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Peanut Chutney ()

Peanut Chutney

VegetarianMakes ABOUT 500 G (1 LB 2 OZ)

A thick, nutty Indian chutney made from roasted peanuts and sesame, sharpened with lemon and mild Kashmiri chilli. It tastes rich and toasty with a fresh sour edge and gentle heat.

Sesame for grinding

200 gBlended with the peanuts (step 1)
01
200 g
nut/seed
Grind with the peanuts to a semi-fine powder.

Chilli for finishing

5 gStirred in with the lemon juice (step 3)
Pulse into the chutney with the lemon juice.

Everything else

01
Peanut · Moongphaliroasted unsalted
500 g
nut/seed
02
183 g200 ml
oil/fat
03
103 g100 ml
souring agent
04
to taste
sweetener
05
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Blitz 500 g peanut, roasted unsalted, with the sesame for grinding (200 g white sesame seed, roasted) to a semi-fine powder.
  2. With the processor running, pour in 183 g vegetable oil in a slow stream until the chutney is thick and holds a mound at room temperature.
  3. Add 103 g lemon juice and the chilli for finishing (5.2 g kashmiri chilli powder); pulse briefly to combine.
  4. Season to taste with caster sugar and sea salt.
  5. Pack into a sterilised jar and keep in the refrigerator.

Don't have something?

Peanut
  • Roasted peanut

    Use the same weight; adjust salt if they are already salted, and crush or grind as the recipe asks.

  • Cashew nut

    Use the same weight; they are richer and softer, so roast for a shorter time and reduce added fat.

  • Almond

    Use the same weight; blanch and peel for sauces, or chop for texture. They are firmer and less oily.

White sesame seed
  • Sesame seeds

    Use 100% of the weight. Toast lightly in a dry pan until fragrant; works identically in gravies, spice blends, and tadkas.

  • Poppy seed

    Use 80% of the weight, soaked in hot water and ground to a paste. Perfect for thickening kormas and royal gravies without altering the pale colour.

  • Black sesame seeds

    Use 100% of the weight. It has an earthier, slightly more bitter flavour and will dramatically darken the dish.

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.

Lemon juice
  • Lime juice

    Use equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.

  • White vinegar

    Use 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.

Kashmiri chilli powder
  • Dried kashmiri chilli

    Grind deseeded dried pods to an equal weight of powder; gives identical vivid red colour and gentle warmth.

  • Red chilli powder

    Use 25% of the weight mixed with sweet paprika for colour; straight red chilli powder is substantially hotter and will make the dish fiery.

  • Chilli powder

    Use one-third of the weight; the sauce will be less intensely red and notably sharper in heat.

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

Shengdana Beanschi Bhaji
Chargrilled Green Beans with Roasted Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Chilli & Lemon
Shengdana Beanschi Bhaji tastes smoky and nutty from charred beans, crushed peanuts and sesame with garlic and coriander, while this dish tastes richer and toastier as a peanut-sesame chutney with a fresh lemon edge and milder heat.
  • Same: Shengdana Beanschi Bhaji shares peanuts, white sesame, Kashmiri chilli powder, lemon and vegetable oil with this dish.
  • Different: Shengdana Beanschi Bhaji is built on chargrilled green beans with garlic and coriander seeds and leaves, while this dish is a thick chutney dominated by much larger amounts of peanuts and sesame and also contains caster sugar and sea salt.
Tilgul
Sweet Sesame Balls
Tilgul tastes sweet, toasty and cardamom-warm, not sour, salty or gently hot like this dish.
  • Same: Tilgul shares white sesame seeds, peanuts and vegetable oil with this dish.
  • Different: Tilgul uses jaggery, ghee, desiccated coconut and green cardamom and is shaped into balls, unlike this lemon-soured, chilli-and-salt chutney.
Maharashtrian Thecha
Green Chilli & Peanut Relish
Maharashtrian Thecha tastes fiery, pungent and garlicky with cumin, while this dish tastes rich, toasty and nutty with a fresh sour edge and gentle heat.
  • Same: Maharashtrian Thecha shares roasted peanuts, vegetable oil and sea salt with this dish.
  • Different: It uses green bird's-eye chilli, garlic, cumin and coriander leaf, while this dish uses sesame, lemon juice, Kashmiri chilli powder and caster sugar; it also has far less peanut and oil and is pounded coarse rather than made into a thick chutney.
Gujarati Surati Dal
Sweet & Spicy Dal with Chillies & Peanut
Gujarati Surati Dal tastes sweet, sour and lightly spicy and comforting, while this dish tastes rich and toasty with a fresh sour edge and gentle heat.
  • Same: Gujarati Surati Dal shares peanuts, lemon and Kashmiri chilli powder with this dish.
  • Different: Gujarati Surati Dal is a toor dal stew with water, tomato, turmeric, ghee tempering of mustard seed, asafoetida, dried Kashmiri chilli and curry leaf, plus jaggery and coriander, while this dish is a thick chutney of roasted peanuts and sesame ground with vegetable oil and lemon juice.