Peanut Chutney ~ Idly

Guess what mom made when I complained of eating coconut chutney?? Yeah its none other than peanut chutney aka verusenaga pachadi, a delicious accompaniment to breakfast dishes like idly, dosa, vada, rava dosa, upma. A dollop of ghee on top of idly’s and peanut chutney on the side, oh my my that’s what I call “Heavenly”. I picked this recipe from my mother-in-law. She adds a dash of sugar and sometimes substitutes jaggery as well but this version here does not use either of them and yet tastes simply delicious. I usually remove the skin of the peanuts after roasting them but call it healthy or lazy 🙂 I’m not doing that these days. Here’s how we do it:

Ingredients:

1 cup peanuts (roasted and peeled)

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 garlic clove (crushed)

1 tbsp minapappu (split urad dal)

½ tbsp jeera (cumin seeds)

½ tbsp dhaniyalu (coriander seeds)

5 dried red chillies (adjust)

small lime sized tamarind (soak in warm water before preparing for chutney)

½ cup water

For popu/tadka

1 tsp minapappu (split urad dal)

½  tsp avalu (mustard seeds)

½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

8 to 10 curry leaves

1 tsp cooking oil

How to:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry garlic for a few seconds till the flavour comes out and the garlic starts lightly brown. Add minapappu and saute till golden brown. Add jeera, dhaniyalu and fry for 10 seconds then add dried red chillies and fry for a few seconds. Take care not to burn the chilies to dark. Turn off the flame and allow to cool.
• Grind the ingredients in step 1 along with roasted peanuts, tamarind, salt to taste, and half a cup of water till smooth. (add more water if the chutney appears to be more thick). Set aside.
• For the popu/tadka, heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Add minapappu and saute till golden brown. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add curry leaves and turn the heat off. Pour this on the ground chutney.
• Serve with idly, dosa, upma.

How to roast peanuts:

Stove top Method:

Place a skillet on a stove top, and throw in the peanuts. Roast the peanuts till golden brown. Cool off and remove the skins. Store them in an airtight container and use as required.

Conventional Oven:

Method 1:

Line a cookie tray with alluminium foil and spread the peanuts on it. Place it in the conventional oven, and in broil mode cook for 6-8 minutes. Remove the peanuts along with the foil and allow to cool. Rub the skins off, and store in an airtight container. Cooking times may vary so keep an eye so the peanuts don’t turn black like charcoal.

Method 2:

Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F degrees. Line a cookie tray with alluminium foil and spread the peanuts on it. Place it in the conventional oven, and bake it for 10 – 12 mts. Remove the peanuts along with the foil and let cool down. Rub the skins off, and store in an airtight container. Cooking times may vary so keep an eye on the peanuts.

Microwave:

Place the peanuts in a microwave safe bowl and cook uncovered for 2-4 minutes.  For every minute remove the bowl, mix well and cook again. This helps the peanuts to roast evenly. Cooking times may vary depending on how powerful the oven is. As mentioned above, keep an eye so your peanuts don’t get burnt.