Mint Chutney / Pudina Chutney for South Indian Breakfast

Mint flavored coconut chutney is an accompaniment / dip served with South Indian Breakfast dishes like Idly / Dosa. This chutney has mild mint flavor and it is spiced with green chillies and tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fried gram is added along with fresh coconut to give thick consistency to the chutney.

 

Yield : 2 Servings

Ingredients 

• 1 Teaspoon Vegetable oil
• 1/4 Cup tightly packed Mint leaves / Pudina
• 1 Teaspoon Fried Gram / Bhuna Channa Dal / Pottukadalai
• 2 Shallots / Sambar onion
• 2 Tablespoon grated fresh coconut
• 1 Green Chilli
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• a pinch of tamarind ( about a green pea size)
• Salt to taste 

For the tempering

• 1/2 Teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 Teaspoon urad dal
• few curry leaves

Directions

1. Use fresh coconut for this chutney. You can either grate the fresh coconut or remove the brown hard core of the fresh coconut. We only need the white flesh of the coconut

2. Prepare the tempering first : In a wok/ kadai , heat 1/2 Teaspoon oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add urad dal and fry until dal is light golden

3. Then add curry leaves and fry until curry leaves are crispy. Switch off the flame and transfer this tempering to the serving dish

4. In the same kadai / wok , add 1 teaspoon oil. When the oil is hot, add shallots and green chillies and fry for 30 seconds
5. Then add coconut slices , fried gram and pudina leaves , turmeric powder and fry for a minute on medium flame stirring constantly until the coconut has a nice golden char over the edges
6. Switch off the flame and let the ingredients cool completely
7. Then add the ingredients in a food processor / small mixie jar. Add tamarind
and grind it to fine paste by adding 3 tablespoons of water
8. Transfer the chutney to the serving dish and stir in to mix the tempering
9. Serve immediately with Idly / Dosa