South Indian Meal – Part Three – Coconut Chutney

The next portion to the perfect South Indian meal is making the chutney, which is essentially, a flavor-packed, spicy dipping sauce for your dosa and filling. One thing about this meal that I forgot to mention, is that it is best eaten with your hands. You can use one spoon for the sambar (spicy lentil soup), but that is all I would recommend. Rip off a piece of dosa, make sure there is at least a small chunk of the potato filling with it, and give it a dunk in the chutney and pop it in your mouth. Yum Yum Yum!

Cilantro Chutney

Do you recall the cilantro chutney I spoke of in the last post? Well, if you omit the coconut and the tempering in this chutney, that is exactly what you will have infront of you. A very versatile, fresh tasting cilantro chutney that goes great with any Indian meal. As I was growing up, my absolute favourite sandwich (and still is) was a cheddar cheese chutney sandwich. I know, sounds gross, but the flavors work really well together. You won’t regret it!

I also used to take a very fresh batch of this on picnics, with freshly sliced and buttered baguette and cucumbers, and that was always a hit. On that same note, you can also make some really nice, delicate finger sandwiches. De-crust some white bread, spread butter on both sides of the bread, cilantro chutney on one side on top of the butter, and layers of very thinly sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Cut these into little finger sandwiches and serve. You can make these ahead of time, as the butter will protect the bread from sopping up cucumber and tomato juices, however, the fresher, the better.

Variations to Cilantro Chutney

Mint can also be added to this chutney, and makes a wonderful cilantro mint chutney, which can be used in all of the ways mentioned above. My parents grow lots of basil throughout the summer and use the same recipe but use only basil and surprisingly turns out quite tasty! Kind of like a oil free, vegan pesto I suppose.

Ingredients

1 large bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped roughly
½ cup fresh or dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut (if it is fresh, it just needs to be in chunks, fresh tastes better if you can crack the coconut!)
½ cup raw peanuts or raw cashews
2 tsp salt
2 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup water

For Tempering
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black gram lentil (urad dal)
4-6 curry leaves

Directions
1. Blender everything together on high. Make sure you blender the nuts really really well! Transfer to a bowl.
2. Heat oil on high. Add cumin and mustard seeds.
3. When first seed pops, add urad dal and curry leaves.
4. Allow other seeds to pop for another 10-15 seconds, keep a close eye that the curry leaves and urad dal don’t burn. They can brown, but they shouldn’t turn black. Cover the pot if necessary.
5. Quickly pour the mixture into the chutney and mix it in. Voila! Homemade, coconut cilantro goodness!