Kunjulli Thenga Chammandhi | Chutney with shallots and coconut

  Kunjulli in malayalam means shallots. As I have said earlier keralites use kunjulli aka shallots a lot in their cuisine. So here's one chutney recipe which has shallots as the main ingredient.

I guess there are a zillion ways of making chammandhi… with & without shallots, with & without ginger, with & without coconut & it goes on. Now keralites eat chammandhi with rice/kanji also. In most of the restaurants in kerala, when you order meals - chammandhi/chutney is served. The chammandhi/chutney which is served alongwith rice is generally very dry. That means no water is added to the chammandhi. This chammandhi also has a dry version which is very famous and I shall post it some other day. The recipe I have posted below is ideal for idli and dosas.

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup
Shallots/ Kunjulli  – 1/2 cup
Red chillies – 3
Tamarind Paste- 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal  – 1 tsp
Ginger - a small piece
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves – A sprig
Water – As required
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Peel the shallots and chop them into small pieces.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan & add chopped onions, ginger, curry leaves & dried red chillies. 
• Fry for about 5 minutes, till you get the roasted smell and the onions have turned translucent. 
• Add coconut & mix well. Just fry it for a minute or two. DO NOT brown it. 
• Remove from fire & let it cool. 
• Add tamarind & salt to this mix. 
• Grind the above mixture to a very smooth paste. Add water accordingly. 
• In a pan add 1 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds and urad dal. Fry until the urad dal turns pink. Add curry leaves. Switch off the flame and pour this tadka to the chutney.

Spicy kunjulli thenga chammandhi is ready!!! Serve with your favourite dosas!!

Notes:

• If you dont have dried red chilli, you can use chilli powder. Use around 2 tsp (adjust to suit your taste). 
• You can increase or reduce the qty of tamarind to suit your taste. 
• Its better to add salt after tasting tamarind, because some tamarinds can be very salty.

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