Spicy hot garlic chutney |
"CHUTNEY" refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from Indian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice(s) and vegetable(s) and/or fruit(s). There are many varieties of chutneys. Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and they can have a coarse to a fine texture. Spices are added and ground, usually in a particular order - the wet/dry paste thus made is sauteed in vegetable oil or peanut (groundnut) oil. Sometimes vinegar or citrus juice are added as natural preservatives.
In the past, chutneys were ground with a mortar and pestle made of stone. In the present era, electric blenders or food processors can be used as labor-saving alternatives to the traditional stone grinding.
Today we are preparing a dry garlic chutney, this particular recipe has its origin - I believe in the state of Maharashtra - western part of India. Garlic chutney can be consumed in a variety of ways.
This chutney tastes best by itself and can be eaten as a side with lunch or dinner.
- I also like to spread it on chapati with a drizzle of peanut oil, roll it and you got yourself a delicious mid-afternoon snack.
- Also it goes best with "Vada-pao" - a popular vegetarian fast food from Mumbai.
Let's have a look at the ingredients.
INGREDIENTS :-
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5 heads of garlic, peeled and halved
4 tbsp dried coconut powder
1 tbsp cumin seeds/ jeera
Salt to season
1 1/2 tbsp red chilli pwd. (adjust to your taste)
Small ball of tamarind (about the size of a sugar cube)
2 handfuls of plain roasted peanuts
1 tbsp oil
DIRECTIONS :-
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1. Ground the above ingredients (except the oil) in a chopper/grinder. The final mixture should be coarse.
Ingredients ready to grind |
2. Add a tbsp of oil, mix well and store it in an airtight glass jar.
3. This chutney has a shelf life of 10-15 days and can be preserved more by refrigerating it.
Dry Garlic Chutney |