Peanut Chutney

Simple peanut chutney made with peanuts, chana dal, cumin seeds, ginger and tamarind.

This quick version gets done in 15 minutes and makes a great accompaniment to idli and dosa!

Indian meals are often incomplete without chutney.

Ingredients For The Chutney

You only need a handful of ingredients for this chutney!

Peanuts: of course the main ingredient here since we are making peanut chutney. I use raw, unsalted peanut here.

A lot of people I know roast and then remove the skin of the peanuts for this chutney. I don’t remove it, just saute the peanuts in oil and then use them as such in the recipe.

If you want to remove the skin, saute the peanuts first, then let them cool down a bit and then remove the skin by rubbing the roasted peanuts between your palms. The skin comes out easily after roasting.

Chana dal: this adds flavor to the chutney. I don’t use a lot of it, just 1 tablespoon, however if you want you can add more.

Cumin seeds: again I use just a bit for flavor.

Curry leaves: these curry leaves impart an aroma and flavor to the chutney and I can’t make my peanut chutney without them. I use them in the chutney and also in the tadka.

For those who don’t know, curry leaves are also very good for health especially for your hair.

Tamarind: I used store bought tamarind concentrate/paste here. If you want, you can use a small ball of tamarind too, I just have the concentrate in my refrigerator at all times and so it’s easier for me to use that.

Tamarind gives the chutney a little sour taste which I love. You don’t have to use this ingredient but I personally love it in my peanut chutney.

Ginger and green chili: of course, most chutneys use these 2 ingredients. Ginger adds flavor and chili makes the chutney spicy. I use a single green chili but if you want your chutney to be spicy, you can add 2, 3 or even more chilies.

Mustard seeds: I use them in the tadka but it’s optional. You can skip the tadka and also the seeds.

Hing: again used in the tadka but if you want you can add a bit while grinding the chutney too. If you want to make the chutney gluten-free, then skip on it.

Another ingredient which many people use in their peanut chutney is sesame seeds. If you like the flavor of sesame in your peanut chutney, then you can add a bit of it here, around 1 tablespoon maybe. I am not very fond of sesame in the chutney and hence I haven’t used it.

Make sure to saute the sesame seeds too before grinding.

You can even add coconut to it, but then I like to keep it simple and focus just on the peanuts here.

It’s important to remember here that fry the peanuts and all other ingredients on low heat. You don’t want to brown them. So keep the flame on low at all times.

This chutney has a thick consistency, that’s how I like it. But if you prefer a thinner chutney, just add more water to the chutney while grinding.

You might have to adjust the salt and other seasonings to taste if you add a lot more water.

INGREDIENTS