Walnut Chutney

Today I have a chutney with a nut that is usually not considered for preparing chutneys. I was skeptical about this chutney but still went ahead with the preparation. This recipe evolved as I prepared. The nut of the day is walnut.

I started preparing this walnut chutney similar to this peanut chutney. When I tasted the chutney, I was in two minds. Though I liked the chutney, I was unsure if everyone would like the nutty, earthly flavor of walnut. To mellow the walnut taste, I added some yogurt. It turned out pretty good. This would be a great chutney to serve with idli, dosa and vada. However, when I made this the day before yesterday, I served it with some rice. Though rice is not the best way to serve it, it wasn’t bad either.

Yields: ½ – ¾ cups of chutney

Ingredients

• ½ cup Walnuts, chopped (approx. 16-18 walnuts)
• 1 ½ tsp. Oil
• 5-8 Curry Leaves
• 1 Garlic Clove, chopped
• 1-3 Green Chilies, chopped (adjust to heat tolerance level. I used 3)
• ⅛ tsp. Mustard Seeds
• ¼ tsp. Cumin Seeds
• Pinch of Turmeric
• ½ – ⅔ tsp. Salt (adjust to taste)
• ¼ cup Yogurt
• Lime Juice to taste

Tempering

• ½ – 1 tsp. Oil
• ⅛ tsp. Mustard seeds
• ⅛ tsp. Cumin Seeds
• ½ Dry Red Chili
• Pinch of turmeric

Preparation:

• Chop walnuts. Chop garlic, chilies and keep aside.
• Grind mustard and cumin seeds to powder. This step is optional. My blender is not as powerful as Indian mixies. I usually powder these spices and then add it to chutney. If you have a powerful grinder, skip this step and use the seeds as is.
• Heat oil in a pan, add curry leaves, green chilies and garlic.
• Add cumin and mustard powder and saute until green chilies are roasted in oil.
• Add pinch of turmeric and walnuts. Turn off the heat. Add cilantro.
• Roast the walnuts in the hot pan until lightly toasted.
• Let the mixture cool.
• Grind the mixture to a paste with some water. I used about 1 ½ – 2 tbsp of water.
• Transfer to a serving bowl, add yogurt, salt and lime juice. Mix well and adjust the seasoning.
• I kept the chutney thick as I was going to serve it with rice. For idli, dosa and vada, it can be diluted. Either add some water or some light yogurt or whey from yogurt.
• Do the tempering by heating oil listed under tempering. When the red chili turns brown and the seeds splutter, remove from fire.
• Pour over the chutney and serve.

Note:

• I used 3 green chilies but would recommend 1 – 2 chilies, if serving it with idli, dosa or vada.

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