Peanut Chutney

Peanut chutney or Groundnut chutney is a very tasty, creamy South India-style chutney that goes well with a lot of South Indian dishes like idli, dosa, or vada. Also known as palli chutney or moongphali ki chutney, it's made by grinding roasted peanuts, garlic, red chilies, some lentils, and tamarind, the chutney is then tempered with south Indian spices.

A few days ago I posted the recipe of Coriander tomato chutney which is my favorite chutney recipe from North India.

Today, I am sharing my favorite chutney recipe from South India – Peanut Chutney also called Moongphali ki chutney or palli chutney.

This vegan chutney is served with a lot of South Indian dishes mainly breakfast dishes like Idli, vada, dosa, uttapam, and paniyaram.

What goes in peanut chutney?

To make South Indian-style peanut chutney, you will need the ingredients shown below:

Ingredient notes

1. Peanuts: I have used raw peanuts with skin and then roasted them before grinding. You can also buy roasted peanuts and then use them to save time. If you have skinned and roasted peanuts that will be fine too.
2. Curry leaves: Curry leaves are used to flavor almost every savory South Indian dish and I love this ingredient. If you can't find fresh curry leaves, use dried or frozen ones. However, the dried ones are not as flavorful as the fresh curry leaves. This ingredient completely transforms the flavor and aroma of a dish.
3. Urad dal: Urad dal is split and skinned black lentils. It is used to temper a lot of South Indian chutneys and other dishes. They add a nutty flavor as well as a crunch to the chutney
4. Tamarind: I have used a piece of seedless tamarind. You can also add tamarind paste.
5. Black mustard seeds: It's also used to add a mild flavor and texture to the chutney. You can easily find it in the spice section of Indian grocery stores.
6. Asafoetida: Also known as hing in India, it's the resinous gum of a plant with a very strong flavor and aroma. So, never add more than around 1/8 teaspoon of this spice to a dish. It not only adds a nice and unique flavor to the dish but also helps in digesting the food. Though naturally this ingredient is gluten-free, some brands add flour to it while processing. So, if you are on a gluten-free diet, make sure that the asafoetida that you are using is gluten-free.

How to make (step by step process)?

Step: 1: Heat oil in a cooking pot and add peanuts. Roast for around 4-5 minutes or until the peanuts change color and become fragrant. Take them out in a bowl and allow reaching room temperature.

Step 2: In the same pan add some roughly chopped onion and garlic. Saute until they start turning brown.

Step 3: Add dried red chilies and cumin seeds. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Step 4: Add tamarind and saute for a minute.

Step: 5: Add asafoetida and saute for a few seconds. It gets burned very past so don't overcook it.

Step 6: Add salt, mix, and switch off the stove. Allow the mixture to reach room temperature.

Step 7: Put roasted peanuts and onion mix in a grinding jar.

Step 8: Add water.

Step: 9: Grind to make a paste. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Step 10: Heat some more oil in a pan. Break dried red chilies into smaller pieces and add to the oil along with black mustard seeds, and urad dal. Saute until the urad dal starts turning brown.

Step 11: Add curry leaves and saute for about a minute.

Step 12: Pour the mixture over chutney and mix.

Your delicious and flavorful groundnut chutney is ready to be served!

How to serve?

Peanut Chutney can be served at room temperature with almost every South Indian breakfast or a snack like Idli, dosa, uttapam, vada, or paniyaram.

You can also spread it like peanut butter on a crisp toast.

How to store?

Since peanuts have a natural oil that comes out when you grind them, you can easily store peanut chutney in an airtight container and then store it in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Can peanut chutney be frozen?

Yes, you can also freeze peanut chutney in an ice tray and store it in the freezer for around 4 months. 

Don’t temper before freezing, just freeze the paste.

When you want to use it, take out the frozen chutney, thaw it and then allow reaching room temperature. If it's too thick, add some warm water and blend.

Temper with spices to get the fresh flavor.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Peanut chutney is made both with and without coconut. I prefer eating peanut chutney without coconut. If you want to make it with coconut just follow the recipe which I have shared and add around 4 tablespoons of freshly grated coconut to it while grinding the peanuts.
• Don't leave the peanuts unattended when roasting otherwise they will get burned and the chutney will turn bitter.
• Make sure that the tamarind that you are using is seedless.
• If your heat tolerance is low, add lesser red chilies or remove their seeds.
• Allow the mixture to reach room temperature before grinding.
• Don't add all the water in one go. Start with around ¾ cup of water. If the chutney is still too thick add more water and blend again.
• You can also add chana dal along with urad dal to temper the chutney.
• Non-vegans may add 1-2 tablespoons of thick yogurt to peanut chutney. It makes the chutney creamier.
• Some people prefer very smooth and thin peanut chutney and some prefer it slightly coarse. You can choose whichever way you prefer. The recipe will remain the same but for a smoother chutney add slightly more water and grind for a longer time.

Frequently asked questions

More easy South Indian recipes

I love South Indian food. It’s generally very light, nutritious, easy to make and full of flavors. If you also like South Indian food then the following easy South Indian recipes are worth trying:

1. Lemon rice
2. Curd rice
3. Sambhar
4. Idli Podi
5. Cabbage Poriyal
6. Beetroot Poriyal
7. Kerala style pepper mushrooms

More chutney recipes

Looking for more chutney recipe ideas? Don't miss checking the links below:

1. Momos chutney
2. Mint chutney
3. Apricot chutney
4. Coconut chutney
5. Bengali style sweet tomato chutney