South Indian Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

• 100 g desiccated coconut
• 2½ dl water, warm
• 30 g cashews
• 2 fresh chilli, roughly chopped
• 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 15 curry leaves

Method

1. 1.

   Soak the coconut and cashews — Put the desiccated coconut and the cashews in a bowl, pour over the warm water and leave to soak for 10 minutes until the coconut has plumped up and softened.

2. 2.

   Blend to a coarse paste — Tip the soaked coconut and its water into a blender with the chilli and ginger and blend to a thick paste. Stop while it is still faintly grainy — a completely smooth chutney loses its texture on the plate.

3. 3.

   Season and loosen — Scrape the chutney into a serving bowl and season with the lemon juice and salt. Loosen it with a splash of cold water until it falls thickly from a spoon, like softly whipped cream.

4. 4.

   Make the tempering — Heat the oil in a small pan over medium-high heat and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the urad dal and fry for 30 seconds until it turns pale gold, then throw in the curry leaves and stand back as they crackle.

5. 5.

   Fold in the tempering — Pour the sizzling tempering straight over the chutney and fold it through just once, so the dark oil still streaks the white. Let it sit for 5 minutes and serve at room temperature with dosa, idli or upma.