Spicy Coconut Chutney
Every South Indian worth his / her salt must know how to prepare Coconut Chutney. I mean – it is like THE most common condiment prepared in our cuisine to eat along with so many dishes. Idli, Dosa, Vada, Pongal, Upma, Bonda, Sevai … you name it and Coconut Chutney goes along well with every dish!
In such a case, isn’t it useful to have this chutney recipe in your repertoire? It is such a versatile condiment that personally, I think this is the only chutney recipe you should know if you’re planning a South Indian meal. 🙂 And it is pretty darn easy too!
By the way, I have an Instagram account – just in case you wish to check it out. 😉
COCONUT CHUTNEY RECIPE
You’ll need –
In a wok, heat about a teaspoon of vegetable oil & sauté the green chillies (slit in the middle) for 1 minute. This step is optional. My Gran just thinks frying the chilli before blending gives a much better taste. You can totally skip it and just directly add raw chillies (in step 2) if you wish.
To a blender / food processor – add ALL the ingredients (except the ones for tempering) and a bit of water and grind to desired consistency. Do not blend too much into a paste. You should be able to see & feel the coconut pieces while eating. I’d say a coarse texture is the best.
For the tempering, heat oil on a pan & add mustard seeds.
When it starts to crackle, add the curry leaves & switch off the flame.
Add this to the chutney & mix well. You can also garnish the chutney with coriander / parsley / cilantro leaves.
Serve with any kind of South Indian snacks. Coconut Chutney is ready.

Spicy Coconut Chutney
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup Grated Coconut (Fresh or thawed)
- 1/2 cup Roasted Grams / Roasted Chana dal (pottu kadalai / dalia/ bhunna channa)
- 2–3 Green Chilli, slit lengthwise / roughly cut
- 1 tsp Hing (Asafetida powder) (optional)
- 1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
- a pinch of sugar
- 2–3 Tbsp Coriander leaves, for garnish
For tempering
- 1–2 tsp black mustard seeds (rai / kadugu)
- 2–3 TBsp washed Curry Leaves
- 1–2 tsp Vegetable oil
Note
- The ratio of coconut to Chana Dal may differ from recipe to recipe. You can keep trying various ratios until you are satisfied with the chutney. This is however my version.
Instructions
- In a wok, heat about a teaspoon of vegetable oil & sauté the green chillies (slit in the middle) for 1 minute. This step is optional.
- To a blender / food processor – add ALL the ingredients (except the ones for tempering) and a bit of water and grind to desired consistency. Do not blend too much into a paste. You should be able to see & feel the coconut pieces while eating. I’d say a coarse texture is the best.
For the tempering
- heat oil on a pan & add mustard seeds.
- When it starts to crackle, add the curry leaves & switch off the flame.
- Add this to the chutney & mix well. You can also garnish the chutney with coriander / parsley / cilantro leaves.
- Serve with any kind of South Indian snacks.
Sexcellent!