Chilli Chutney

Indian Chilli Chutney (Mirchi ki Chutney)

A fiery, rustic Indian condiment of fresh chillies, garlic and pepper tempered in oil, served alongside dosas, idlis, parathas or as a spicy accompaniment to any simple meal.

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Serves

Makes about 200 g (7 oz) — roughly 6 to 8 servings

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •150 g (5¼ oz (about 1 cup)) fresh red chillies, Indian long red chillies (byad or similar); substitute with a mix of Kashmiri and mild red chillies outside India. Stems removed.
• •20 g (about 6 large cloves) garlic, peeled, or null
• •5 g (1 tsp) black peppercorns, whole, or null
• •5 g (1 tsp) cumin seeds, or null
• •5 g (1 tsp) mustard seeds, optional, for tempering
• •8 g (1 tbsp) tamarind paste, concentrated, soaked-seedless; substitute with 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice
• •8 g (1 tbsp) jaggery, grated; substitute with brown sugar
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, or to taste, or null
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) sesame oil or peanut oil, Indian gingelly/peanut oil preferred; substitute with another neutral vegetable oil
• •1 g (1 pinch) asafoetida (hing), optional but traditional; skip if unavailable
• •10 g (8–10 leaves) fresh curry leaves, optional, for tempering

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the chillies, pat dry and snap off the stems. Peel the garlic cloves.
2. 2 Heat 15 ml (1 tbsp) of the oil in a small heavy pan over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and peppercorns; let them sizzle for 20–30 seconds until fragrant and the cumin deepens in colour.
3. 3 Add the whole dried or fresh red chillies and the garlic cloves. Stir and fry for 3–4 minutes, pressing the garlic, until the chillies are blistered and the garlic is soft and lightly browned. Do not burn.
4. 4 Tip the fried mixture into a grinder jar. Add the tamarind paste, jaggery, salt and 30 ml (2 tbsp) water. Blend to a coarse paste, scraping down the sides; add a splash more water if needed. The traditional texture is thick and slightly grainy, not smooth.
5. 5 Heat the remaining 15 ml (1 tbsp) oil in the same pan over medium-high. Add the mustard seeds if using; when they pop, add the curry leaves and asafoetida and stir once for 5 seconds.
6. 6 Pour the tempering over the chutney and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt or jaggery.
7. 7 Cool completely, then store in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Always use a dry spoon. Safety note: there is no kill step for the raw garlic–chilli mixture after grinding, so keep it refrigerated and consume within the time stated; if any smell, colour or mould appears, discard.