Coconut Chatni
Ingredients
half a fresh coconut, grated or 1 cup desiccated coconut
1 lime or lemon
3 fresh red or green chillies
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ghee or oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dhal
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
small sprig fresh curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground asafoetida, optional
Directions
If desiccated coconut is used, sprinkle it with 3 tablespoons water and moisten evenly with the fingers. Peel the lime or lemon, removing all white pith. Cut in pieces and remove the seeds. In an electric blender combine citrus fruit with chillies and salt. Blend to a purée. Add the coconut and blend to a smooth paste, scraping down sides of blender and adding a little more liquid if necessary.
Heat ghee or oil in a small pan and fry the mustard seeds and dhal until the seeds pop and the dhal is golden, covering the pan with a lid as the mustard seeds will scatter. Add the nigella, curry leaves and asafoetida and turn off heat immediately. Mix with the blended coconut mixture, pat into a flat cake and serve as an accompaniment to dosai or rice and curries.
Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)