Dry-roasted Coconut Chutney (Thenga chuttaracha chammanthi)

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This is a recipe that has nostalgia as a main ingredient ! As a Malayalee, I love anything coconut and a chutney like this, is a part of everyday diet, back in Kerala.We have this with our breakfast, as a side for puzhukku (mashed yuca or jackfruit mostly),with our lunch (rice, thoran etc) and also with our dinner (if it is kanji aka rice porridge). I guess you got how much we, Keralaites, love these semi-dry chutneys,because they match with almost everything we eat.

Thenga chuttaracha chammanthi holds a very special place among all the chutneys, mostly for the method it is prepared and the distinct taste from the dry-roasted coconut.Traditionally this is made after roasting the coconut in the wood burning fire-herth. You toss in the coconut pieces and the red chilies in the ashes and the coal pieces left after you burn the wood and let them roast. I cannot guarantee you that the method I explained here will give you the chutney with the exact same taste,but I gaurantee it will taste delicious! The coconut gets a smoky flavor from the wood fire-herth, whereas sadly we cannot replicate that on the stove top.But still this tastes good and quench my taste buds when I'm in a mood to have some chuttaracha chammanthi.

Another major difference from the traditional one ,is the way it is ground.As most of you know, we used to grind everything using stone. Ammikkallu, for semi wet grinding, aattukallu for wet grinding and ural for dry grinding. Still I have them in my parent's house, though they don't use them much anymore, maybe ammikkallu/arakallu being an exception. Guess I should take some pictures of those when I visit Kerala next time, since my kids won't even know what these are, when they grow up.The chutneys made on ammikkallu is definitely different from what we make using a mixer grinder.

Many people ask me where I get my fresh coconuts from. I always get them from the Asian/Chinese market place instead of a local grocer,since they have really fresh coconuts. I rarely use frozen coconut, because fresh makes a huge difference especially in dishes like, this chutney.So I hope you all enjoy making this delicious yet spicy chammanthi at home.I wish everyone in US a great 3-day weekend filled with endless fun!!

Ingredients:

Coconut pieces- from 1/4th of a coconut
Dried Red Chilies- 4-5
Tamarind- gooseberry size (around 1 tsp)
Salt- To taste
Shallots- 2-3 small
Curry leaves- 2-3

Method:

1.Dry roast the coconut pieces in a large non sticky pan, on medium heat.Turn the sides when they turn brown.Once both the sides are done take them out from the pan.The coconut shouldn't burn, but there shouldn't be any white left on them.
2.Dry roast the red chilies too,turning the sides in between, till they change the color.
3.Let the coconut and chilies cool down a bit.
4.Grind them with the other ingredients in a mixie/grinder.Sprinkle a couple of spoons of water to let the chutney come together.I don't grind it fine, we prefer it to be a bit coarse.
5.Serve with warm rice and any other side dishes of your choice.