Coconut Chutney / Thenga Chutney

After coming to the U.S the one thing that I missed  most when eating south Indian food, especially dosai or idli's was the coconut chutney. Initially, I used to think that it was because of the oil content in the fresh coconuts here that left an oily taste. Later, I found that when I used the frozen grated coconut it did not alter the taste that much. I always felt all my chutneys smelt of the Indian grocery store and the culprit was the roasted channa dhal or pottu kadai. I almost stopped making the coconut chutney at home until Mrs. Viswanathan suggested an alternative method. Instead of adding the roasted channa dhal, she suggested that I roast the required amount of channa dhal and add it to the coconut to make the chutney. This helped recreate the Indian coconut chutney that I wanted to have here and I have been enjoying them for years now. Here is the recipe to try.

Gadgets:

Seasoning wok

Blender

Measuring cups and spoons

Bowls

Spatula

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 cups

Channa Dhal - 3 tbsp

Ginger - 1 inch (fresh)

Curry Leaves - a few

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Green Chillies - 1 ( add more for extra spice)

Dry Chillies - 1

Salt

Hot Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation:

1. In a seasoning wok add 1 tsp oil and roast the channa dhal to golden brown.

2. Place the roasted channa dhal in a bowl and add 1/2 cup hot water and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes.

3. Once the dhal is soaked well and has become soft add the coconut, dhal, green chillies, ginger and salt into the blender and blend using hot water into a thick paste.

4. Heat the seasoning wok again with 1 tsp oil. Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, allow for the mustard seeds to pop. Add curry leaves and red chillies and mix it into the coconut chutney. Serve with dosai, idli, sevai or pongal.