This tangy Poondu Chutney Recipe / Garlic Chutney goes very well with Dosai, Idlies. It is also a great dip for garlic bread sticks.
This tangy Indian Garlic chutney goes very well Tamil breakfast recipes like Dosa, Idli. It is also a great dip for garlic bread sticks.
We use to visit our grandparents for summer vacations in my childhood days to Madurai, a city in TamilNadu, India. Madurai is very famous for roadside Idly shops, maintained by aged women(I don’t know the present scenario). They serve extraordinary fluffy Idli with coconut chutney and this raw garlic chutney.
Authentically, poondu chutney gets ground in mortar or stone grinding. Earlier, my mom uses stone mortar especially for making this chutney. Nowadays, heavy duty mixer/grinder has been substituted in the kitchen for this stone mortars, compromising with its authenticated texture.
The mildly sweetened coconut chutney, the very ‘hot’ garlic chutney with those Idli, Dosa, Oothappam, Instant Oats Adai….I’m really very jealous about Madurai residents for this red chili garlic chutney.
What is poondu chutney?
‘Poondu’ is a Tamil word and translated as Garlic in English. This chutney is great to serve for South Indian breakfast food like Idli, Dosa. This poondu chutney recipe is fiery and spicy, one of the authentic side dishes which is popular in the mid regions of the state of Tamil Nadu like Madurai.
This Indian garlic chutney is hard to find outside in restaurants as it does not have a long shelf time as other chutney recipes have. It is best to be consumed as and when it is made. In my childhood days, my mom uses here stone mortar and pestle to make this chutney alone. The taste is totally different when stone grind. But the apartment culture destroyed this traditional method of making.
Nowadays, we got used to the taste of the chutney made with modern kitchen machines. But I have no complaints towards it and I love making with the mixer grinder. As it saves time and also convenient to use.
How to serve?
Idli and dosa are the best pair to serve with this authentic poondu chutney, especially for dosa. When serving with these South Indian breakfast items, a small quantity of chutney is huge for a single serving. As it is hot and spicy made with raw red chili, the very minimum quantity would be sufficient to eat in the morning hours.
Usually, this is served along with the sesame seed oil. Which also increase the quantity and subtle down the fiery hot of red chilies and makes it finger licking side dish.
To serve place a tablespoon of this chutney in the serving plate, add a tablespoon of sesame seed oil. Use your fingers to combine the sesame seed oil and the kara poondu chutney together. Taste, if you feel it is still hot, dilute further with sesame seed oil.
The key ingredients for Poondu chutney recipe
Onion– Shallots are the best to use to make this garlic chutney for dosa. But Indian shallots are expensive and rare to find in the United States. Here, I found yellow onion or sweet onion is similar to the taste of shallots and this is what I’m using here.
The red onion that we find here in Pennsylvania, brings out a new shade to this recipe and make it taste different than the original.
Garlic– Any verity of garlic is great for making. Both the thin or bigger clove garlic tastes the same.
Tamarind-Tamarind is available in many forms nowadays, you can get them from the Indian stores. You can use the tamarind paste, tamarind powder or the original tamarind. If these are not accessible to you, then try using dry mango powder, which is the close substitute for tamarind in this kara poondu chutney recipe.
Red chili– Round red chili is great to make this garlic chutney for dosa. As these are mildly hot, have a robust flavor and also gives a smooth texture. The long red chili is very hot and spicy which makes the chutney more concentrated.
Poondu Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 cup Onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Tamarind thick extract
- 2 Red Chili
- 1/4 tsp Salt or as required
Instructions
- This poondu chutney will be hotter, so lesser quantity will do. Firstly, grind all these ingredients in mixer/blender to make a thick fine paste.
- No need for any seasoning. Serve this garlic chutney with Dosa, Idly... Like I said before It will be a great Dip for garlic bread, etc.,
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions:
1. Serve it along with dosa, Idlies.
2. If you wish, you can also serve it seasoning. For seasoning, heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds and urad dal. When mustard seeds splutter, add it to the garlic chutney.
Tips and Variations for Poondu chutney:
1. Originally, more chilies will be added to this recipe.
2. Stone grinding, grinding with mortar brings beautiful texture and taste.
3. Pearl onions/sambar onions taste super for this chutney.
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