Peanut Chutney
Dry-roasted groundnut chutney — peanuts roasted until the skins blister and peel, ground coarsely with dried red chilli, garlic, tamarind, salt, and a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves poured over the finished paste. Anantapur district produces more groundnuts than any other district in India; the groundnut is so central to Rayalaseema that this chutney is not a condiment but a staple, eaten at every breakfast alongside pesarattu or idli and at every meal alongside rice. The texture should be coarse — small peanut fragments visible — rather than a smooth paste; the roast depth determines the chutney's bitterness-sweetness balance. Distinctly different from coconut chutney or any other South Indian breakfast chutney.
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Recipe
Ingredients
| 1 cup | raw peanuts |
| 2 tablespoons | oil |
| 2 tablespoons | chana dal |
| 1 tablespoon | urad dal |
| 3 | dried red chilies |
| 1 teaspoon | cumin seeds |
| 1 teaspoon | mustard seeds |
| 1 | tamarind (small lemon-sized ball) |
| 1 | garlic clove |
| 1 pinch | asafoetida |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| 1 cup | water |
| 1 tablespoon | jaggery |
| 1 tablespoon | curry leaves |
Instructions
- 1 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat.
- 2 Add peanuts and roast until golden brown, then set aside to cool.
- 3 In the same pan, add chana dal, urad dal, and dried red chilies.
- 4 Roast until the dals turn golden brown and set aside.
- 5 Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds to the pan and roast for a minute.
- 6 Add tamarind, garlic, and asafoetida, and sauté briefly.
- 7 Combine all roasted ingredients in a blender.
- 8 Add salt, water, and jaggery to the blender.
- 9 Blend into a smooth paste, adjusting water for desired consistency.
- 10 Heat the remaining oil in a pan, add curry leaves, and sauté until crisp.
- 11 Pour the tempering over the chutney and mix well.
Tips
Roasting the peanuts thoroughly enhances the flavor of the chutney.