Chana Dal Chutney

Jacob is a fan of Sambhar. And I am a chutney lover. So we make both sambar and chutney, whenever we have dosa/idli. Even if we are dining out and order for a masala dosa, I end up just having the chutney with the dosa and leave the sambar untouched. I just love them.

This chutney is super easy to make and can be quickly made in minutes time. So I don't mind making it even though we might already be having sambar to go with the dosa. Back home, my mom also used to make it and I used to love it. So I try recreating the same combo now. This is how we make it.

Ingredients

1. 4 tbsp of chana dal
2. 1 cup of grated coconut
3. 2 green chillies
4. 1 tsp of finely chopped ginger
5. Salt to taste

For tempering

1. 1 tbsp of cooking oil
2. 1 tsp of mustard seeds
3. 1 strand of curry leaves
4. 2-3 dry red chillies

Method

• In a pan, take the chana dal. Roast it on medium heat. Stir it to avoid burning or over roasting.
• Remove the chana dal from the heat. Wash it thoroughly and remove it on to a blender jar. Add the grated coconut, green chillies, ginger and salt to the jar. Grind it all together to form a paste.
• Remove it on to the serving dish.
• In a pan, heat the oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds pop, add the curry leaves and red chillies and fry it. Turn off the heat and pour the tempering over the chutney. Mix it and serve it with dosa/idli.

Tips

1. Adjust the number of green chillies as per taste and the level of spiciness of the chillies.
2. While grinding the chutney, adding shallots would help enhance taste.
3. You could add sliced shallots too, for tempering. It would enhance the taste.