Easy to make, simple and delicious Coconut Chutney, that is the perfect accompaniment to most Southern Indian breakfast dishes like dosa, idli or even upma and also with tea time snacks like vadas and bajjis. It is gluten free and vegan.
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Dosas and Idlis are hugely important in the repertoire of a South Indian household’s breakfast menu. Sides of sambar, chutney or molaga podi ( a spiced lentil powder) are commonly served alongside dosas and idlis. Sambar is a tamarind-lentil curry that needs time to cook, so a lot of time chutneys are an easy side to make in the mornings.
Coconut chutney is a favorite in my house. Other chutneys that I make very often are Pearl Onion Coconut Chutney and Tomato Onion Chutney.
Many make coconut chutney with pottu kadalai (roasted Bengal gram dal) along with the coconut. My family is from the state of Kerala in South India, where coconut palm trees are just everywhere and we use coconut in everything we cook. So, adding anything else to the Coconut Chutney was messing with the purity of it. I got used to the taste of fresh coconuts in this chutney and love it, that I continue to make it that way and not use any kind of dal in my recipe.
This Coconut Chutney is
- Easy to make and very simple.
- Is vegan and gluten free.
- Pairs well with a lot of Southern Indian breakfast recipes
- Tastes fresh and so much more delicious than the frozen ones you get or even the ones you get at restaurants.
- You can easily make variations to this by adding one or two extra ingredients - like cilantro to make a cilantro coconut chutney, roasted peanuts to make peanut chutney etc.
What do you eat coconut chutney with?
Coconut chutney is served with most Southern Indian breakfast items like dosas, idlis, venn pongal and upma. Coconut chutney is also delicious with tea time snacks like vadas and bajjis (South Indian Pakoras).
My friend’s mom makes Coconut Chutney Sandwiches and they taste pretty amazing!
Some of our other favorite sides for Southern Indian breakfasts are:
- Pearl Onion Coconut Chutney
- Onion Tomato Chutney
- Tiffin Sambar
- Kerala Vegetable Stew
- Kerala Chicken Stew
- Egg Curry with Coconut Milk
How do you store Coconut Chutney?
Coconut chutney tastes best when fresh. But you can make ahead or store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator or even the freezer. Though I, personally, will not freeze it as it is super easy to make anytime you want it.
For reheating refrigerated coconut chutney, heat some water and add about a tablespoon at a time to the chutney to bring it back to room temperature. DO NOT microwave the chutney. It loses its consistency and will look and taste weird.
Ingredients for Coconut Chutney
My recipe for a killer Coconut Chutney uses very few, simple but fresh ingredients.
- Freshly frozen grated/shredded coconut or fresh shredded coconut
- Bird’s eye chillies
- Dried Red Chillies
- Tamarind
- Salt
- Coconut oil, mustard seeds, split urad dal and curry leaves for the tempered seasoning
Method for Coconut Chutney
- Grind together the coconut, chillies, tamarind and salt with a tablespoon or two of water in a small smoothie jar or the traditional Indian blender. The water is just to get the blender started.
- Heat the coconut oil, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the dal and curry leaves to it.
- Pour it over the ground coconut mix.
Tips for making a delicious Coconut Chutney
- Use fresh coconut ONLY. It makes all the difference in the world. Freshly frozen shredded coconut is perfectly fine. You can get it from the freezer section of any Indian grocery store.
- If using freshly frozen coconut, break off as much as you want and warm it in the microwave for 30 secs. This makes sure the oil from the coconut is not separated and helps grind the coconut better to make a smoother, creamier chutney.
- I love using a combination of Thai green chillies and dried red chillies in my coconut chutney but you can use just the Thai green chillies, if that is all you have.
- Coconut oil is preferred for the tadka / tempered seasoning. But use any high heat oil you have.
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Coconut Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded coconut use fresh coconut or freshly frozen coconut
- 2 Thai green chillies
- 1 dried red chillie
- 1 knob tamarind the size of an olive
- salt to taste
For the Tadka / Tempered Seasoning
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
- 5-6 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon split white urad dal
Instructions
- Grind together the coconut, chillies, tamarind and salt with a tablespoon or two of water in a small smoothie jar or the traditional Indian blender. The water is just to get the blender started.
- Add about a ¼ cup more water, a little by little to get the right creamy consistency.
For the Tadka
- Heat the coconut oil, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the dal and curry leaves to it.
- Pour it over the ground coconut mix.
- Mix and serve right away.
Notes
- Use fresh coconut ONLY. It makes all the difference in the world. Freshly frozen shredded coconut is perfectly fine. You can get it from the freezer section of any Indian grocery store.
- If using freshly frozen coconut, break off as much as you want and warm it in the microwave for 30 secs. This makes sure the oil from the coconut is not separated and helps grind the coconut better to make a smoother, creamier chutney.
- I love using a combination of Thai green chillies and dried red chillies in my coconut chutney but you can use just the Thai green chillies, if that is all you have.
- Coconut oil is preferred for the tadka / tempered seasoning. But use any high heat oil you have.
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