Indian chutneys are famous the world over. Eaten in small quantities, the chutneys add a tasty sensation to the meal. Chutney is usually a mix of salty, sweet and tangy flavours thus satisfying all the taste buds at once. Several veritable chutneys contain substantial amounts of fresh green chilli peppers; the other primary ingredient can be any of a broad variety of fruits and vegetables. Most vegetable chutneys are prepared cold in a blender, whereas many fruit chutneys require assured cooking. Some of the popular types of Indian chutneys include:

Coconut chutney

Onion chutney

Tomato chutney

Coriander (Cilantro) and/or mint chutney (both are frequently referred to as `Hari chutney`, where `Hari` is Hindi stands for `Green`)

Tamarind chutney (Imli chutney)

Mango chutney (prepared from unripened, green mangos)

Lime chutney (prepared from whole, unripened limes)

Garlic chutney (prepared from fresh garlic, coconut and groundnut)

Peanut chutney (rather popular as shenga chutney in Marathi)

Cashew nut chutney

Groundnut Chutney Podi

In temperate countries, chutneys are at times prepared using home ingredients like apples, peaches or tomatoes. Flavourings are invariably added to the mixture. These can include sugar, salt, garlic, tamarind, onion, or ginger. Spices most usually included to prepare contain fenugreek, coriander, cumin and asafoetida (hing).

Coconut Chutney:
Ingredients:

1 cup grated coconut

1 chopped green chilly

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp roasted split gram (daria dal) (optional)

Salt to taste

For the tempering:

half tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilly broken into pieces

2 to 3 curry leaves

1 tsp oil

Method:

Put the coconut, green chillies, ginger, roasted split gram and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Keep aside.

Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, red chilly and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle.

Pour the tempering over the chutney and mix well.

Refrigerate and use as required.

Tamarind Chutney:
Ingredients:

1 cup cleaned tamarind

1/2 cup dates deseeded

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups water

1/2 tsp. red chilli powder

1/2 crushed cumin seeds

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 cup jaggery

Method:

Wash the tamarind clean.

Place the tamarind, jaggery, sugar, dates and water in a deep boiling pan.

Soak for a few minutes. Put to boil for approximately 7-8 minutes.

Cool to room temperature. Blend in an electric blender till smooth.

Strain and transfer to the pan again. Boil till thick enough to coat the back of a spoon thinly.

Add the seasoning. Cool again. Store in clean airtight bottles and refrigerate.

Tomato Chutney:
Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Ghee

1/4 tsp. red chillies

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 inch ginger minced or pounded in a mortar and pestle

1 inch of cinnamon stick

2 cups coarsely fresh ripe tomatoes

3 tbsp. jaggery or brown sugar

Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over moderate heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle and brown.
3. Add red chillies, ginger and stir-fry for a moment.
4. Add the other ingredients.
5. Cook on low for approximately 20 to 35 minutes.
6. Serve with meals.

Cashew Nut Chutney:
Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews bits or halves

1/4 tsp. lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2-inch piece of peeled fresh ginger root, sliced

1-2 hot green chillies, seeded and chopped up to 1/3 cups water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Method:
1. Blend the cashews, lemon juice, salt, ginger and chillies and 1/4 of cup water into a food processor fitted with the metal blade, or a blender, and process until smooth, adding more water as necessary to produce a loose puree.
2. Transfer to a bowl, add the fresh coriander and serve or cover well and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Note: This chutney thickens as it cools down. Thin it with water to the desired consistency.

Groundnut Chutney Podi:
Ingredients

1 cup - groundnut

red chillies (as per taste)

3 - garlic pods

Salt (as per taste)

Method:
1. Dry roast the groundnut and remove the skin, keep aside.
2. Dry roast the red chillies and keep aside.
3. Dry grind the roasted red chillies and groundnut along with salt and garlic.
4. Remove from the grinder and spread it so as to remove the moisture.
5. Store in an airtight container.

Groundnut Chutney Podi serves as a perfect side dish for Dosa, Idli and Chapathi.

Mango Chutney:
Mango Chutney is a speciality of the South Indian coastal state of Andhra Pradesh.

Ingredients:

1 large raw (unripe) mango, peeled and cut into 1inch cubes

2 tsp mustard seeds

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp asafoetida ("Hing" in Hindi, "Perungayum" in Tamil)

3-4 dry red chillies

2-3 green chillies (u can add more if u want it spicier)

1 tsp lime juice (if mango is not adequately sour)

1 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tbsp salt (adjust to taste)

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan.

Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, green chillies and red chillies. Wait till the mustard seeds start splattering and remove pan from stove.

Grind the ensuing mix with mango, lime juice (if needed) turmeric and salt.

Serve with hot rice or bread.

Mango chutney works as an excellent paste on a sandwich. If it is not too spicy then it can be served as a dip for tortilla chips. The chutney can also be served with yogurt/curd.

Garlic Chutney:
Garlic chutney is native to Maharashtra, with every Maharashtrian enjoying it heartily, also using it for various kinds of dips.

Ingredients:

1/2 dried Coconut

1 cup garlic pieces (medium size)

1/2 cup coriander seeds

3 tbsp red chilli powder

salt to taste

Method:
First grate the coconut and keep aside. Be careful while grating, as the coconut tends to slip. Use a fine grater. Or use the ready-made coconut.

Peel the garlic cloves and mix them in the grated coconut.
Then roast the coriander seeds lightly and add to it.
Now add the red chilli powder and salt to it.
Then grind the prepared mixture in a mixer in sudden gushes. Do not over-mix, as the mixture needs to a coarse one and not fine.

The dry, powdered garlic chutney variety can be stored in bottles and can be preserved up to four weeks. It is eaten either dry or mixed with curd, buttermilk or vegetable oil. The wet variety is prepared from fresh grated coconut and is a must to use rightaway. It is often eaten with fresh, hot `bhakri` (a roti made from jowar).

Green Coriander Chutney:
This is a fresh chutney which should be made just before its requirement. It is however difficult to state precise amounts for the ingredients in this type of dish. It is best advised to keep tasting it and adjust the flavour while preparing the chutney. Green coriander chutney goes excellent with ldlis. It is also good as a side dish with coconut-based curries and grilled fish.

Ingredients:

Large bunch of fresh green coriander

100-200ml coconut milk, or fresh coconut, grated

1-6 fresh green chillies, chopped

1cm piece of fresh ginger, chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

a handful of raw peanuts

salt to taste

sugar to taste

lemon or lime juice to taste

Method:
Wash the coriander and blend it in a food mixer with the other ingredients until it is smooth. Add more coconut milk or lemon juice if one prefers to add extra liquid. Keep tasting; and when it is sharp, tangy, bright green and smooth, it is ready.

Indian chutneys can also be termed and grouped according to their regional specialty, with the multi-faceted states coming up with an innovative recipe, worth a taste. In this manner, chutneys in Indian food can be classified into umpteen categories, giving rise to mouth-watering varieties.

Assam specialises in coriander, spinach, tomato, curry leaf, chilli, radish, carrot, cucumber, beetroot, lentil and chickpea chutneys.

Andhra Pradesh specialises in coconut, coriander, red chilli with grams, tomato, onion, and mango chutneys. Gujarat specialises in `athanah` and hot lime chutneys. Haryana masters themselves in tamarind chutney.

Himachal Pradesh ranks in the top spot with their guava and eggplant chutneys. Karnataka specialises in coconut, coriander, green chilli, mango, onion, peanut, tomato, tamarind and ridgegourd chutneys.

Kerala is a master in coconut, pudina (mint), urad dal (a type of legume), mango, dry fish, shrimp and onion chutneys.

Maharashtra specialises in hot raw mango chutney, guramba, panchamrit and Mirachicha Thecha. Dry chutneys prepared with Javas (Flax seed), Solapuri Shenga (peanut)/red chilli powder chutney, Karale (Niger seed) and peanut/garlic are also Maharashtra`s chosen ones.

Punjab prides themselves in pudina (mint) chutney, onion chutney, tamarind chutney and mango chutney. Tamil Nadu specialises in coconut, coriander, red chilli with grams, tomato, onion and mango chutneys.

Uttar Pradesh is famous for their coriander, garlic, mint chutney, sweet and sour mango, and peanut chutney. West Bengal hones its skills in fruit (mango, plum, apple, and apricot) chutneys.