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Indian cooking / Dishes / Chilli Garlic Chutney
Chilli Garlic Chutney ()

Chilli Garlic Chutney

VegetarianMakes about 700 g (1 lb 8 oz)

A hot, tangy chilli-garlic chutney made from Kashmiri chillies soaked in malt vinegar and blended with garlic and oil. It tastes fiery and sour, with a rounded savoury garlic note and a little sugar-salt balance.

Soaked chilli masala

500 gSoaked in vinegar overnight and blended (steps 1–2)
Cover with the vinegar and leave to soak overnight, then blend to a smooth paste.

Garlic paste

200 gBlended with oil (step 3)
01
200 g
aromatic
Blend with the oil to a smooth paste.

Everything else

01
507 g500 ml
souring agent
02
46 g50 ml
oil/fat
03
to taste
sweetener
04
to taste
salt

Method

  1. For the soaked chilli masala, soak 500 g dried kashmiri chilli in 507 g malt vinegar overnight.
  2. Blend the soaked chilli masala to a smooth paste.
  3. For the garlic paste, blend 200 g garlic cloves, gradually adding 45.6 g vegetable oil, to a smooth paste.
  4. Stir the soaked chilli masala and garlic paste together.
  5. Season to taste with caster sugar and sea salt.
  6. Pack into sterilised jars and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
  7. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Don't have something?

Dried kashmiri chilli
  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 1 g powder for every 1.5 g whole dried chilli; whisk with a spoonful of warm water and stir into the masala to provide identical ruby colour and mild heat.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 35% to 40% of the weight; discard seeds before tearing into oil to temper. Delivers a much fiercer heat, with significantly less red colouring.

Malt vinegar
  • White malt vinegar

    Use the same weight; sharper and clearer; reduce salt slightly.

  • White vinegar

    Use 90% of the weight, diluted with 10% water; harsher, so taste.

  • Lime juice

    Use the same weight; fresher sourness but no malt flavour; reduce salt.

Garlic clove
  • Garlic paste

    Use the same weight; about 1 clove weighs 3 g, so 3 g paste per clove.

  • Crushed garlic

    Use the same weight; crush just before adding so the flavour stays fresh.

  • Garlic powder

    Use one-third of the weight, about 1 g powder for 3 g fresh clove; add a little water if the recipe needs moisture.

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Caster sugar
  • Granulated sugar

    Use the same weight. It is slightly coarser, so stir a little longer to dissolve; in baking, grind briefly if a fine texture matters.

  • Demerara sugar

    Use the same weight, but dissolve it earlier as it is coarser. It adds a light caramel note and a little colour.

  • Ground jaggery or soft brown sugar

    Use the same weight; crush or grate jaggery first. It darkens the dish and adds molasses flavour, so reduce other liquid slightly.

Similar dishes

Sticky Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce
It tastes sweet and glossy with mild chilli heat and a warm cumin note, while this dish tastes fiery, sour and strongly garlicky.
  • Same: Sticky Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce shares Kashmiri chilli, vegetable oil, caster sugar and salt with this dish.
  • Different: It adds cumin seed and uses mild chilli powder or paprika, and it lacks garlic and malt vinegar; it is thickened by reducing sugar syrup, not by soaking and blending dried chillies.
Sirkewalli Mirch
Pickled Whole Chillies
Sirkewalli Mirch tastes tangy and lightly spicy with whole-spice aroma, while this dish is fiery, sour and strongly garlicky.
  • Same: Sirkewalli Mirch shares with this dish a base of chillies soured with vinegar and balanced with caster sugar and salt.
  • Different: Sirkewalli Mirch pickles whole mixed chillies in white wine vinegar with black peppercorns, yellow mustard seeds and bay, while this dish blends soaked dried Kashmiri chillies with garlic and vegetable oil.
Molagai
Chilli Fritters
Molagai tastes crisp and savoury with green-chilli heat and dry mango sourness, whereas this dish is fierier, more vinegar-sour and strongly garlicky.
  • Same: Molagai shares a chilli-forward savoury profile with this dish, using vegetable oil and salt as core ingredients.
  • Different: Molagai is a gram-flour batter fritter filled with whole green chillies and amchoor, while this dish is a blended chutney of dried Kashmiri chillies, malt vinegar, garlic and sugar.
Sirkewalla Mirch Aur Dhania
Tangy Chilli & Coriander Dipping Sauce
Sirkewalla Mirch Aur Dhania tastes sharp and sweet-sour with fresh chilli heat and a herbal coriander note, while this dish tastes fiery and sour with a savoury garlic note from dried chillies.
  • Same: Sirkewalla Mirch Aur Dhania shares vinegar, chilli, sugar and salt with this dish as a chilli condiment.
  • Different: Sirkewalla Mirch Aur Dhania uses fresh green bird's-eye chilli, coriander leaf and stem, and white wine vinegar, and it is loosened with water; it lacks garlic, vegetable oil and dried Kashmiri chillies, which this dish uses with malt vinegar.