This is a fragrant chutney made with oven-roasted peanuts, coconut, and lots of curry leaves. It uses much more curry leaves than many other chutneys, for a very striking aroma. This chutney is a great accompaniment to South Indian dishes such as idli and dosa. I have even served it with the North Indian dish, pudla.
If you have a well-stocked Indian pantry, it can be made with pantry ingredients. Peanuts, coconut, and dried chillies are all pantry items with a long shelf life.
Ingredients
Coconut
Peanut – I roasted the peanuts in the oven because it is easier than toasting them on a pan, the way I normally do it. Check out the peanut chutney video to see how I roast them on a pan.
Curry leaf – uses more curry leaves than I would normally use for a chutney. Gives it a very floral aroma.
Dried red chilies – I like to use spicy chilies for this, but if you prefer a milder chutney, you can use Kashmiri or Sanam. Or any kind of mild chili powder or paprika.
Vaghar / Tadka
- Oil
- Mustard seeds
- Urad dal
- Curry leaves
- Red Chili
Cooking Tips
- It’s important to toast the peanuts to bring out the nutty flavors
- If you don’t have curry leaves, substitute them for cilantro + lime zest. The flavor will be different but will still be great.
- The type of chili you use will alter the flavor – you can use green chilies, chili powder, or paprika if you don’t have a spicy whole dried chili.
- You can add hing to the vaghar for that funky, pungent flavor
- Substitute desiccated coconut for fresh grated or frozen
- Use pre-roasted peanuts; they will have a more toasted, nutty flavor than with home-roasted peanuts, but they will still taste good.
Refrigeration
Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Coconut Peanut Chutney
Ingredients
- 1-2 dry red chilies spicy
- ⅓ cup peanuts raw (roasted are ok)
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut
- ½ tsp granulated garlic 2 cloves fresh
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- 30 curry leaves 3 stems
Vaghar (optional)
- 1 tsp oil
- 6 curry leaves
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 dried red chili
- ¼ tsp urad dal
Instructions
- Dry roast the peanuts, either with a hot pan on the stove, or, in the oven, and toast on a sheet pan at 350°F for about 8 minutes.
- Add chilies, peanuts, coconut, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and curry leaves to a blender. Add as little water as you can to get the blender going.
- Optionally, finish with a vaghar. Heat the oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and let them sizzle, and pop for 10 seconds. Add urad dal, and let it toast. Add curry leaves and remove from heat. Pour over the chutney.