka pan, heat ½ tablespoon sesame oil (gingelly oil – made from raw sesame seeds) over low heat.

NOTE: You can also use sunflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil or any neutral flavored oil.

oil in a tadka pan
8. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them begin to crackle.

tempering mustard seeds
9. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add ½ teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram).

NOTE: If you don’t have urad dal then feel free to skip in the recipe.

urad dal added to tempering oil
10. Next add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. You can skip cumin seeds if you prefer.

cumin seeds added to tempering oil
10. Stir often and fry keeping the flame to a low.

tempering spices for making coconut chutney recipe

11. The urad dal should start becoming golden. The cumin seeds will also crackle and get browned.

showing the tempered spices changing color
12. Once the urad dal begins to turn to a golden color, then add 1 dry red chilli (broken and seeds removed), 9 to 10 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (hing). If the pan becomes very hot, then switch off the flame after adding the red chili, curry leaves and asafoetida.

Be careful as after adding the curry leaves the oil splutters.

NOTE: If you are gluten free, please be sure to check that your asafoetida is gluten free as many commercially available varieties are processed with wheat products.

curry leaves, asafoetida and dried red pepper added to tadka pan

13. Stir and fry for a couple of seconds till the curry leaves become crisp and the red chilli changes color.

showing the crisped curry leaves and fried red chili in the tadka pan for making tamil nadu style coconut chutney recipe
14. Switch off the flame and immediately pour the entire tempering together with the oil on the ground coconut chutney in the bowl.

tempered spices and oil poured into white bowl with coconut chutney base
15. Mix very well.

spoon stirring spices into chutney

16. Serve coconut chutney with idli, dosa, vada, pongal or pakoda of your choice.

small white bowl of coconut chutney on a red plate with two dosas

About Hotel Style Coconut Chutney
This is my quick coconut chutney recipe that also goes extremely well with idli, dosa, uttapam and medu vada. This vegan chutney also goes well with upma.

easy hotel style coconut chutney, served in a white bowl

What contributes majorly to the earthy taste of this chutney is a good amount of roasted chana dal.

Here there is no tempering done but there is a bit of prep work which does not take much time. The curry leaves are fried and they get fried quickly releasing their fragrant flavors in the oil.

Thats what you need to do and then grind everything and the coconut chutney is ready to be served with dosa or idli or vada.

collage of hotel style coconut chutney recipe served in a bowl with dosa and roasted chana dal in a bowl
This coconut chutney recipe can be made with frozen or fresh coconut. To avoid grating coconut at the last minute, I usually grate the whole coconut and then freeze it.

When I want, I just take some of the frozen coconut and my work is easy whether it is making chutneys, sambar or vegetable stir-fries.

Step-by-Step Guide
How to make Hotel Style Coconut Chutney
Ingredients

½ cup grated fresh or frozen coconut
¼ cup roasted chana dal (roasted bengal gram)
½ inch ginger – chopped
1 to 2 green chilies – chopped

15 to 20 curry leaves
2 teaspoons oil (coconut oil or sunflower oil)
salt as required
¼ cup water or add as required
1. First heat 2 teaspoons oil (sunflower or coconut oil) in a frying pan. Keep the heat to a low. Then add 15 to 20 curry leaves.

Fry them stirring often till they become crisp and this takes just about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the burner and set aside. Let this curry leaves and oil mixture cool.

sautéing curry leaves in a pan
2. Put all the ingredients (½ cup grated fresh or frozen coconut, ¼ cup roasted chana dal, ½ inch chopped ginger, 1 to 2 green chillies and salt (as required) along with the curry leaves and the oil mixture in a chutney grinder or small blender.

coconut chutney ingredients added in a blender

3. Add ¼ cup water or as required and grind to a smooth chutney. Do not add too much water. For a thicker consistency, add less water.

coconut chutney ground in a blender jar
4: Serve the Hotel Style Coconut Chutney with plain dosa or rava dosa or rava idli or uttapam. Consume when fresh. At the most you can freeze the chutney and use it for a couple of days.

In cold temperatures, the chutney will stay longer for a few hours in the refrigerator than in warmer or hotter climate.