South Indian chutney for idli, dosa, vada, pongal, uttapam and many more. Made with pantry stapls, this chutney is super aromatic and delicious.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 100 grams (1 cup) raw coconut ((grated frozen or fresh, loosely measured))
  • 1½ tablespoons chana dal ((Bengal gram or use 2 tbsps peanuts))
  • ½ tablespoon urad dal ((substitute with chana dal))
  • 2 to 4 green chilies ((adjust to taste))
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 to 2 sprigs curry leaves ((use as per preference))
  • 3 to 4 small garlic (cloves (or 2 medium))
  • ⅓ inch ginger ((peeled, optional))
  • 1 tablespoon oil ((divided, 2 tsps +1 tsp))

Method

  1. Roast the ingredients: Heat 2 teaspoons oil and roast the chana dal and urad dal until light golden. Immediately add curry leaves, crushed garlic, ginger and green chilies.
  2. Saute until the green chilies blister and the curry leaves turn crisp. Turn down the heat to low, stir in the cumin seeds and let roast until aromatic, for 30 to 40 seconds. Add the coconut and saute on a low heat until really hot, for 2 to 3 mins.
  3. Make the chutney: Cool down and blend with salt and water to a smooth chutney. Taste test to adjust salt.
  4. Optionally temper - heat 1 tsp oil and add a pinch of mustard seeds, 1 pinch of urad dal, 1 broken chili and 2 to 3 torn curry leaves. When the urad dal turns golden, turn off and add hing. Pour this over the idli dosa chutney.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.