Side Dish Recipes: A Peppy Kick To Meals With Maharashtrian Style Chutneys

Indian thalis are incomplete without spicy side dishes like onions, pickles, raita, salad, papad, or spicy, tangy-sweet chutneys. Chutneys have a special place that fits on every thali. So here are two Maharatrain style chutneys that can give your thali a spicy or tangy push. 

Vada Pav Dry Chutney

This chutney is served with vada-pav and fried chillies. This whole dish and chutney is precisely the most popular side dish across Maharashtra. This goes with every food item and makes your food tastier. 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds 
  • ¾ cup grated dry coconut 
  • ½ cup peanuts 
  • ¼ cup garlic cloves 
  • Salt, to taste 
  • 3 tbsp red chilli powder, or adjust as per your taste 

Procedure:

  1. Take a pan first dry roast garlic on a medium flame for 5 or 6 minutes, until it is slightly brown.
  2. Now in the same pan, dry roast peanuts on a medium flame for 7-9 minutes. (it is your choice if you want to keep the skin of the peanuts on or not.)
  3. Again dry the coconut and sesame separately on a medium flame for 5-6 minutes. Once they are done, keep them separately. 
  4. Once all the ingredients are roasted, keep them cooled. Take a blender, coarsely blend all the ingredients, and then add red chilli powder and salt as per the taste; remix it.

Your vada pav chutney is ready; sprinkle this on your soups, salads, or even on oats.

Imli Khajur Chutney 

This imli chutney is sweet and tangy in taste. You can have this with panipuri, Dahi Bhalla, kachori, dhokla, samosa, and other street-side snack items. Next time if you want some chappati chutney, try your hands on this. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup tamarind (deseeded)
  • 1 cup jaggery 
  • 1 cup dates (deseeded)
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 
  • 1 tsp black salt 
  • 1 tsp saunf
  • 1 tsp roasted cumin powder 
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • 1 tsp dry ginger powder 

Procedure:

  1. Take a deep pan or a kadhai, add seedless tamarind, jaggery, dates with 3 cups of water. Mix well and place this on a medium flame. 
  2. Bring to one boil, then add the dry spices, dry ginger powder, roasted cumin, saunf, black salt, Kashmiri red chilli powder, and salt as per the taste. 
  3. Allow all the ingredients to cook well for 30-35 minutes on medium to low flame. 
  4. Keep stirring on an interval basis to ensure that it doesn’t get stuck at the bottom.
  5. The consistency of the chutney is a bit thick. Once it is done, turn the flame off. 
  6. Take a blender jar and blend without adding water. Strain the paste through the strainer.

Your imli- khajur chutney is ready; store it for two months in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.