Curry Leaves Chutney

Curry Leaves Chutney, yeah, I know, it sounds odd. But this chutney tastes just awesome and is a perfect combination with Phulkas. We all use them in our seasoning but pick them and throw them away. But it’s really a very nutritious leaf that tastes good too. There is another reason why I like this chutney, it helps my hair. When weather changes between winter and summer we all experience hair fall. So I thought it might be a good idea to share this recipe with you so you can also get your dose of curry leaves through this chutney.

Curry leaves-commonly used as seasoning, this leaf adds a special flavour to every dish. But there is more to the humble curry leaf than simply flavour. Packed with carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, phosphorous, irons and vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin E, curry leaves help your heart function better, fights infections and can enliven your hair and skin with vitality. It helps keep anemia at bay, fights diabetes, improves digestion, lowers cholesterol, and it prevents hair fall and greying of hair.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves: 3-4 people

Ingredients	Quantity
Curry Leaves	20-25 leaves
Grated Coconut	½ of a coconut or 1 cup
Black Chana(whole)	1 tbsp
Tamarind Juice	½ tsp
Red Chilies	2-3 or to taste
Salt	to taste
Water	to grind

Method

Wash curry leaves thoroughly and let dry on a kitchen towel till dry.

In a pan dry roast black chana, keep moving them in the pan using a spoon. You will see that the peels would crack open and they will slowly begin to pop. When you smell the aroma of roasted chana turn off the flame. Be careful not to burn them. Transfer the chana immediately to a plate to stop cooking them further.

Dry roast the red chilies in the same pan till crispy. Transfer to the plate.

In the same hot pan add the curry leaves; do not put it on flame. Just let the leaves roast in the hot pan slightly.

In a mixer jar add grated coconut, tamarind juice, red chilies, salt and grind coarsely. Then add the chana and grind further. After its ground slightly add water little at a time and grind till all the ingredients are ground to a coarse paste. Lastly add the curry leaves and grind further till the leaves are coarsely ground and you can still see bits of it in the chutney. Add water as per your liking.

Serve with Phulkas or Chapathis.

Points to remember:

• Do not use a nonstick pan to dry roast anything as it gets spoilt by the heat and it will start cracking the top layer of the pan.
• I prefer this chutney to be dry as shown in the image.
• I use two byadgi red chilies (the less spicy ones) and 1 spicy variety of red chily.