About Red Coconut Chutney
Get your chutney ingredients together and give them a blitz in the blender to a smooth chutney. Follow up with a basic South Indian tempering, pour it over the prepared chutney and give it a good mix. See, how simple, easy and quick this Red Coconut Chutney is! In addition to the coconut, another typical ingredient that I add in this Kerala special Red Coconut Chutney recipe are pearl onion or sambar onions. These tiny onion variety are milder and sweeter. Thus, bring in just the perfect balance in the chutney too. But don’t fret, if you can’t source them. You can use shallots or onions too, if you don’t have these. For the tempering, there’s nothing fancy at all. You have your regular mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal (husked split black gram) and again some pearl onions. The obvious choice of oil to keep the authenticity intact is coconut oil. I would totally suggest sticking to this only. In case you want to tone down the raw taste of the red chilies in this Red Coconut Chutney, then you can either dry roast or roast lightly in some coconut oil before adding to the grinder jar. Also, if you can’t imagine your food without garlic, go ahead add some in this chutney too. However, while adding the water, take care. You don’t want to turn this gorgeous Red Coconut Chutney too thick or super runny. The quantity that I have mentioned in my recipe list is good enough to result in the perfectly smooth, thickish chutney. This Red Coconut Chutney is quick to prepare, if you have the grated coconut ready and handy. Besides adding the required bit of heat in this chutney, the dried red chilies also bring in a unique smoky flavor. Like I said in the previous section, the pearl onions too also add their flavor and make the chutney special. Usually, at my home, we all prefer a coconut chutney with roasted chana dal and coconut. However, to have a change and variety at times, I make this Kerala style Red Coconut Chutney too. If you are looking for more variations of a chutney made with coconut, then make sure to not miss on these recipes of Red Chilli Chutney and this Coconut Chutney Recipe made in 2 ways. Sometimes I also add green chilies, if I have them. Otherwise, there are the red chilies. Depending on the type of red chilies added, the taste may vary in pungency and spiciness. So, you can add the red chilies accordingly. This Red Coconut Chutney made Kerala way is a fantastic accompaniment with South Indian tiffin snacks like rava idli, rava dosa, medu vada, Mysore bonda and even uttapams.
How to make Red Coconut Chutney
Blend Ingredients
1. In a chutney grinder or a small high speed blender, take the below listed ingredients:
½ cup tightly packed grated coconut 1 tablespoon chopped sambar onions/pearl onions (or chopped shallots or onions) 2 to 3 dried red chilies (halved or broken or chopped and deseeded) 1 inch peeled and chopped ginger
If you want to tone down the raw taste of red chilies, then just roast them lightly in a pan. You can also sauté them in a bit of coconut oil. Apart from ginger, you can also add a few peeled garlic cloves. 2. Add salt as required and ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon water. You can also add water as required, depending on your grinder and its speed. 3. Grind or blend to a fine consistency. 4. Take the chutney in a small steel bowl or pan and keep aside.
Temper Red Coconut Chutney
5. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a small pan. In the picture below, this is coconut oil which has solidified due to winters. 6. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and allow them to crackle on low heat. 7. Then, add ½ teaspoon urad dal (husked split black gram). 8. Stirring often, fry the urad dal till it turns maroonish golden. 9. Add 8 to 10 curry leaves and 1 tablespoon chopped sambar onions/pearl onions (or chopped shallots or onions). 10. Sauté till the shallots are light golden. 11. Add the tempering along with the oil to the Red Coconut Chutney. 12. Stir well to mix. 13. Serve the Kerala style Red Coconut Chutney with oats idli, dosa, medu vada or uttapam.
Expert Tips
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Coriander Chutney (Cilantro Chutney) Pudina Chutney | Easy Mint Chutney (2 Ways) Allam Pachadi | Ginger Chutney | Allam Chutney Curry Leaves Chutney | Kadi Patta Chutney This Red Coconut Chutney from the archives first published in January 2015 has been updated and republished on January 2023.
