1001 Coconut Chutneys

:: Coconut Chutney – A primer :: Resposted for Padmajha's Let's go nuts event.

Coconut chutney is probably the easiest chutney you can make. Add a handful of coconut, green chili and salt to a blender and blend to a paste – that’s it, fresh coconut chutney is ready in under a minute. It is also the most consumed chutney in south India. It is eaten with almost everything.

In Tamilnadu, it is called Thenga Chutney and accompanies idlis and dosas. In Andhra, it is known as Kobbari Pachadi and is eaten with rice. In Kerala, it is called Thenga Chammanthi and is served with congee (Rice porridge). In Karnataka, coconut is blended with yogurt into a Thambuli and is eaten mixed with rice. It is however Andhra, which boasts of some of the most innovative Coconut chutneys.

The basic building blocks of a coconut chutney are the base, flavouring and goodies added.

Coconut mixed with a souring agent forms the base for many varieties of chutneys. (See points 2 to 6 in column 1)
Coconut - Mango chutney
Coconut - Tamarind leaves chutney
Coconut- Yogurt chutney
Coconut- Tamarind chutney
Coconut – Lemon chutney Apart from what is listed in the table, you can experiment by using other souring agents like Kokkum, vinegar etc.

Coconut blended with fresh green chilies or dry red chilies gives two very different looking and tasting chutneys. (See points 0, 1 in column 1)
Coconut chutney with fresh green chilies
Coconut with red chilies For more variations, try using other chilies like jalapeno, habenaro etc.

Roasted/ fried or sun dried coconuts form the base for yet another class of dry chutneys. These dry chutneys can be stored for weeks. (See points 8, 9 in column 1) Toasted coconut chutney
Change the amount of water you add while blending them and they go from being a dry, coarse powder to a soupy liquid and everything in between.
Dry coconut chutney (Karnataka)
Semisolid Coconut Chutney (Kerala) Experiment by varying the amount of water used while blending to create chutneys with just the right consistency you like.

A wide variety of goodies like vegetables / herbs / nuts and pulses can be blended along with coconut to create scores of chutneys. (See points 1 - 8 in column 2)
Coconut Peanut chutney
Coconut – Garlic chutney
Coconut- Mint chutney
Coconut- Tomato chutney
Coconut - Carrot chutney
Coconut - Ginger chutney
Coconut-Roasted gram chutney Experiment by blending your favourite goodies with coconut.

Once you get comfortable with these basic building blocks, you’ll not go wrong in dreaming up your own chutneys. You might even blend never-before-made chutneys !

And that is my third submission for AFAM - coconut

Simple South Indian Coconut Curries

Simple South Indian Coconut Curries :

This is reposted for Padmajha's Let's go nuts event. Check out her neat blog !

Coconut is one of the four building blocks of  south Indian cooking (The other three are tamarind, tuvar dal and yogurt). A variety of curries are made from blended coconut and coconut milk. Coastal regions ( especially Kerala and the Konkan coast)  use coconut, Coconut oil and coconut milk extensively.  Some of the most popular coconut recipes are listed below :

1.: Kobbari Pachadi (Coconut – chili blended curry) (Andhra recipe) Coconut blended to a coarse paste with chilies is a much loved curry in Andhra.Variations call for the addition of tamarind, onions or garlic.

2.: Coconut Thogayal ( Blended Coconut- Tamarind curry) (Tamilnadu Recipe)
Coconut blended to a coarse paste with red chili and tamarind  becomes the Thogayal. Variations call for addition of garlic, roasted chana dal ( Pottu Kadalai), roasted tuvar dal or curry leaves.

3.: Thambuli (Raw Coconut- Yogurt blended curry) (Karnataka recipe).
Coconut blended to a paste with chili and yogurt becomes the much loved Thambuli. Various versions of Thambuli can be easily cooked up. Different versions are cooked by adding Mango, fenugreek, onion or ginger. This is served as the first course in a south Karnataka meal.

4.: Thenga Molaga Podi (Blended Coconut powder) (Tamilnadu Brahmin recipe)
This is nothing but Coconut thogayal without water. When roasted coconut is ground up into a powder with chili flakes, we have Thenga Milagai Podi. Sesame seeds, various lentils, garlic etc can be roasted and ground up along with coconut. Called Thenga Chammandi in Kerala and Kobbari podi in Andhra, this is a popular recipe across the south.

5.: Olan (Coconut milk curry) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
A simple recipe in which a variety of vegetables are simmered in thin coconut milk, flavoured with coconut oil.

6.: Sodhi (Coconut milk – lemon curry) (Tamilnadu Brahmin recipe).
A rich, mild south Tamilnadu recipe. A variety of vegetables are simmered in coconut milk and soured by addition of lemon juice. As lemon juice turns bitter on cooking, it is added just before the curry served.

7.: Thoran (Dry vegetable curry with coconut - chili) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
A dry coconut curry where roasted coconut – chili paste is mixed with boiled vegetables.

8.: Erissery (Coconut - cumin curry) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
A variety of vegetables are simmered in coconut-cumin- chili paste to make the Erissery.

9.:.Kalan (Coconut – cumin – turmeric- yogurt curry) (Kerala Namboodiri recipe)
Another Namboodiri curry where coconut-cumin- pepper paste is mixed with yogurt, in which a variety of vegetables are cooked.

10.: Kootu (Coconut - cumin –chili curry) (Tamilnadu recipe)
When coconut cumin chili is blended to a paste and used as a base to cook vegetables, we have the Tamil kootu. Variations have boiled tuvar dal / chana dal mixed in.

And that is my submission for AFAM - coconut