Horse gram Chutney Powder (Kulitha chutney puddi, kulitha puddi chutney)

Horse gram Chutney Powder (Kulitha chutney puddi, kulitha puddi chutney)

Chutney powder is a versatile side. You can eat dosas, idlis, rice, curd rice, congee, chapathis & practically anything with chutney powder. It serves as a great accompaniment, be it for breakfast or for lunch. Throughout the years when we packed chapathis for long journeys or took them in our tiffins to school, they were always packed with a box of chutney powder. By far my fav combo!

Chutney powder is called puddi chutney/chutney puddi in Konkani. Puddi means powder in Konkani. Chutney powder is made using a variety of ingredients: coconut, dried coconut, different types of dals (pulses), grains, curry leaves etc. Usually a bottle of chutney powder stays good for upto 1 month, when it is made & stored with care. Chutney powder is our go to side dish for most of the dishes, on days we can’t afford to make a fresh coconut chutney or sambar etc. Thus a life saver!

Below is the recipe for horse gram chutney powder. I can eat a bottle of this spicy, flavourful chutney powder all by itself. It tastes all the more great with a big dollop of coconut oil on top. 

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 kg horse gram
  • 1 cup fresh or dried, grated coconut
  • 15-20 dried red chillies
  • 10-14 garlic pods depending on size
  • 5-6 teaspoons of coriander seeds
  • 5-6 leaflets of curry leaves
  • 2-3 lemon sized tamarind
  • Salt to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons of oil

P.S: The amount of red chillies, tamarind, salt you add should be according to your palate. Depending on how spicy or how tangy you'd like it to be.

Servings: 20-25 

Preparation Time: 45 minutes 

Preparation Method:

1. Chutney powder is prepared by roasting all the ingredients. Saute them well for uniform roasting.

2. Fry all the ingredients mentioned below using as little oil as possible to get a dry chutney powder. Use a non stick wok for frying, so that you can mimimize the usage of oil. The more oil you use, more sticky your chutney powder gets. We need a dry powder in the end.

3. Dry roast horse gram in a wok on medium heat, until they puff up and change in colour. When a few horse gram begin to pop, remove it off heat. Transfer them onto a plate and let it cool off completely.

Do not let it get over fried/burnt, or your chutney pudi will taste burnt in the end.

4. Peel the garlic cloves. Fry them in the wok using few drops of oil until they just start to brown. Keep them aside on another plate to cool down.

5. Then fry dried red chillies, curry leaves, coriander seeds in the wok using just few drops of oil. Keep them aside on another plate to cool down.

6. Keep tamarind amidst the fried items so that it crisps up a little and gets powdered well later on. 

7. Next fry grated dried coconut (called kobri in Konkani) in the wok, without using oil, until it gets hot. 

If you’re using fresh grated coconut then fry them until they’re well fried and turn brown in colour. Or else your chutney powder goes bad way too early, maybe within a few days.

Transfer and let them cool off completely on another plate. 

8. Start grinding, once all the ingredients have cooled off completely.

9. First powder fried red chillies, curry leaves and coriander seeds in a mixer into a fine powder. Transfer them into a bowl and keep it aside.

10. Then add in cooled horse gram to the mixer and make a fine powder of it. 

11. To the mixer, next add in fried coconut and grind it into a fine powder.

12. Then add in red chilli, coriander powder kept aside into the mixer, add in salt, tamarind, fried, cooled garlic and grind them for a minute or two, until you get a fine powder.

13. Keep the chutney powder aside for 10-15 minutes so that it cools off, then transfer it into a dry, air tight bottle and keep it aside for further use.

Serving suggestions:

1. Enjoy this horse gram chutney powder with dosas or idlis with a big dollop of oil on top. 

2. Mix steaming hot rice with chutney powder, lots of coconut oil and enjoy!

3. Enjoy chutney powder with curd rice or congee.

4. Enjoy chutney powder with chapatis. Yum! My fav combo!

Side Note:

1. Well dried coconut (kobri)(sun dried for 8-10 days) gives out lots of oil on grinding. In that case don't grind them too much. Your chutney powder becomes sticky instead of a fine powder in the end, if coconut gives out lots of oil.

2. Preferably use fresh coconut and fry them well so that your chutney powder lasts for long. 

3. You can use half dried coconut (sun dried for 2-4 days) to make chutney powder so that it lasts for long and also doesn't give out too much oil.

Find more Konkani cuisine side dishes here

Tags: Konkani cuisine, Konkani food, Konkani recipe, sides for chapati, idli, dosas, puddi chutney, chutney puddi, chutney powder, kulithu, kulitha puddi chutney, horse gram