Coconut And Asafoetida Chutney (Hinga Chutney)

Chutney is a must be it with dosa or idli or any snack. There are a variety of coconut chutneys that we Konkanis prepare. One such coconut chutney is with asafoetida. It goes well with many kinds of dosas and idlis.

Traditionally, grated coconut is ground with green chillies, tamarind and salt. Asafoetida soaked, melted in water is added to the ground chutney and then the chutney is seasoned for an amazing flavour and taste.

My MIL's way of preparing this coconut chutney is what I follow. It helps you get away with the hassle of soaking asafoetida beforehand, by using asafoetida powder in the seasoning. She fries the green chillies for few minutes with oil before grinding it so that it gives a nice flavour to the coconut chutney. Here's the method she follows:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup grated coconut
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon of tamarind
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of oil

For tempering:

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds
• Few curry leaves
• 1/2 dried red chilli
• A pinch of asafoetida powder

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Method of preparation:

1. Heat a tempering pan, add in 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Add in washed, cloth dried green chillies broken into few pieces. Fry them for a minute or two until their colour starts to change. Allow them to cool completely.
2. Once the green chillies cool, grind them along with grated coconut, tamarind and salt into a smooth paste by adding enough water.
3. Transfer the ground chutney into a serving bowl. Adjust the consistency of the chutney by adding more water, if required. Consistency of the chutney is usually between medium thick to thick. Do not add excess water and make it watery. 

Seasoning:

4. Heat oil in a tempering pan, add in mustard seeds. When the mustard starts to splutter, add in curry leaves, red chilli broken into tiny pieces and asafoetida powder. Let them sizzle for few seconds. Remove it off heat and add it to the chutney. Mix well and serve the chutney with dosas or idlis.

Side Note:

For working women like me and herself, my MIL came up with using asafoetida powder instead of soaked, melted asafoetida. My mom also came up with another idea to make life easy for me. Soak a big piece of asafoetida in water in a tiny bottle and store it in the fridge. That way you have melted asafoetida for whenever you need. I just take a little of the concentrated asafoetida water, out of bottle every time I need to use it. :-)

Tags: Chutney, Hinga chutney, Sides, Coconut chutney, Konkani recipe, Konkani dish, Konkani cuisine, Udupi cuisine, Mangalore food, Konkani food.