Kadlekai(Groundnut) Chutney

This particular recipe has been a favorite among all of our cousins and to whoever it has been passed on to. It has a fairly simple procedure and is a good accompaniment for Dose, Idli or even Akki Rotti. Another variation would be to cook the chutney in a particular style which I will mention at the last and have it as an accompaniment for rice.(we call it Chutney Anna in Kannada). I have seen a few of the recipes for kadlekai chutney , here’s my version.I should dedicate this one for my princess daughter Jahnavi who eats dose only for this chutney:-)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Groundnuts
• 5-6 Green Chillies (you could add more or less depending upon your taste)
• 10 Curry Leaves
• 3 flakes of Garlic
• 4-5 strands of Coriander leaves.
• ½ inch piece Tamarind soaked in water for at least 5 minutes (optional)
• Salt as per taste

Procedure:

1. Dry fry the groundnuts along with the green chillies and garlic until the groundnuts are well roasted.
2. Set aside the green chillies and the garlic .
3. Dehusk the groundnuts .
4. Grind the groundnuts along with the chillies, garlic, curry leaves , coriander and salt adding just enough water to give the right chutney consistency.
5. You could also add the tamarind while grinding to give a tangy taste. I avoid it.

Variation:

Chutney Anna: Heat 2 Tbl spns of sunflower/groundnut oil in a pan. Add 1tspn of mustard seeds , once it is done spluttering, add a few broken red chillies followed by 1 cup of chopped onions.

Fry until the onions turn pink. Now add the chutney prepared as above to the pan along with a little water so as to give it a pouring consistency. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few more minutes. It tastes excellent with rice.