Loshne/ Lasun Chutney Powder( Garlic Chutney Powder)

Amongst the dry chutneys or chutney powders as we call them, one of my favorites is Loshne/Lasun/ Garlic Chutney Powder. May be it is spicy and tangy and has the yummy garlic flavor locked in ... or may be it is because I have a lot of childhood memories associated with it... My mother always kept a batch of dry garlic chutney in the pantry. Her chutney will keep you asking for more. Mine does not match up to hers:(( even though my husband likes it :)). I just made a batch recently. This one was unplanned. Every week my husband brings 2 fresh coconuts which I then grate . I use a portion of it to make fresh masala an freeze the rest for later use in masalas and stir-fries. This time one of the coconuts was a little rancid. When I told my mother this, she said " why don't you make Loshne chutney. Just make sure that you fry the coconut well". I decided to just that and ended up with a bottle of fresh, tangy, yummy chutney to be used for the next couple of weeks.You could never tell that it was made from coconut that was a little rancid. Of course, this can be made out of any kind of shredded coconut;fresh, dry,dessicated, any kind as long as it is coconut.But it is also a good way of making use of the slightly rancid coconut which cannot be used as curry bases or sauce.

Servings: makes around 16 oz chutney powder.

Ingredients:

Freshly Shredded coconut: from 1 coconut (around 4 cups)
Garlic: 2 pods ( about 30 garlic cloves)
Red Chilli powder: 1 tbsp ( if using whole red chillies, around 15 chillies)
Amchur (Dry mango) powder: 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt: 1 tbsp

Method:

Dry roast the coconut in a thick-bottom vessel/ pot until golden brown on low flame stirring intermittently . The coconut should dry completely,but be careful not to burn it. If using slightly rancid coconut, the rancid smell should disappear upon drying. When done keep it aside in a bowl to cool down.

Now in the same pan dry roast the garlic until slightly golden and you smell the aroma of garlic. Keep it aside to cool down.

Now dry roast the salt, amchur powder for 3-4 mins on low heat. Add the chilli powder towards the end and dry roast it for 1-2 mins. Make sure not to burn the chilli powder.

In a mixer/ food processor/blender separately powder the coconut into a fine powder. Pour this into a mixing bowl.

Now powder the roasted garlic in the blender as finely as possible.The garlic will be a little sticky. Separate it with a fork/ hand and add it into the mixing bowl.

Using your hand thoroughly mix the garlic and the coconut.

Now add the roasted salt, chilli powder and amchur powder to the mixing bowl. Mix well using a spoon.

The chutney is ready!

Store in a clean, dry, airtight container/ jar. Can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks but for almost a month in the refrigerator.

Serve with dosa/ idli/ rice.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

For the above recipe, instead of dry roasting the fresh grated coconut, you could just use the dry dessicated coconut. If you do use the dry one, you only need to dry roast it just a little bit.

You could use dried tamarind pulp instead of amchur, in which case you will have to grind it with the garlic. Amchur makes life easier :)

Tip for healthy living:

For time immemorial , garlic has been purported to have disease-fighting properties in the human body. Therefore it has been used to fight infectious diseases. Garlic is supposed to have beneficial effects on the cardio-vascular system and useful in conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease and cholesterol. Garlic is also supposed to help prevent certain cancers .Raw garlic is apparently more effective than cooked.

The beneficial properties of garlic majorly are from its sulfur-containing compound called "allicin", which gives garlic it's characteristic smell. Allicin when digested in the body produces sulfenic acid , that reacts with the dangerous free radicals in the body.

Food for thought:

Choose a job you will love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius