Carrot Peanut Chutney
Chutneys are an important side dish for many Indian snack/tiffin items and are an integral part of all Indian cooking. Be it breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner, some variety of chutney is prepared in many families to go with the main dish. This Carrot Peanut Chutney is simple and easy to make and filled with the intense peanut flavour. For those of you who love peanuts (like me), you will definitely enjoy this chutney.
Traditional peanut chutney has peanuts and coconut, but adding carrot to it gives it a bit more depth of flavour by introducing some sweetness. This spicy Carrot Peanut Chutney is a great side dish for idli, dosa and any kind of indian bread. This chutney can also be used as a spread in your sandwich or as an accompaniment for plain steamed rice.
Ingredients
Peanuts – 3/4 cup
Dry red chillies – 6 (or to taste)
Carrot (grated) – 1 1/2 cups
Onion – 1 medium sized
Tomato – 2 medium sized
Salt – 1 tsp (or to taste)
Peanut oil – 3 tbsp
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Moong dhal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Sambar powder – 1 tsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbsp (optional)
Powdered jaggery or brown sugar – 1 tsp
Yield
3 cups
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Method
1) Heat a shallow frying pan and add 1 tbsp oil. Add peanuts and dry red chillies to this oil. On low heat fry these until crisp and remove the peanuts and chillies from the oil, transfer to a plate and let it cool.
2) For tempering, heat the same pan, add 1/2 tbsp more oil and add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter. When the mustard seeds splutter add moong dhal and fry until golden. Now add curry leaves and mix once. Transfer this tempering to a plate and set aside.
3) Chop onion and tomato roughly. Set aside.
4) In the same frying pan take the remaining oil and heat it. Add chopped onion and fry until translucent. Now add grated carrot and chopped tomato. Add sambar powder, asafoetida and salt. Mix well, cover and cook until soft. Allow the cooked vegetables to come to room temperature.
5) In a mixer jar add the peanuts and chillies. Grind coarsely. Now add the cooked vegetables, coconut and jaggery. Grind everything to a chutney consistency (add water as required to bring the chutney to a smooth cake batter consistency).
6) Now transfer the carrot peanut chutney to a serving bowl and add the tempering. Mix well and serve with idli, dosai, upma, pongal (all Indian tiffin varieties), any Indian bread or plain steamed rice. This chutney is a great combination for Pidi Kozhukkattai too.
7) When refrigerated, carrot peanut chutney stays good for 2 days.
Notes
- To enhance the flavour and taste of peanuts I’ve used peanut oil for this recipe. As an alternative you can use sesame oil or any neutral oil.
- Take your time to roast the peanuts and chillies on low flame. When roasted on low heat the peanut gets roasted inside out completely and adds an intense peanut flavour to the carrot peanut chutney. And the chillies have to fry and become crisp without changing colour as much as possible.
If you don’t have dry red chillies, you can use chilli flakes instead. If you use chilli flakes, don’t fry it with the peanuts, just add it directly to the blender. - The spice level in this chutney is according to my taste preference. I like my chutneys hot and spicy. If it is too spicy for your taste then reduce the number of chillies.
- You can add some chopped coriander leaves to the chutney after adding the tempering. This will enhance the appearance and nutritional value of the chutney.
- If you make the chutney without fresh coconut it increases the shelf life by a day or two.
