Coconut chutney is a popular accompaniment to South Indian dishes, made by grinding ripe coconut meat with lentils, chillies, and curry leaves. It can be served with idlis and dosas for breakfast and can be made quickly using raw materials. Variations include mango, asafoetida, coriander, mint, tamarind, and ginger. The chutney can be ground to a thick or thin consistency and is traditionally made using a mortar and pestle.
Coconut chutney is a spicy paste made from the white pulp of ripe coconuts. This chutney is served as an accompaniment to many South Indian dishes and is called thenga chutney in Tamil. It is very popular in both Kerala and Tamilnadu. Served alongside idlis, a type of steamed rice cake, and dosas, flat rice pancakes, it is often eaten for breakfast.
This nutritious chutney is extremely easy to prepare. The basic recipe is to take a few pieces of ripe coconut meat and grind them with some lentils, green chillies and curry leaves in a food processor. It is topped with mustard, cumin and curry leaves sauteed in a little oil. There are many variations that end up tasting quite exotic. Because it mostly uses raw materials, it not only ends up being delicious but can also be made in minutes.
A staple in the South Indian diet, coconut chutney is one of the quickest things to make when guests arrive unexpectedly during mealtimes or when they are simply hungry. Most homes keep a few dried coconuts stored in the kitchen. If necessary, the coconut is split by slamming it against a hard, unbreakable surface or by using a special tool to knock in the right places. The fresh water is collected and drunk and pieces of coconut meat are then extracted from inside the shell. Chutney, along with dosas or idlis made with preserved batter, can be served up to hordes of hungry visitors very quickly.
A little-known way of making coconut chutney involves mixing a few chunks of raw mango, along with coconut and some garlic flakes, to create a chutney that tastes tangy yet utterly refreshing. Mango coconut chutney is great served with rice and also as a sandwich. Variations of the basic recipe can also include asafoetida, coriander, mint, tamarind and ginger. The spice level of the chutney in general can range from mild to extremely hot depending on the number of chillies used.
It can be ground to a very thick, coarse paste or a thin, watery consistency depending on the amount of water added during the grinding process. In the old days, coconut chutney and most other chutneys were ground with a mortar and pestle, called ammikal in Tamil. These days, food processors have replaced the stone mortar and pestle in modern cities. Some families living in the villages still use those old stone tools to grind the chutney by hand. Coconut chutney made this way is believed to be superior in taste to chutney made with a blender.
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