Today’s recipe Red Coconut Chutney is a very simple and easy side dish for breakfast recipes like idli, dosa, upma or idiyappam. For a couple of weeks now, we have not been getting fresh coconut and it is becoming quite an exotic ingredient. After making different types of chutneys that doesn’t involve coconut (especially roasted peanut chutney which is a long overdue recipe) I got literally tired of not being able to make my quick coconut chutney.
I had a pack of desiccated coconut lying around that I had bought for making sweets. Out of desperation I started looking for ideas to use it in Indian cooking and that’s when I thought of trying a chutney with it. Forget years, even a few months or days ago, I wouldn’t have imagined using desiccated coconut for making chutney but here we are – tough times call for adjustments and making do with what is available. So, I ended up making this adapted version of Red Coconut Chutney and it surpassed my expectations.
My mother-in-law usually makes Red Chilli Coconut Chutney by replacing green chillies with red chillies but also adds a couple of cloves of garlic. This recipe is different in that there is no roasted gram. It just has three main ingredients – coconut, shallots and dried red chillies apart from tamarind, salt and water. It is light, super flavorful and so delicious with soft idlis or crispy dosa. Apparently this is Kerala style coconut chutney recipe as I could distinctly remember the breakfasts were had during our Kerala holidays. As I didn’t have any shallots, I used one small onion. When things are better, I cant wait to make this again with fresh coconut!
How to make Red Coconut Chutney
📖 Recipe
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making Red Coconut Chutney | Red Chilli Coconut Chutney
In blender jar add desiccated coconut along with hot water and let it sit for 5 mins. This will get the coconut refreshed.
Add chopped onions/shallots, dried red chillies, tamarind and salt.
Blend until smooth. Adjust water as needed to make chutney.
Remove onto bowl. Meanwhile, heat oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal. As they turn golden and begin popping, add asafoetida and fresh curry leaves. Add it to the chutney.
Serve as a side dish for any South Indian breakfast.
Recipe Notes
Use fresh coconut for the same recipe if available, don’t have to use hot water. It is better to use this chutney immediately and not store in fridge. Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per spice preference.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
