Peanut/Groundnut chutney
Peanut chutney is a blend of roasted peanuts, tamarind and red chillies. Perfect as a dip or spread. It's a popular South Indian dish and can be served as a side with various dishes like dosa, idli, vada, rawa dosa or even rice.
Ingredients
1 cup = 250ml
- 1 cup peanut
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp cumin
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 kashmiri red chilly adjust according to spice preference
- A pinch of asafoetida/ hing
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- Tamarind pulp or tamarind paste about a small lemon-sized ball
- Salt
- Water as needed
Tempering
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp urad dal
- ½ tsp mustard
- 1 red chilly
- A few curry leaves
Instructions
- Dry roast the peanuts in a pan on medium to low heat until they become golden brown and allow them to cool.
- If you're using tamarind pulp, soak it in warm water for a few minutes and extract the juice. Alternatively, you can use tamarind paste. You can also skip soaking tamarind and add it directly to the pan while sauteeing onions if it is clean.
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, garlic, red chilli and saute for a minute. Add the roughly chopped onion, hing and salt. Saute them until the onions turn translucent. Allow it to cool before grinding.
- In a blender or food processor, add the roasted peanuts and blend until you get a coarse powder. Now add the sauteed onion mixture, along with tamarind (if soaking) or tamarind paste. Blend the mixture once more until you get a smooth and well-combined chutney. If needed, add water to adjust the consistency of the chutney.
Tempering (Tadka)
- Heat oil in a pan. Add urad dal, once it turns light brown add the mustard seeds, dried red chillies, and curry leaves. Let them splutter and release their aroma.
- Pour the tempering over the blended peanut mixture.
- It can be served as a side dish with dosa, idli, vada, or rice.
Notes
If you want to remove the skin for any reason, you can easily do so after roasting the peanuts. Once the peanuts are roasted, let them cool for a few minutes, and then rub them between your hands to remove the skin. Alternatively, you can also wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub them to remove the skin. Once the peanuts are deskinned, proceed with the rest of the chutney-making process as mentioned in the recipe.
Roasting peanuts helps remove the skin and enhances their flavour by bringing out their natural oils.
The quantity of tamarind can be adjusted according to personal preferences, allowing individuals to tailor the chutney to their desired level of tanginess.
If you are using tamarind paste add it while grinding the chutney to provide a consistent flavour.