Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Til ki Chutney
Til ki Chutney (Sesame Seed Chutney)

Til ki Chutney

Sesame Seed Chutney
Vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 20 minutesMakes 500g / 1lb 2oz

A robust, nutty chutney balanced by sharp tamarind, fiery green chillies, and sweet raw onion. It has a rich, ground texture and is best enjoyed freshly made.

Sesame seeds for toasting

0 gFried or toasted in the pan (step 1)
Keep whole for frying or dry-roasting.

Garlic for the chutney

15 gAdded to the blender (step 2)
01
15 g1 tablespoon
aromatic
Add directly to the blender with the fresh ingredients.

Everything else

01
36 g4 tablespoons
nut/seed
02
27 g3 tablespoons
nut/seed
03
14–27 g1–2 tablespoons
oil/fat
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded (optional) and roughly chopped
36–48 g6–8 chillies
vegetable
05
300 g2 onions
vegetable
08
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Warm 13.5–27 g vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat, add the sesame seeds for toasting, and stir-fry for roughly 1 minute until lightly coloured, then scoop them out (alternatively, dry-toast them without oil for about 2 minutes). Fry 3 tablespoons peanuts in the same pan for 1 to 2 minutes until golden.
  2. Transfer the toasted seeds and peanuts into a blender jar. Add the garlic for the chutney, 36–48 g green chilli, 300 g onion, 7.9 g coriander leaf, 125 g tamarind extract, and salt to taste. Grind everything together until well combined and smooth. Consume on the day it is prepared.

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Sesame seed
  • White sesame seed

    Use the same weight. Toast lightly before use; white seeds are milder and give a cleaner look.

  • Black sesame seed

    Use the same weight. They are stronger and more bitter; toast briefly and use slightly less if the dish is delicate.

  • Peanut

    Use the same weight, crushed or chopped. It gives crunch but not the same nutty sesame aroma.

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.

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.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Ground garlic
  • Garlic powder

    Use equal weight (1:1). Behaves virtually identically, dissolving seamlessly into dry rubs or wet gravies.

  • Garlic paste

    Use 300% to 400% of the weight (e.g. 3–4 g paste for 1 g ground). Sauté in oil to cook off the raw moisture; imparts a fresher, sharper punch.

  • Garlic

    Finely mince or grate fresh cloves; use 300% to 400% of the weight. Fry gently in oil early in the cooking process to mellow the pungency.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Tamarind extract
  • Tamarind

    Use 180% of the weight of compressed tamarind; soak in three times its weight of boiling water for 15 minutes, knead, and strain out the thick pulp.

  • Dried mango powder

    Use 35% of the weight dissolved in two tablespoons of warm water. Provides sharp tang, though the resulting sauce will be lighter in colour.

  • Lemon juice

    Use equal weight, added right at the end of cooking. Adds sharp acidity without the deep brown hue or pulpy thickness.

Similar dishes

Dohneiiong
Pork with Black Sesame Seeds
Dohneiiong is deeply savoury and fatty from rendered pork rather than sharp, sour, and fiery like this tamarind- and chilli-laden chutney.
  • Same: Both dishes rely on sesame seeds and a high proportion of onions to build their flavour base.
  • Different: Dohneiiong is a cooked meat curry made by simmering pork in its own rendered fat with turmeric, lacking the vegetable oil, garlic, green chillies, fresh coriander, and tamarind extract of this ground chutney.
Sesame Raita
Sesame Raita tastes creamy, nutty, tangy and savoury with a little sweetness, while this dish is robustly nutty with sharp tamarind, fiery green chilli and sweet raw onion.
  • Same: Sesame Raita shares sesame and garlic with this dish.
  • Different: Sesame Raita uses Greek yoghurt, tahini paste, garlic paste, caster sugar and sea salt, while this dish uses sesame seeds, peanuts, vegetable oil, green chilli, ground garlic, onion, coriander leaf and tamarind extract.
Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle
Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle tastes creamy, floral, and tart from rhubarb with a nutty sesame crunch, while this dish tastes robust and nutty with sharp tamarind, fiery green chilli, and sweet raw onion.
  • Same: Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle shares sesame seed with this dish.
  • Different: Elderflower & Rhubarb Kulfi with Sesame Brittle is a frozen dairy dessert made with rhubarb, elderflower cordial, evaporated milk, condensed milk, double cream, lemon juice, and sugar, while this dish is a ground chutney with peanut, vegetable oil, green chilli, garlic, onion, coriander leaf, tamarind extract, and salt.
Vendakkai Nouvala Pod
Stir-fried Okra with Sesame Seeds from Andhra
Vendakkai Nouvala Pod is warmer and earthier with milder heat, lacking the intense pungency and fiery bite that raw onions and green chillies give this dish.
  • Same: Vendakkai Nouvala Pod also relies on sesame seeds for rich nuttiness, tamarind for sourness, and vegetable oil for cooking.
  • Different: Vendakkai Nouvala Pod is a dry okra stir-fry tempered with mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal, turmeric, and curry leaves, whereas this dish is a ground chutney packed with raw onion, garlic, and fresh coriander.