Friday, June 26, 2009

Spicy, "Garlicky" Peanut Chutney Powder

This is one of my husband's favourite chutney's and he just cannot stop sprinkling it over everything and anything! I had never tasted it (forget even making it) before I got married and had only heard about it from him(my MIL apparently would always have a batch of it in the house).
My family used more of coconut(milk/paste,etc) for our cooking as we are originally from a small coastal town in South India (Mangalore to be specific, for those who are familiar with India and Indian towns), whereas my hubby's family is more familiar to using peanuts in their cooking.
He sort of knew what ingredients his mom used for making it and asked me to try it. I tried making it a couple of times and every time he found something wrong with it-it was either not "garlicky enough"(even when I had added 10 garlic cloves!!) or "too pasty". Finally, fed-up with these comments,I decided to call up my MIL(why didn't I ever think of it before???? Silly me!!) and ask her how she makes it-that's when she told me my mistakes:
  • use about 3-4 raw garlic cloves (I used to saute them in a little oil) to get the "garlicky" taste,
  • and use a handful of roasted bengal gram dal(roasted and puffed split chickpeas) which not only adds to the taste but also absorbs the oil from the peanuts (and the moisture from the raw garlic) and hence the result is a "powder"chutney and not a "pasty" chutney!
Over the years,I've not only perfected the art of making this chutney powder,but also added my own "healthy" ingredient-flaxseeds!
Ingredients:
  • Roasted peanuts: 1 cup(skinned)
  • Roasted gram dal: 1/2 cup
  • Garlic: 2-3 cloves
  • Flax seed : 1 tablespoon (optional)
  • Turmeric: 1/4th teaspoon
  • Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon(add more if you want it spicier)
  • Salt: to taste
Method:
  1. Powder all the ingredients together to get a coarse chutney.
  2. Transfer to an air-tight container and store in the fridge(should keep for about 2 weeks or maybe even more).
You can use it as a chutney or sprinkle a little on noodles/fried rice/salads or mix it with a little yogurt and use as a dip or as a filling inside sandwiches.

Question: Do you try and stick to a given recipe OR do you like to experiment by throwing in some other ingredients?

37 comments:

Christo Gonzales said...

I do things my way almost every time - this looks good and I will be making it - but in this case I will make it your way the first time....

Heather S-G said...

I'd love to try this, it sounds delicious!! I stick..or not..depends on if I have all the ingredients or how much I love the particular recipe!! Hey...email me and I'll email you back a picture of the cherry pitter! girlichef at yahoo dot com

Jenn said...

Mmm...garlicky is always good.

I'm usually 50/50 when it comes to sticking to the recipe. It all depends on the ingredients at hand.

Anonymous said...

This looks great!!

I almost never follow the recipe exactly- I usually like to throw in my own twist.

Have a great weekend, Sweta!

Pooja said...

Lovely spicy chutney! Goes with anything! I love to change a given recipe and add my choice of ingredients :)

Diana H said...

I always thought chutneys were wet with vinegar - and rubs that are dry. This seems to be in between.

I try my best to stick to a recipe, but sometimes I wander off...

Priyanka@thehealthydiary said...

I think I stick to a recipe if it is absolutely essential like it is my Mom's or MIL's recipe, if not my hand itches to make alterations!!

The chutney powder recipe is delicious!

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Ya know, I'm so not a recipe person. If I can get away with not using a recipe, I will. I love making my own creations. When it comes to baking, however, recipes are a must!!!
The garlicky, spicy chutney looks great. I would have to use a recipe for that :)

Gita Jaishankar said...

Nice powder with flax seeds and no coconut...wow that's healthy :) I dont have flax seeds, can it be susbtitued with ground flax seeds?

chow and chatter said...

this looks great Sweta peanuts in cooking, very different from Tamil, shame my MIL is a Brahma Kumari now and no garlic and onions!!

Home Cooked Oriya Food said...

Really yummy garlic powder...
Anything I try 1st time has to be per the recipe... Then it changes I guess...

Anonymous said...

That sounds amazing - I can only imagine the wonderful flavor this powder would add to the dishes with garlic and peanuts - excellent! I can never exactly follow a recipe :)

chef and her kitchen said...

That looks nice n yummy....
I still get these spice powders packets from mom...

theUngourmet said...

Sounds delicious! Glad you figured out what was missing!

I usually like to veer of and add my own touch with recipes unless it's something that has to be followed to a tee and then I stick with it.

Meghan (Making Love In The Kitchen) said...

What a great idea! And no- I can never follow a recipe.. even my own. I do my best during my cooking classes but always encourage participants to take ownership over the dish they are preparing and to get experimental. All part of the fun.

Angie's Recipes said...

I will add more garlic and chilli.....I like them hot and aromatic ;-)

Gina; The Candid RD said...

YES!! That's such a great study!! Thanks for the information, I eat peanut butter all the time and it is really great to know that it can protect my heart. I have heart disease throughout my family and so does Nick. This is great news, thanks!

Anonymous said...

I would sprinkle this chutney on all my food too! Glad I found your site!

Anonymous said...

bookmarking this for sure! It sounds REALLY amazing. I LOVE it! And to asnwer your question, I NEVER follow a recipe...sometimes I try to, but my hands get itchy and I find myself reaching for more "bonus" ingredients!

Parita said...

I like peanut chutney, will make without garlic as m allergic to it :(

sangeeta said...

the chutny is very nicen healthy due to flaxseeds n peanuts....i have seen the tribes of jharkhand ( a state if India) using flaxseeds and garlic and green chillies only to make a fiery chutny and i have also made that chutny several times.....i keep experimenting all the time ...so much so that the original dish sometimes takes another turn....ha ha ...you saw my handvo naa!

Admin said...

This is one of those recipes that you don't just look at and go, "nice;" this one is a bookmarker. I will definitely give it a try. Sounds so delicious.

Astra Libris said...

Sounds SO delicious! I love your story of trying to perfect the recipe - kudos to you for persevering and creating such a glorious powdered chutney!

Priyameena said...

I love chutney powders...eventhough if I have a side dish I will always search for some chutney powder in the pantry..

Hari Chandana P said...

looks gr8... lovely recipe :)

Shama Nagarajan said...

lovely spicy powder..

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

DB:I'm flattered!
Dar:thanks again for the picture.
Jenn,Angie(angie'sappetite),Pooja, Priyanka, Kim,Hari,Shama-thanks.
Diana:I guess the wet chutneys just got more popular ;)
Gina:you're right,I wouldn't mess around with a baking recipe!
Gita:sure,give it a try!It'll be your twist to the original recipe ;)
Reb:a Brahma Kumari-wow!! All the best trying to dish out no onion/garlic dishes when she visits ;)
HCOF:me too,I always follow the recipe to the T the first time.
Natasha:I love the flavour it adds to salads.
Prathibha:lucky girl!
Meghan:welcome. I agree that experimenting with a recipe is such fun!
Angie(angie's recipes):me too!!
NTK:I'm glad I found your blog too :)
Parita:that's sad,but I'm sure it'll taste great without garlic too.
Sangeeta:thanks for the info.The villagers in maharashtra/karnataka also have been known to use flaxseeds in their chutneys.
Sophia,Leela:I'd love to know what you sprinkle it over!
Astra: I had to get a word of praise from the hubby ;)
Priyameena:just like my hubby.

lisaiscooking said...

Sounds like a delicious combination. I have to try this!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Looks delicious! I never ever stick to recipes. I really should sometimes but I can't help getting creative!

Anonymous said...

I wud lov this..i have heard a lot abt it, but havnt tried this xact thing..I have tried all spicy chutney podi relatives, but not this. it looks spicy nuff to tempt me.

kittymatti said...

wow..looks spicy n nice!

Juliana said...

Lovely chutney...love the garlic in it. I usually adapt the recipes, I am not a good follower :-)

Creative Classroom Core said...

This sounds incredible! Will be making soon!

Great blog! I will be following you!

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

I loved this recipe. I liked the idea of mixing it with yogurt as a dip.Good one.

eatingRD said...

what a wonderful recipe! I've never seen this before, I'll have to put it on my 'must try' in OneNote :) Sounds interesting and addicting. I usually like to cook intuitively now that I've learned what works, but baking is another story. I have to follow baking recipes to a tee.

Kalaivani said...

Great chutney powder.never tried roasted gram dal with peanuts.i'm also garlicky pearson;can't wait to make...

ArjunaUbacha said...

Interesting stuff. I cannot visualise how it will taste with Roasted peanuts, grams etc. Worth trying out.