Home-made Chutneys (dips) are not only delicious but also long-lasting. You can customize them according to your taste palettes and devour them without any concern. Red Coconut dip is a South-Indian dip popular in most of the Indian eateries for its vibrant reddish-orange color and unique flavor.

I first tasted it when I was too young about 8 or 9 years old in “Saviraj” restaurant in Andheri , Mumbai. But tried my hands on it only after marriage. For my daughter, this chutney is “Shahi Paneer“. :D.

This chutney serves as an accompaniment with Dosa, Idli, Uttappam etc. Here is a basic recipe adapted from Veg Recipes of India…

INGREDIENTS:
For grinding:
1. Fresh grated coconut or dessicated coconut (dry coconut powder) – 1 cup
2. Roasted onions/pearl onions/shallots (pyaz) – 2 tbsp
3. Whole red chillies (sabut lal mirch) – 4 to 5 or as per taste
4. Ginger (adrak) – ¹⁄₂ inch
5. Salt – 1 tsp or to taste
6. Tomatoes raw or roasted – 2 tbsp
7. Water – 2 tbsp or as needed
8. Chaat masala/ Dry mango powder(amchur) – 1 tsp (optional)

For tempering:
1. Cooking oil – 1 tsp
2. Mustard seeds (rai) – 1 tsp
3. Curry leaves (kadi patta) – 8 to 10
4. Roasted onions(pyaz)/shallots/pearl onions – 2 tbsp
5. Yellow split chickpeas (chana dal) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
6. Split black gram (Urad dal) – ¹⁄₂ tsp
7. Asafoetida (hing) – ¹⁄₂ tsp

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 10 mins | Cooking time : 3 mins | Makes 1 and ¹⁄₂ cups of dip |

1. We start with dry roasting the ingredients first. Roast the chana dal (daliya) in a wok (kadhai) till it changes color slightly.

daliya dal

1. Here, you can take a step further and add oil in the wok. Roast the chopped onions and tomatoes till they are mushy and the onions turn pink. This will not only give a unique red color to the dip , but will also taste better than adding them in raw form. (I forgot to roast the tomatoes , however. 😉 )

Onions both for tempering and grinding

Grinding>>

Tempering>>
1. For this we will heat oil in a wok(kadhai) again. Add the mustard seeds, hing,curry leaves and onions on medium heat.

sizzling mustard seeds

1. Stir this tempering(tadka) for 3 mins. Then sprinkle it over the dip made from grinding.
   

Serve this lip-smacking red chutney with Medu vada, Idli or Dosa. Enjoy and share your experience here.
Till then keep cooking.. 🙂