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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Hotel style coconut chutney

Bangalore's very own version of fast food are it’s multiple darshini hotels that are located with as much frequency as probably ATM machines. Usually suffixed with a sagar these eateries have patrons thronging the place all 7 days be it a quick breakfast before work or a filling lunch. We love hopping down for a weekend brunch and walloping down idlys, dosas or upma, sometimes we are hungry enough to finish the 2 foot long paper masala dosa. The worthy accompanist to these goodies is the humble coconut chutney, which is essentially a cold paste of coconut chillies and spices that perfectly offsets the piping hot entrees. The chutney however is diluted with water in order to make the economics work , an insider’s tip is to always ask for ‘Ghatt’ or solid chutney in order to receive a more condensed version.
South Indian ‘tiffins’ as these dishes are commonly called are a staple in any Bangalore home, they are easy to make, light and not messy, what’s not to love. But I always found my chutney falling short in the taste factor; I craved to have the same concoction at home as I had had in the darshinis. And then came the blogosphere to the rescue. I found this great recipe on Sailu’s food.
Ingredients
Chutney
1 cup fresh coconut, grated
¼ cup Phutane (toasted gram nuts)
2 green chillies
1 small onion, chopped
½ inch ginger
A few sprigs of coriander
Juice of a lime
2 table spoons tamarind extract

Tempering /baghar
1 table spoon oil
1 tsp rye (mustard seeds)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal
3-4 dry redchillies

In the small attachment of a grinder add all the ingredients under chutney and grind to a paste, add water only if required. I like my chutney slightly coarse. Remove the chutney into a serving dish.

In a round metal spoon (used for dals) or a tempering vessel add oil and warm it over open flame, and the ingredients in the following order – urad dal, rye, cumin, dry red chillies. Fry for a min and add to the chutney.
Paper Masala Dosa