Delicious peanut chutney made with raw peanuts is a perfect accompaniment to your Idlis & Dosa. This chutney comes together pretty quickly and is flavored with red chilies, garlic, shallots & tamarind.
I love this chutney since I can include a dip with protein in the diet. This peanut chutney is not bland but has many flavors, and I have outlined how you can adjust the flavors to suit your taste.
There is a fragrant tadka or tempering at the end to finish off the peanut dip/peanut chutney, which elevates the dish to the next level. The tadka adds a little crunch and texture to the dip.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 5-10 minutes (unattended cooling time)
Ingredients & How To Adjust The Flavors?
- Raw Peanuts
- Cumin Seeds
- Chana Dal
- Udad/Urad Dal
- Whole Red Chillies
- Pearl Onions/Shallots
- Garlic
- Tamarind Paste/Pulp
- Oil
- Curry Leaves
- Salt
If you are not familiar with the above ingredients, do check out the most essential spices for an Indian pantry.
Want to make it spicy? Add more whole red chilies. I typically use either Kashmiri red chilies or the Bydagi Chillies in the recipe, but if you like a different kind of whole red chilies you can use that. If you want to make it less spicy, reduce the number of red chilies, or you can remove the seeds before using them in the recipe.
Love the garlic flavor? I do too. Add more garlic if you love the garlic flavor and reduce the number if you don't like it so much.
Pearl Onion/Shallots? - You can use 3-4 tablespoons of chopped onions instead of pearl onions/shallots.
Tamarind Pulp - Tamarind adds a much-needed tanginess to the peanut chutney. I use tamarind pulp mostly. The tanginess can vary with different brands. Adjust the quantity to suit your taste. I have not tried the recipe with any other souring agents, so I cannot actually talk about the substitutions here. If you are using whole (dry) tamarind instead of the pulp, use the size of its seed/small cherry in the recipe.
Curry leaves - These are very commonly used in South Indian cooking mainly for tadka/tempering/varavu. Tadka is the process where a little bit of oil is seasoned with mustard seeds, red chilies, curry leaves, etc. This seasoned oil along with all other ingredients is then poured over to finish off the dish. Curry leaves typically are discarded while eating. I like to add a few curry leaves while grinding (optional) to get the maximum benefits from the leaves.
Equipment
Skillet/Frying Pan
Chopping Board and Knife
Cooking Spoons
Measuring Cups/Spoons
Blender/Mixer-Grinder - I like my Magic Bullet [AFFILAITE LINK] for making Indian-style chutneys & dips.
Small tadka Pan for tempering
Serving Dish
Step By Step Instructions
Full recipe + measurements + video can be found in the recipe card below.
Prep Work
Peel, wash, and quarter peal onions. You can use small shallots instead of pearl onions. Finely chopped onions would work very well in the recipe.
Peel, wash, and roughly chop garlic.
Get all other ingredients ready.
Cooking
Heat oil in a small pan, and add cumin seeds. When they sizzle add the chana dal. Fry for a minute or two to get the aromas. Now, add whole red chilies and fry for 30 seconds.
Add pearl onions and garlic and fry until pearl onions start to turn translucent.
Add curry leaves (optional) and tamarind pulp. Cook for another 45 seconds or so. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
Place the same pan back on the stove and heat on medium heat. Add the raw peanuts, drizzle a few drops of oil. Fry the peanuts until they turn golden brown and crisp.
Transfer to the same bowl after removing from heat. Add salt to taste and let the peanuts cool down before grinding.
Transfer to a small blender jar, pour water, and blend to a smooth paste.
Prepare Tadka
Heat oil in a small pan (you can use the same pan that you roasted the peanuts & spices in if it is small) on stovetop medium heat.
Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add the urad, dal. When it starts to turn brown add whole red chilies, curry leaves, and remove them from heat.
Pour the tadka along with the seasoned oil over the chutney.
Serve.
Best Peanuts For the Recipe?
In my opinion, the best peanuts to make this recipe is the one you get from the Indian store or online. This is one brand [AFFILIATE LINK] that I usually find & use from the local grocer.
If not from the Indian grocery store, the next best type of peanuts would be raw Spanish peanuts.
Serving Suggestions
Just like the tomato chutney, peanut chutney is a good sauce/dip for south Indian breakfast dishes like Idli, Dosa & Uthappam. Dosa is like a thin crepe made with a fermented batter of rice & lentils. The same dosa batter can be used to make Uthappam, which resembles a pancake and is loaded with vegetables, avocado, etc. Idlis are steamed rice/lentil cakes.
If you are looking for a South Indian Style Chutney for your dosa/idlis/ut5happams, give this chutney a try.
How To Store Leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You can serve this right out of the refrigerator.
Peanut Chutney
Equipment
- Skillet/Frying Pan
- Cooking Spoons
- Measuring Spoons/Cups
- Chopping Board and Knife
- Blender/Mixer-Grinder
- Serving Dish
Ingredients
Peanut Chutney
- ½ cup (approx. 80 grams) Raw Peanuts
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Chana Dal
- 2-3 numbers Whole Red Chillies or to taste; Use Kashmiri Red Chillies/Byadagi Chillies
- 3-4 numbers Pearl Onions quartered ; you can use small shallots instead
- 2 numbers Large Garlic Cloves peeled & roughly chopped
- 2-3 numbers Curry Leaves optional
- 1-2 teaspoon Tamarind Pulp or to taste
Tadka/Tempering
- 2 teaspoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Udad Dal
- A few Curry Leaves
- 1-2 number Whole Red Chillies
Instructions
Perp Work
- Peel, wash & quarter pearl onions.Peel, wash & roughly chop garlic. Get all other ingredients ready.
Cooking
- Heat oil in a pan on stovetop medium heat.
- Add cumin seeds followed by chana dal. Fry for a couple of minutes or until aromatic. Add whole red chillies and fry again for 30 seconds.
- Add the quartered shallots and garlic. Cook & fry for 2-3 minutes until aromatic. The pearl onion will turn translucent.
- Next, we add the curry leaves and tmarind paste and give it a quick mix for about 45 seconds.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
- Place the same pan back on the stovetop on medium heat. Add raw peanuts.
- Drizzle a few drops of oil if required and roast the peanut until golden brown & crisp. [Note: This is the key step to avoild the raw taste. This step takes about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl. Add salt. Let the peanut & spice micture cool down a bit before grinding. [Note: Start with ½ teaspoon of salt and add more if required]
- Transfer peanuts and spices to a small blender jar, add ½ cup water and blend to a smooth paste. [Note:You might need additional ¼ cup water to grind and also to adjust the desired consistency].
Tadka/Tempering
- Heat oil in small pan (you can use the same pan that you roasted the peanuts & spices in if it is small) on stove top medium heat.
- Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add the udad, dal. When it starts to turn brown add whole red chillies, curry leaves and remove from heat.
- Pour the tadka along with the seasoned oil over the chutney. Serve.
- Refrigerate leftovers. Use within two to three days.
Video
Notes
- 1 CUP = 250 ML. (US cups are typically 240 ml. You can use US cups with no significant change to the dish). 1 TEASPOON = 5ML; 1 TABLESPOON=15 ML.
- Grams to cups measurements – we strive to provide these conversions as accurately as possible. There might be some slight variations depending on the brand, weighing scale, etc.
- Serving size – This serves 4-5 people. Adjust the serving size to fit your dietary needs.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for two to three days.
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