Roasted Chickpea Coconut Chutney (Vegan + Gluten Free)

In Tamil Nadu, pottu kadalai or roasted brown chickpea lentils are ground with grated coconuts to a fine paste to make a melt-in-the-mouth chutney. It is served with pongal, idli, vada and with all sorts of dosas. A breakfast dish without chutney and sambar is considered incomplete. In Kerala and Karnataka however, delicious chutney is usually made with coconuts as both Kerala as well as coastal Karnataka are blessed with groves upon groves of coconut trees. The addition of roasted chickpea lentils, however, gives not just added protein, but a body, a thick, smooth consistency to the chutney.

Keralites generally use pottu kadala to deep-fry and add to “mixture”, a spicy, crunchy snack. Whenever I make pongal, I make it a point to prepare some roasted chickpea coconut chutney as well, since the cool mild chutney perfectly complements the hot spicy pongal. All the more so, when you bite on the peppercorns and the cumin seeds, which burst to release their pleasant pungency on your palate. Here is the recipe.

Print Recipe

Roasted Chickpea Coconut Chutney Yum

A mild and tasty, melt-in-the-mouth chutney to go with pongal, idli, dosa and vada.

Cuisine

Indian, Tamilian

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 125 gm grated coconut
• 15 gm roasted chickpea lentils (pottu kadalai)
• 5 gm ginger (peeled)
• 7 gm hot green chilies
• 15 gm shallots (peeled)
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 1 gm mustard seeds
• 1 gm dry hot red chilies
• 10 ml coconut oil
• 5 gm salt
• 100 ml drinking water

Cuisine Indian, Tamilian Cook Time 10 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 125 gm grated coconut 15 gm roasted chickpea lentils (pottu kadalai) 5 gm ginger (peeled) 7 gm hot green chilies 15 gm shallots (peeled) 2 sprigs curry leaves 1 gm mustard seeds 1 gm dry hot red chilies 10 ml coconut oil 5 gm salt 100 ml drinking water

Instructions

1. Put the grated coconut, the chickpea lentils, the ginger, the green chilies, the shallots, the salt, the water and half of the curry leaves into your food processor. Grind to superfine paste and transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Set a skillet on low heat. Tip in the coconut oil and throw in the mustard seeds.
3. As soon as the mustard seeds are about to finish popping, pull the curry leaves off their sprig and throw them in.
4. Quickly break the red chili into 2 or 3 pieces and throw it in. Stir once and switch off the heat.
5. Empty the contents of the skillet over the paste. Stir well.
6. Your delicious roasted chickpea coconut chutney is ready to serve. Serve with pongal, idli, dosa or with vada. Enjoy!