Love South Indian Food? You Haven’t Tasted Anything Until You Try This Spicy Chutney

The popularity of South Indian cuisine has broken barriers and gone beyond the region. Today, you can find people from across India (and abroad) enjoying dosas, idlis, vadas, curd rice, etc., as a part of their daily diet. South Indian meals are light, wholesome, and most importantly, they add a burst of flavour to your palate. So much so that you will find people making these delicacies at home or ordering from nearby joints every now and then. But do you know what fascinates us the most? Even after such massive exposure, there are still various South Indian recipes that are yet to be explored. In fact, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that knowing all about South Indian foods is quite an impossible task in one lifetime.
Recently, we came across one such chutney recipe that is popularly paired with various dishes in some parts of South India. It is flavorful, has a unique nutty texture, and can give coconut chutney a run for its money. Sounds interesting? We suggest going through the recipe and trying it for your next South Indian feast. It’s the spicy ginger chutney, or as it is traditionally called: Kara Chutney. For the unversed, “kara” in Tamil literally translates to ‘spicy’. Let’s try it out.
Also Read: How To Make South Indian-Style Cucumber Chutney

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How To Make South Indian Spicy Ginger Chutney:

Chutney follows no specific rule or recipe; the flavours are usually modified as per your palate. Hence, you would find different variations of this particular dish across the internet. The one we are sharing with you is from Chef Guntas Sethi, shared on her Instagram handle. According to her, “You can add this to any recipe to enhance the flavour or enjoy it on the side, and you’ll love it in every way!”
To start with, dry roast chana and urad dal along with jeera and transfer them to a blender. Then, heat oil and sauté onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, Kashmiri red chillies/Bydagi chillies, with some salt. Once the mix softens, transfer it to the blender and blend along with dal and jeera. Finally, add a simple tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves, and you are good to go!
Also Read: Decoding ‘Tiffin’: The Ultimate Guide To The Popular Food Culture Of South India
Watch the recipe below:

Bonus Tips:

1. Always soak the chillies in water for some time to enjoy better flavour and colour. It also helps the chillies blend properly with the chutney.
2. You can blend onions and other ingredients before sauteing and then heat it in a pan to eliminate the raw aroma.
3. Always dry roast the dals and jeera to enhance the aroma and nutty texture.
4. You can follow any process you want to make the chutney but never forget to add the tadka at the end. This helps amp up the flavours by leaps and bounds.