Idli chutney recipe – Sharing a simple South Indian chutney recipe for beginners that can be served with idli & dosa. The word “CHUTNEY” is derived from an Indian term “CHATNI” meaning crushed. In the earlier days, to make a chutney, ingredients were usually crushed to a coarse texture using a stone mortar and a hand pestle. Due to the slow crushing, the chutney would taste very flavorful & good than the one made today in a electric mixer grinder.
Since coconut is widely grown in the coastal states of south India, it is one of the basic ingredients used in South Indian Cuisine. Coconut is always available in most homes, hence a coconut chutney along with idli or dosa makes its appearance most often.
This chatni can also be served with masala vada, bonda and uthappam. There are a few different ways of making coconut chutney. Sharing the one which is made with just raw ingredients, no roasting but yet tasty. So it can be prepared under 10 mins.
How to make idli chutney
1. Add half cup fresh grated or chopped coconut, 2 tbsp. fried gram, half tsp jeera/ cumin, 1 to 2 green chilies, salt and optional ingredient garlic. Fried gram can be substituted with chana dal. But it has to be dry roasted on a tawa until golden, cooled and then added to the blender.
2. Grind these together first until they blend well. Then add water as needed and scrape off the sides.
3. Blend until smooth. Check the salt and spice. If needed add more chili and blend again.
4. On a low flame, heat oil in a small pan, crackle mustard. Then fry red chili and urad dal until golden.
5. Add curry leaves and hing. Switch off.
Add the hot seasoning to the idli chutney. Serve with breakfast like idli, dosa, vada, pongal or any evening snack.
More idli chutney varieties
Coconut chutney recipes
Peanut chutney
Mint chutney
Tomato chutney
Onion chutney
You many also like to check these 10 Coconut Recipes
Idli chutney
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for chutney for idli dosa
- ½ cup coconut fresh, grated or chopped
- 2 tbsp fried gram or roasted chana dal or peanuts
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- 1 to 2 green chilies
- Salt as needed
- 1 clove garlic optional or replace with small piece of ginger
Tempering ingredients
- ¾ tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ to ¾ tsp urad dal or skinned & split black lentils
- 1 Pinch asafoetida or hing
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 red chili broken
Instructions
How to make idli chutney
- Most commonly fried gram is used to make this chutney. However if you do not have fried gram, then dry roast peanuts or chana dal and use.
- Add chopped or grated coconut, fried gram, garlic, salt , chili and cumin to a blender jar. Blend well adding just 2 to 3 tbsps water.
- Scrape the sides and add more water to blend and make a thick smooth chutney. If using frozen coconut then add warm water.
- For tempering heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, red chili and urad dal. Fry until the dal turns golden. Then add curry leaves & hing .
- Pour it to the idli chutney. Serve with breakfast like idli, dosa, uttapam, pongal or snacks.
To refrigerate
- If you prefer to store the chutney in the fridge, then add it to glass boxes with air tight jars. You can do a fresh tempering to the chutney when ever you want to use.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
So for some stupid reason mustard oil is banned for consumption in the US, something about it hurts rats but not humans (gotta protect the rats?). I did manage to find some but it says “not for food”. This is just the FDA being obtuse, like normal, right? It’s safe to eat it, isn’t it? I see it in lots of recipes :/
Best chuttney. Thankyou for the recipe. It tasted just like the one served in good south Indian Joints. This one is definitely going to be made often now.
Welcome Suhasini
Glad you liked it. Thank you!
Hi Swati I tried so many recipe you posted it is so delicious and tasty thank you d
Hi Dakshayani
You are welcome. Glad to know
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you so much. Great and simple recipe. Worked out very well.
Planning to try more.
Hi Manjusha
You are welcome. Thank you! Hope you like it.
Khup chan banvali thanks for chatani and other artical.
Welcome Yasmin. Thank you
hi is there no tamarind required in this recipe? Can we add some?
Hi Niyatee
Yes I dont use tamarind in coconut chutney. If you like you can use little. But better to skip if your idli or dosa batter has a sour flavor.
I will try beet root chutney it seems to be quite good
I was looking for it
Yes Anukampa do try it.
It tastes very good
how to calculate calories of energy for the type of food we take daily
Hi Jaya
we use a plugin which calculates the nutrition profile for the ingredients we provide. This is only a approximation. I guess there are websites online which will let you fill the ingredients. It will calculate the calories for you. Hope this helps
I made the chatni and it turned out very good. Thank you 🙂
I will make more recipes from your site 🙂
Welcome Madhulika
Thanks for trying
Hi Swasthi,
Can coconut chutney be prepared using dessicated coconut? Or only fresh coconut has to be used for chutneys?
Hi Kavitha
Fresh coconut is best for chutney. But I also use dried coconut- i.e copra / khurdi. It turns out good. Ready made desicatted coconut is not good to make chutney as it is processed -meaning milk and oil have already been removed from that, so it has no taste. Hope this helps
Nice recipe for coconut chutney: tasted almost like my mother’s chutney. Thank you for sharing
Grt recipes….n beautiful pic….very illustrative
Thanks Tabassum
YOUR FOOD LOOKS GREAT COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT SOME OF IHE INGREADENCE ARE THAT A WESTERNER CAN BUY URAD CHANA DAL ETC LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME REAL COOKING REGARDS [CHUTNEY]
Thank you
Urad dal is skinned & split black lentils also known as vigna mungo. You can also skip this in the recipe.
Roasted chana dal is roasted fried gram. If you cannot find it, you can use chana dal ie skinned & split bengal gram.
You can find these in any Indian or asian stores. Hope these help
A wonderful coconut chutney recipe. Thank you for giving the option of roasted chana dal instead of bengal gram. Bengal gram is hardly available in Austria (Europe) where I live. My children love this chutney along with dosa. I lived in the south of India for six years. I adore your recipes. Thank you.
Welcome Andrea
So glad to know you.
Thanks for the compliments. Happy to know your kids love this chutney.
Have a great day!!
🙂
Great instructions and lovely pictures, thank you. All the food pics look super delicious
Thanks Ash
all items are yummy
Thanks Anu
all the recepi are easy & yummy..
Very nice yam my recipies
Thank you
Love it..
Thanks
Coconut chutney is the main food item in south Indian food.It tastes delicious with dosa and idli.Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Welcome & thanks Ravish
lovely click