Moongfali chutney
Preparation Time
8 minutes
Cooking Time
8 minutes
Difficulty Level
easy
Meal Type
Breakfast
Serves 8
Key Ingredients
- Raw groundnuts (moongfali)
About This Recipe
Karnataka breakfast places serve kadale kayi chutney with dose and idli, and with akki rotti in the rice-growing districts. It is the chutney made without coconut, for mornings when the coconut is finished or the chutney has to sit through the breakfast rush; the roasted groundnuts carry the body and the tamarind brings the sharpness.
This version dry roasts the groundnuts with the skin on, rubs the skins off, then grinds the nuts coarse with two dry red chillies, garlic, cumin and a spoon of tamarind. The grind stays a little rough, which is how the chutney keeps its grip on a dosa, and a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves in groundnut oil goes over the top at the end. In Hindi the dish is called moongfali ki chutney.
Two chillies make a mild chutney; add a third for real heat. Swap half the groundnuts for roasted chana dal to lighten it, or grind in two tablespoons of fresh coconut for a softer version. Names and nutrition for the nut are in the groundnut guide.
Ingredient List
Serving Size:
1x
2x
3x
Roasting
- Raw groundnuts (moongfali) — 1/2 cup
- Dry red chillies — 2 pieces
- Cumin Seeds — 1 tsp
Grinding
- Garlic cloves — 4 cloves
- Tamarind, deseeded — 1 tbsp
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
- Water — 1/2 cup
Tempering
- Groundnut oil — 2 tsp
- Mustard Seeds — 1/2 tsp
- Curry Leaves — 1 sprig
Skip The Store !
Get all you need for the recipe in just a few clicks
Serving Suggestions
Spoon it over hot dosas, or thin it with a spoon of water and dip idli and uttapam into it. Stirred into hot rice with a spoon of ghee it becomes a quick lunch, and it spreads well on a sandwich too. Leftover chutney keeps for two days in the fridge. The masala peanuts recipe does something else with the same nut.
Tips for Cooking Moongfali chutney
Roast on a low to medium flame and keep the nuts moving, because they colour quickly in the last minute. Grind the dry ingredients before adding the water, and stop at a coarse paste rather than a smooth one. Heat the tempering oil well so the mustard crackles on contact, and taste after tempering before adding more salt.
Chef’s Note
The coarse grind is the signature of this chutney; let the mixer run in short bursts and hold back the water. Two tablespoons come to about 57 kcal, 2.1 g protein and 4.7 g fat, most of it from the groundnuts.
Per serving (approx.): 57 kcal, protein 2.1 g, carbs 1.5 g, fat 4.7 g, fibre 0.9 g. Computed from IFCT 2017 / USDA values for the listed quantities. Measures: 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml.
Happy Cooking
!!
ByCOWBERRY
Sep 05, 2026
Recipes You’ll Love
More everyday cooking with COWBERRY organics, from the same kitchen.
Preparation Time
7 Min
Cooking Time
19 Min
Difficulty Level
moderate
Preparation Time
5 Min
Cooking Time
17 Min
Difficulty Level
easy
Preparation Time
10 Min
Cooking Time
20 Min
Difficulty Level
moderate