Read time: 6 min | Category: Recipes
Peanut chutney, known across South India as groundnut chutney or verkadalai chutney, is a staple for a reason: it takes 10 minutes, requires almost no technique, and the flavour punches well above its simplicity. The finishing touch is a tadka in Rulife Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil, cold-pressed from Tamil Nadu groundnuts in a traditional wooden press, which gives the oil a roasted, nutty character that refined peanut oil cannot match.
What You Need
Serves 4
For the Chutney Base
- 3/4 cup raw peanuts, or lightly roasted
- 2 dried red chillies, adjust to heat preference
- 1 small marble-sized piece of tamarind, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt, to start
- 1/4 cup water, for blending
For the Tadka
- 1.5 tbsp Rulife Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 8 to 10 curry leaves
- 1 dried red chilli, broken
- Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
How to Make Peanut Chutney
- If using raw peanuts, dry roast them on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the skins begin to blister and crack. Cool for 5 minutes, then rub between your hands to remove the skins. Skip this step if using pre-roasted peanuts.
- In a blender, combine the roasted peanuts, dried red chillies, tamarind with its soaking water, garlic, salt and 1/4 cup water. Blend to a smooth paste. The texture should be like a thick spread, so add water a tablespoon at a time if it is too thick to blend.
- Taste and adjust the salt and tamarind, then transfer to a serving bowl.
- For the tadka, heat Rulife Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil in a small pan until it shimmers. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to pop fully. Add the curry leaves, which will splutter, then the broken red chilli and a pinch of hing.
- Pour the entire hot tadka immediately over the chutney and stir gently.
- Serve with idli, dosa or uttapam. It also works well as a sandwich spread.
Chef's Tips
- Roast your own peanuts. Pre-roasted or salted packet peanuts make the chutney taste processed. Roasting fresh peanuts takes 5 minutes and the difference in flavour is significant.
- The cold water trick. If the chutney thickens after refrigeration, stir in a tablespoon of cold water. It loosens without losing flavour.
- Make it ahead. This chutney keeps well for 3 days in the fridge. Add the tadka fresh each time you serve it for maximum aroma.
Why Cold-Pressed Groundnut Oil Elevates the Tadka
Rulife Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil is made from groundnuts grown in Tamil Nadu, pressed slowly in a wooden ghani at low temperature. Cold-pressing preserves resveratrol, vitamin E and the oil's natural roasted-peanut aroma, compounds that are largely destroyed in refined peanut oil during deodorisation. When you pour this oil into a hot tadka pan the aroma that rises is pure deep-roasted peanut, which makes the chutney more layered than any refined oil could achieve.
It is also high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, and has a respectable smoke point, making it one of the better options for daily South Indian cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make peanut chutney without tamarind?
Yes. Substitute a squeeze of lemon juice added after blending. The sourness will be sharper than tamarind, which has a rounder, fruitier tang. Start with half a lemon and adjust.
My chutney turned out oily. What went wrong?
This happens when peanuts are blended too long, because extended blending breaks down the cell walls and releases the natural oils. Blend in short pulses rather than continuously, and stop as soon as you reach a smooth paste.
What is the difference between peanut chutney and groundnut chutney?
Nothing. They are two names for the same dish. Groundnut is the more common term in India, peanut the more common term elsewhere.
Is groundnut oil a good substitute for other cooking oils?
Cold-pressed groundnut oil has a relatively neutral taste compared with mustard or coconut oil, making it versatile. It works well for tadkas, shallow frying, salad dressings and baking, and its oleic acid content makes it stable at higher temperatures than many seed oils.
Shop the Products Used in This Recipe
👉 Rulife Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil: Tamil Nadu groundnuts, wooden ghani pressed
👉 Rulife Cold Pressed Mustard Oil: for a spicier tadka variation
👉 Ghee and Oil Combo: get both kitchen staples together
