361014 Tue Jan 16 23:46:04 -0800 2007 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 2195894 I used to order naan and coconut chutney at a local Indian restaurant and it is the only place I've ever had coconut chutney so I have nothing to compare it to. It was very liquidy and extremely mild. It is no longer on the menu and I've taken to the internet in my quest to recreate it. However, the recipes I find are very much different than what he served. So, was he not really serving a true chutney perhaps or is chutney like hummus-1001 variations of it exist? Tue Jan 16 23:46:04 -0800 2007 10695 Velma 1 2196135 What color was it? Green or white? Slightly tangy? Any seeds floating around or just homogeneous? Yeah, in general the word 'chutney' is about as specific as the word 'sauce'. If the restaurant called it coconut chutney then presumably that was the main ingredient in it. Other than that, the recipe can be all over the map. Wed Jan 17 01:13:11 -0800 2007 2195894 16109 sweetTooth 1 2196294 This will probably get moved over to Home Cooking but as I recall, it was white, not tangy at all and pretty homogeneous. It seemed to be a white liquid like milk maybe with coconut in it. Perhaps that is my answer. Wed Jan 17 02:12:31 -0800 2007 2195894 10695 Velma 2 2204669 Yup, then it was probably a south indian coconut chutney as John points out. Beware though, some versions can have some hot green chillies ground in there. Most recipes you find online will have some toasted channa dal(that's split, hulled chickpeas) and some toasted dried red chilli. You can reduce or omit the red chilli for a milder chutney and to make it runny you can just add some water or reduce the amount of channa dal. You could start with a simple one and go from there. Process some fresh coconut with a teeny bit of chilli (green or dried), leaves from two sprigs of cilantro, salt and enough water to get the coconut processed. Fri Jan 19 02:10:37 -0800 2007 2196294 16109 sweetTooth 1 2196616 Any South Indian place will have coconut chutney to have with your dosas and your idli. Wed Jan 17 04:14:24 -0800 2007 2195894 12135 John Manzo 1 2204915 I use a recipe from Yamuna Devi's Lord Krishna's Cuisine cookbook. She starts with a base of unsweetened shredded coconut and cashews, and adds a small amount of fried mustard seeds and chile, and maybe other ingredients I don't recall? If this sounds similar, let me know and I'll look up the exact ingredients for you. Hers is white, thick or thin as you make it, and the mustard seeds add little brown flecks. I make it in the blender or mini prep, depending on the quantity. Fri Jan 19 03:38:02 -0800 2007 2195894 24126 amyzan 1 2212827 Somehow I overlooked this response Amyzan-I would appreciate that very much! Maybe I should repost a recipe request on home cooking so that it can be posted there. Thanks all for the help with this posting. Mon Jan 22 01:20:17 -0800 2007 2195894 10695 Velma 2 2222264 Sorry, I missed your response, too! Yamuna Devi has four different recipes for coconut chutneys in that book. Here are my favorite two: Dry Coconut Chutney 1 c. (85 g.) unsweetened desiccated coconut 2-3 dried red chilies (I use Penzey's sanaam variety) broken up, seeds removed 3 tbsp. dry roast peanuts (I substitute cashews) 1/2-1 tsp. salt 1/3 c. plain yogurt (whole milk tastes better and makes a thicker chutney) 3 tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley, minced Process 1/2 the coconut, the chilies, and the nuts in a blender or food processor, scraping the sides as needed, until powdered. Add the rest of the coconut and the salt, and process again until powdered. With the machine running, add the yogurt, pulsing until the mixture is fluffy and light. (If you want a smooth puree, add more yogurt.) Add the cilantro and pulse just to mix. (The mixture should have flecks rather than turn light green.) Serve chilled or at room temperature. Refrigerated, will keep 1-2 days. Fresh Coconut Chutney with Mint 1-2 jalapeno (or serrano) peppers, seeded and chopped up 1/2 inch piece ginger root, scraped of skin and sliced 10 whole cashews (or almonds, I like cashews better) 1/3 c. water 2 tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice 1 tbsp. raw sugar or maple syrup (I use maple syrup mostly, but jaggery has better flavor, if you can get it. Pilloncillo works, too.) 1 tsp. salt 1/3 c. fresh mint leaves 1 c. defrosted frozen shredded unsweetened coconut (I buy at the Indian grocery, haven't seen the right kind at conventional groceries) Using a blender or food processor while running, drop in chilies and ginger and proces until minced. Add the nuts and pulse until ground. Add the juice, sweetener, salt, and mint, and process, adding the water by tbsp. until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the coconut. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary. You can thin this with yogurt if you like a runnier consistency. Serve room temperature or chilled. Will keep 1-2 days refrigerated. BTW, the recipes with fried mustard seeds I mentioned earlier are ones using tomatoes or tamarind. That didn't sound like what you'd had at Indian restaurants and described, so I posted the other two I make for south Indian dishes like sambhar with iddli or dosas. I hope these are what you're looking for? Wed Jan 24 11:42:19 -0800 2007 2212827 24126 amyzan 1 2258615 Amyzan, I tried the dry coconut chutney last night and it was absolutely perfect! It was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for posting these recipes. Sun Feb 04 10:26:17 -0800 2007 2195894 10695 Velma