Chutneys

Peanut chutney

Peanuts - 1 cup
Dried red chillies - 5
Small onion - 1
Garlic clove - 1 or 2
Tamarind - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Seasoning: 1 tsp each - Cumin, Mustard seeds, Urad dal and few curry leaves, & 1 tsp oil

Dry roast peanuts, keep aside.
Roast the rest of the ingredients in oil till golden brown, add to the peanuts, and grind till smooth with a little water.
Fry the seasoning in 1 tsp oil till mustard seeds splutter, and mix with the chutney, along with salt and serve.

Onion chutney

Onions - 6
Red chillies - 8 (or more if you like it hot)
Garlic - 4 cloves
Corainder - A handful
Cumin seeds - 1 tbs
Sesame oil - 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Fry the cumin seeds, chopped onions, garlic, red chillies until onions become transparent.
Cool a little, and grind with the coriander leaves & salt with a few splashes of water.
Seasoning: 1 tsp each - Mustard seeds, Urad dal and few curry leaves, fried in 1 tsp oil.
Mix seasoning and chutney before serving.

Coconut chutney

Grated coconut - 2 cups
Pottu kadalai (Roasted gram)- 2 teaspoons
Ginger peeled and chopped - 1 inch root
Coriander leaves chopped - A handful
Green chillies chopped - 3
Jeera - 1 tsp

Seasoning:
1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and Urad dal
½ teaspoon asafoetida powder
6 curry leaves
1 red chillies broken into bits
2 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

Grind the coconut, roasted pottu kadalai, green chillies, coriander leaves and ginger to a fine paste using a little water. Pour the chutney into a bowl and adjust the consistency using suitable amount of water.
For seasoning, heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida powder. Fry briefly till mustard splutters, and add to chutney. Add salt and serve.
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Tips:

• A add a little sesame oil if too spicy at the end.
• Too hot?... Check if the salt is low in the chutney.
• Seasoning for all chutneys are pretty much the same.
• A pinch of Asafoetida added to oil along with the seasoning gives an authentic south Indian flavor.