Coconut Chutney

This perfectly spiced chutney has a flitting hint of sweetness and is served as an ideal accompaniment to Indian meals. What’s more, it can be easily adapted to many interesting flavors by changing just an ingredient or two, and each option is just as delicious!

How to make this simple but tasty chutney

This basic white coconut chutney eaten with Idli or Dosa needs just a handful of ingredients. Freshly grated coconut, roasted gram lentils or Dalia, cumin seeds, garlic, and fresh lemon juice are blended with water to make a coarse paste. The ground chutney is then tempered with a tadka or seasoning, made by spluttering mustard seeds and curry leaves in hot oil. 

My younger son is a true food aficionado! He is very particular about pairing the right sides with the right main dishes. He loves this classic white chutney especially when I cook South Indian dishes. I want to think it was my husband who got him hooked on that taste.

Growing up predominantly in a South Indian locality in Mumbai, my husband frequented quaint Udipi restaurants for weekend breakfasts with his school buddies. On our India travels it is a ritual for him to take the boys to all the restaurants he frequented as a child. Our boys love those trips and are always looking forward to those binge outings. 

Ingredients for Coconut Chutney

All the ingredients needed for this recipe are easily available at local Indian grocery stores.

• Coconut - freshly grated coconut or frozen grated coconut works just as fine. I use frozen grated coconut from either Deep, Daily Delight, or Anand brand. You can also use unsweetened desiccated coconut, just make sure to add an extra ¼ cup of water when blending.
• Roasted Chana Dal - helps thicken the chutney and adds body to the chutney. You can also use raw peanuts instead. Note: roasted chana dal is not the same as chana dal that is used to make dal or khichdi.
• Garlic - a clove of fresh garlic adds a hint of pungent spicy flavor
• Chilies - Indian green chilies work best for this recipe but you can also use jalapeno or serranos instead.
• Lemon - fresh lemon juice balances the spicy flavors while adding brightness to the chutney.
• Tadka - tempering of oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves, and dried red chili adds an earthy, smokey finishing touch to the chutney.

How to make Coconut Chutney

• Add coconut, roasted chana dal, garlic, chili, cumin seeds, sugar, lemon juice, and water to a blender
• Blend until you get a smooth chutney. Add more water if needed to get to the desired consistency. You will need more water if using desiccated coconut powder or coconut flakes.

• Heat oil in a tadka pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Turn the heat off and then add asafetida/hing and curry leaves. Be careful as you add curry leaves as the oil may splatter.
• Pour the tadka over the chutney and stir in.

Serving

Serve it with South Indian breakfast dishes such as steaming hot idlis, dosa, uttapam, upma, etc., and give a gratifying start to your day. You can serve it with crudités for a tasty dip or spread it on your favorite sandwich for a spicy kick.

How to store

Easy to make, this vegan dip stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to four days and freezes well. So go ahead and double up the recipe and freeze it in small portions. When you are ready to enjoy, simply allow the chutney to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for half an hour.

Did you enjoy this chutney? You will love my homemade cilantro mint chutney that we love to smother on sandwiches and also use as a marinade.

Variations

This restaurant-style coconut chutney recipe is easy to tweak with different ingredients to make interesting variations:

1. Use half and half of roasted gram lentils and peanuts for an extra creamy and nutty chutney
2. If you have run out of roasted gram lentils, replace the entire quantity with roasted peanuts
3. Use an inch of ginger in place of garlic for a different flavor
4. Add urad daal (split black gram) in the tempering for a crunch
5. Add a dried red chili to the tempering for smoky flavor and heat
6. You can skip the tempering altogether and the chutney will still be as delicious

More South Indian Recipe You'll love

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• Ven Pongal - A one-pot rice and lentil meal with earthy spices
• Curd Rice - A cooling rice dish with creamy yogurt
• Bisi Bele Bhath - Rice, lentils, and vegetables with aromatic spices
• Veg Kurma - Mixed vegetable curry with coconut
• Moringa Lentils - Creamy lentils cooked with moringa leaves