Poondu Chutney | Hotel style Garlic Chutney

ABOUT

Poondu Chutney or Garlic Chutney is a spicy chutney with garlic, red chilli and onions, grounded and cooked in gingelly oil. They are very popular in India especially in Tamil Nadu. It is a great alternative to regular coconut chutney and peanut chutney. This is a super delicious chutney, best served with hot Idli, normal Dosas, millet dosa like ragi dosa, kambu dosa and even appam or Panniyarams.

For those who love garlic , this is heaven and you can’t stop eating !! I am basically a garlic fan and I love the smell of roasted garlic. So while making it, I would be waiting to dig in :D. But even if you are not a garlic lover, you can try this recipe and I can tell you that, you will start loving it!! When I made this chutney at home for the first time, my mom was surprised as she liked this chutney. She thought there will be a smell of raw garlic over powering the entire chutney. But that is not the case, it will be aromatic and mild yet you can feel the garlic taste.

MAJOR INGREDIENTS

Garlic

Garlic is one of the most aromatic and flavorful spice which enhances the entire recipe. Choose fresh and big sized cloves. Some garlic will have very small cloves and we may need to double the recipe quantity. You will also find it difficult to peel all those small ones.

Red chilli

For the spice, we use dry red chilli and you can also adjust your spiciness according to your taste . But garlic chutney is preferred to be spicy so that it gets more shelf life. If you want it to be bright in red, add few kashmiri chilli along with regular chilli while sauteing.

Onions

I have used shallots also called pearl onions which gives a delicious flavor to the recipe. You can also use regular onions in replacement of shallots. If you wish to skip the onions, you can! But I also prefer adding it so as to give the best taste.

TIPS AND NOTES

1. Use fresh garlic and is important to roast it till aromatic and till the color changes. Only then you won’t feel the pungent raw smell from garlic. Instead it will be flavorful.
2. It is preferred to use shallots over normal onions for their unique taste.
3. For a bright red color, add few kashmiri chilli along with normal red chilli to enhance the color. Kashmiri chilli will not contribute to spiciness much.
4. Use very less water while grinding the chutney if you want to store for longer time.
5. It is important to cook the chutney back in oil preferably gingelly oil till the excess water evaporates and shrinks. This ensures better shelf life as well as best taste.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS

Take Garlic cloves and remove its skin. Similarly prep shallots by removing its skin. To a pan, add gingelly oil or any vegetable oil, garlic cloves, shallots and saute.

Once the garlic starts to change its color to slight golden and onions turn translucent add the Red chilli along with Kashmiri chilli (if required for bright color) and saute. Red chilli takes less time to roast.

Once everything is roasted, lower the flame and add a small sized tamarind and just saute for few seconds in oil. This adds to the tanginess and balances the taste.

Once everything is roasted, let them cool completely. Then transfer it to a mixer jar.

Grind it by adding very less water and make a smooth chutney.

Now for the tempering, add oil, mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Let it crackle. If you are making for only one meal (small quantity) and don’t wish to store, you can just add the tempering over the chutney and consume directly.

In case you are making it for few days and wishing to store, then add the chutney to the oil and saute nicely till it becomes thick

Add salt as required , and mix well

Your chutney is ready and super yummy to eat with your favorite tiffin.

Happy Eating!!

STORAGE

This garlic chutney when properly stored in fridge , can be used up to 15 days. After 10 days, if you want, you can take a quantity and again saute it in oil for few minutes. This can increase the shelf life further upto 20 days.