Red Coconut Chutney is a delicious and easy-to-make South Indian style chutney that tastes delicious with dosa and idli. It comes together in just 10 minutes using simple ingredients.
Here are some more chutney recipes for you – Onion Tomato Chutney, Coconut Chutney, Andhra Style Peanut Chutney, and Green Tomato Chutney.
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About This Recipe
Coconut chutney is one of the most popular South Indian condiments and this spicy red coconut chutney is a delicious variation of the classic white chutney. The dry red chilies give a lovely smoky flavor to it apart from the heat.
This bright and vibrant Red chili coconut chutney comes together in under 10 minutes and uses basic pantry ingredients. It is vegan and can be easily made gluten-free.
This coconut chutney is different from the Maharashtrian dry coconut garlic chutney which is served along with vada pav. I have a lovely recipe to make dry red coconut chutney, do check it out too.
Ingredients
Fresh Coconut – This chutney is ideally made using fresh coconut but if it’s not available, you can make it using desiccated coconut too.
To save time, buy already grated fresh coconut from the freezer section of an Indian grocery store.
Dry Red Chilies – Try to use Kashmiri dry chilies or Bedgi Chilies as they give a lovely red vibrant color to the chutney without making it too spicy. If you like your chutney spicy, go for spicy chilies like Guntur chili.
Remove the seeds of the chilies if you like the chutney to be even milder.
Roasted Chana – Add in some roasted chana (Bengal gram, bhuna chana), as it adds a great texture to the chutney and also prevents it from getting watery.
Tamarind Paste – This adds that much-needed tanginess to the chutney.
Others – Other than the above-mentioned ingredients, you will need garlic, ginger, asafoetida (hing), salt, and Kashmiri red chili powder.
For The Tempering
Tempering is optional but it gives a lovely flavor to the chutney and is highly recommended. You will need mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, curry leaves, and red chilies.
How To Make Red Coconut Chutney
Preparation
Start by preparing the coconut. Discard the outer cover and take out the flesh of the coconut. Grate it using the large hole of a box grater or scrape it using a coconut scraper. You can also chop it into small pieces instead of grating.
Tip – To save time, buy frozen grated coconut from the freezer section of an Indian grocery store.
Chop or grate the ginger and peel the garlic cloves.
Make The Chutney
Add 1 cup of grated coconut, 2 tablespoon roasted Bengal gram (bhuna chana), ½ teaspoon grated ginger, 3-4 cloves of garlic, 6-8 Kashmiri dry red chili (discard the stalk), ¼ teaspoon asafetida, salt to taste, 2 teaspoon tamarind paste, and 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder to the jar of a high-speed blender.
Add approx ½ cup of water and blend to make a smooth chutney. You can add more water if required.
Temper The Chutney
For the tempering, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. You can also use sesame oil or coconut oil for the tempering.
Once the oil is hot, add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds. Add ¼ teaspoon asafetida, 10-12 curry leaves, and 2-3 dry red chilies and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Pour the tempering over the chutney. Mix well and serve.
Variations
Each South Indian state has a slight variation in which they make this chutney. It is also made differently in different homes. Listing a few variations that you can try too.
To make this chutney in Kerala Style, use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.
To make this chutney in Mangalore style, add a teaspoon of jaggery while grinding the chutney.
Some people also add shallots in their chutney. Just fry the shallot in some oil until lightly browned. Then blend them along with other ingredients.
Make this chutney with tomatoes. Saute chopped tomatoes in little oil for 4-5 minutes. Add them with the remaining ingredients and make a chutney.
Serving Suggestions
Red Chili Coconut Chutney tastes best at room temperature.
This lip-smacking accompaniment is great to serve with idli, dosa, paniyaram, medu vada, bonda, rava dosa, or uttapam.
You can also serve it with rasam rice, sambar rice, khichdi, dal rice, or plain steamed rice.
Storage Suggestions
This chutney will last for about 2 to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make sure to use a fresh and dry spoon every time you take out chutney from the container.
If it has thickened after refrigerating, add some water to it and mix well.
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Recipe Card
Red Coconut Chutney Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Chutney
- 1 cup grated fresh coconut (packed)
- 2 tablespoon roasted Bengal gram (bhuna chana)
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 3-4 whole garlic cloves
- 6-8 whole Kashmiri dry red chilies (stalks removed)
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- salt (to taste)
- 2 teaspoon tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
For The Tempering
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida (hing)
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2-3 dry red chilies
Instructions
Make The Chutney
- Add coconut, roasted Bengal gram (bhuna chana), ginger, garlic, Kashmiri dry red chili, asafetida, salt, tamarind paste, and Kashmiri red chili powder to the jar of a high-speed blender.
- Add approx ½ cup of water and blend to make a smooth chutney. Add more water if required.
Temper The Chutney
- Heat vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. You can also use sesame oil or coconut oil for the tempering.
- Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and let them crackle for 4-5 seconds. Add asafetida, curry leaves, and dry red chilies and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Pour the tempering over the chutney. Mix well and serve.
