Discover the lesser-known chutneys straight from the heart of South India

A survey conducted by food delivery platform Swiggy shows that they delivered 33 million idlis in the past year Thatrsquos quite something but the only thing that makes the otherwise bland idli edible for this writer at least is the accompanying chutney The South Indian eateries in Matunga omnipresent Udupi restaurants across the metropolis and our roadside idlivada stalls have introduced us only to the classic white coconut chutney and the red tomatogarlic chutney Occasionally someone throws in the green variant Our tryst with South Indian chutneys doesnrsquot even scratch the surface of the world of this condimentBengalurubased professor podcaster and author Ranjini Rao tells us that besides the coconut chutney families in South India make chutneys out of vegetables and their peels as well Rao who is also a home chef specialising in South Indian cuisine explains how the chutneys that we get from takeaway joints even in say Chennai do not resemble the world of homemade onesldquoMost are watered down and not thick like the ones made at homerdquo she says adding ldquoEvery community in the southern states have their version of the coconut chutney made using local as well as seasonal ingredients and thatrsquos what makes it truly uniquerdquoKeralaBandrabased chef Sara Jacob Nair tells us there is a ldquowar going on between chutney and chammanthisrdquo The chammanthi is coarse while chutney is the finely ground version Since coconut is the base for both it all depends on how long it is ground ldquoChutneys in Kerala go beyond the three colour variants of white green and redrdquo says the cofounder of NaironFire a food delivery kitchen specialising in homestyle Kerala cuisineThenga chammanthi above can be watery like Sarah Jacob Nair prefers it when there is no sambar The thicker version can also be shaped into a ball and enjoyed with idlisldquoWe also have versions with tamarindrdquo Her favourite to go with dry idlis is ldquothe watery red chutney made with coconut tomatoes and basic ingredients available in small local shops across Keralardquo The other popular variants include the tamarind chutney which is sour and has red chillies a nococonut chutney called pulichammanthi and then there is chammanthi podi These are not necessarily to be had with idlis says Nair ldquoWe usually eat these with ricerdquo she saysKerala also makes seasonal fruit chutneys using mango pineapple or even passion fruit ldquoThe statersquos pineapples are one of the tastiest in the world and this pineapple chammanthi has a spicysweet profile with a lot of green chillies We also add coconut to itrdquo she says adding ldquoKeralaites use a special green chilli called kanthari also called birdrsquos eye chilli I grow these in my Mumbai home kitchen gardenrdquoKeralities use pineapple mangoes and passion fruit in chutneys and chammanthis Seen here are pineapple chammanthi mango chutney and puli chammanthiTravel deeper into the state and nonvegetarian particularly seafood variants can be found Nairrsquos favourite prawn chutney has dried prawns and roasted and ground coconut with red chilli and masala ldquoYou eat it with hot rice River fish is also used in abundancerdquo she says When asked for a vegetarian option as a favourite chutney Nair picks a goodinjupuli made with ginger tamarind and jaggeryldquoFor breakfastrdquo she smiles ldquowe pour a spicy watery red chutney over the idli like a curry Once the idli soaks it all up you can mash it with your hands and have it You donrsquot even need sambarrdquoSara Jacob NairKarnatakaldquoIn Karnataka coconut is not the star ingredientrdquo says Rao ldquoOur chutneys come with a twist of coriander or curry leaves that give it a light green hue In fact we use ridge gourd turai and its peels for that perfect shaderdquo In her book Lessons From My Motherrsquos Kitchen she recalls how her mum Lalitha Rao always served ridge gourd chutney with puris ldquoWhen I think of chutneyrdquo says the author ldquoI always think of hot rice and ghee with chutney on top you keep mixing it together as you eat Chutney can be made with pantry ingredients but remember that it always has to be thick enough to be scooped rather than an accompaniment to be dunked intordquoRanjini RaoIn Kerala Rao informs us that curd is used as a souring agent but in Karnataka tamarind replaces it ldquoIn summer tamarind takes a back seat because raw mango is the preferred choice for the souring agentrdquo she adds voting for mango chutney as one of her favourites ldquoAnother one is my motherrsquos lemon chutney in winter we use sesame oil to make it to keep us warmrdquo she adds Raorsquos recipes have been handed down generations and she believes that the best way to make chutney to handgrind them using a stone mortarpestleldquoEven today there are many holeinthewall restaurants in Bengaluru that hand grind their chutneys dailyrdquo she says She admits that while she doesnrsquot hand grind her chutneys anymore she hopes that one day she has the facility to do soRidge gourd chutney Peertangai chutneyIngredients2 ridge gourds peeled and chopped56 red chillies1 tbsp toor dalA few curry leaves1 coconutSalt to taste2 tbsp sesame oilMethodHeat sesame oil add all the above ingredients except coconut and sauteacute till the gourd shrinks and toor dal is golden brown Grind in mixer with freshlygrated coconut Temper mustard seeds curry leaves and one broken red chilli pour on paste and serveCarrot leaf chutney Kodai farmerrsquos recipeIngredients1 small bunch of carrot leaves1 small bunch of coriander5 cloves of garlic1 inch of gingerA few green chillies12 tsp black saltSalt to tasteDash of lemonMethodGrind all into a paste and enjoy with idli or over bread Extremely healthy and deliciousCurry leaves chutney pudi Karibevu chutney PudiIngredients2 tbsp chana dal2 tbsp urad dal1 tbsp moong dal1 tbsp toor dal2 red chillies14 tsp methi1 tsp coriander seeds1 tsp black pepper12 cup peanuts1 cup curry leaves12 tsp tamarind powderPinch of asafoetida12 tsp salt1 tsp jaggery powderMethodIn a pan dry roast the dals until they turn light brown and set aside Then roast red chillies methi coriander seeds and pepper Fry peanuts until brown and set asidemdashremove the skin when cooled Roast the curry leaves until they turn crisp Once cool grind all the roasted ingredients with the tamarind powder hing salt and jaggery Let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container This powder can be stored for up to four weeks Tamil NaduAndheribased Sarada Krishnan Narayan who started her entrepreneurial journey Mumbai as a home chef now a food truck specialising in South Indian cuisine The 31yearold chef hails from Coimbatore on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala so her diet includes a mix of flavours from both sides Narayan tells us that chutneys in Tamil Nadu are very spicy and the white one is made with green chillies here while in Kerala they use red chillies Vegetables such as snake gourd brinjal and tomatoes and other gourds are also used to make chutneysTiruchirapallibased Anastasia Dedhiarsquos exposure to indigenous chutneys goes back to her childhood home in Coimbatore They had local Tamilians as cooksldquoLocal eateries here give four different types of chutneysrdquo she says ldquoOne is a thick white chutney another is a runny white one a tomato and brinjal gojju and the red chutney which can be made in many different waysrdquo she adds Clinical psychologist and culinarian Anastasia Dedhia has been visiting Coimbatore since she was a child because of her fatherrsquos business She was surrounded by cooks and domestic help who were locals Formerly based in Mumbai she has now moved to Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu and as a culinarian her avid interest in food and the time spent in Tamil Nadu has given her good exposure to indigenous chutneysDrawing comparisons she tells us of how the red chutney that we are served in Mumbai is not authentic The original version uses shallots ground with other ingredients into a puree ldquoThe tadka is that of curry leaves and mustard and sugar and salt is added to the mixture until the water from the tomatoes evaporates and the onions caramelise to give it a dark red tangy flavourrdquo Dedhia explainsTamil Nadu restaurants serve four different types of chutney In the picture to the left sit yellow ridge gourd chutney orange onion chutney and red tomato thokku PicsAnurag AhireNarayan also says that red chutney is also made in the form of thokku similar to a pickle where they add more oil and can store it for almost a month That is why it was known to be ldquotrain journey foodrdquoAnother thing she adds is while Kerala prefers coconut oil in Tamil Nadu sesame oil is preferred ldquoEven the dry coconut gunpowder chutneys have variations Dal gunpowder is famous in Tamil Nadu and is made in different varieties by dry roasting curry leaves coconut or garlic under the sun Fresh batches are made often and we mix it with curd and feed it to children toordquo she addsDedhiarsquos travels to other parts of Tamil Nadu like Ooty and Kodaikanal where she was introduced to a carrot leaf chutney ldquoItrsquos made exactly like green coriander chutney but coriander is replaced with carrot leaves which are grown in abundance there Chutneys from the state use locally found ingredients including shallots black peppercorn and curry leavesrdquo