South Indian dishes are famous for their side chutneys which are loved by people from all over the world. A traditional Andhra meal always consists of spicy, hot and tangy chutneys that heighten the taste of the dish. Andhra Kara Chutney is one such side dish which goes best with all the south Indian breakfast and tiffin recipes.
You can easily make this chutney at home with the help of onions and garlic. The shelf life of this chutney is 2 months. Apart from the traditional South Indian delicacies like idli and dosa, you can consume this chutney with flatbreads like roti, paratha or toasted bread.
Ingredients
You don’t need any exotic ingredients to prepare Andhra Kara Chutney. The ingredients required for its preparation are dry chillies, tamarind, garlic, onions, curry leaves, ghee, mustard, urad dal and salt. You can also exclude garlic if you have any allergies or don’t love the taste of it. However, it is recommended to use garlic as it adds a tangy flavour to the chutney. The amount of red chillies needed for the chutney is flexible. You can add or reduce it as per your need.
Recipe
First, soak the tamarind and red chillies in the water for an hour. After this, mix the soaked red chillies and tamarind in the mixing jar along with salt and grind it. After preparing the paste, keep it aside in an airtight bowl. Next, take a spoonful of ghee in a pan and heat it over a medium flame. After it gets hot, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Sauté until the lentils turn golden brown. Add in a few curry leaves and garlic. Stir for a minute.
Once everything is fried well and attained a golden brown colour, add the chilli paste and tamarind extract with some salt and jaggery powder ( if required). You must keep a gap of five minutes between the mixing of chilli paste and tamarind extract. Mix well & cook covered for 5 minutes. You must make sure that the raw smell of the ingredients goes away while cooking. For a thick kara chutney with a longer shelf life, cook further until the oil leaves the side of the pan and all the moisture evaporates. After the chutney is ready, turn off the gas stove and allow it to cool. You can then transfer it to an airtight container.
