Coconut Mint Chutney | Pudina Chutney
This Pudina / Mint Chutney with coconut was one of our favorite chutneys that I made quite often during summer. We grow a lot of mint at home and this Green chutney (like my younger son calls it) was a regular with Idli and Dosai.
I almost wanted to pick a few pudina plants to grow indoors when the growing season was coming to an end. But we already have so many tropical plants that come indoors during the winter months. So I didn't want to add any more to it.
Table of contents
It would be just a matter of 4 months and we will have mint growing back again. Pudina or mint is one of the first plants that comes back very early in the spring and stays till hard frost hits. This year we were lucky that I was able to harvest mint almost until mid-November.
More mint/pudina recipes
This recipe for pudina chutney is pretty similar to regular coconut chutney except it has mint in it. Most of the time I make my coconut chutney with pudina or cilantro. So my boys are used to eating green coconut chutney.
This pudina chutney with coconut is one of the best side dishes to serve with Ven Pongal. The flavor of mint works very well with savory pongal. Last week I made this with Thinai Ven Pongal (finger millet Pongal) and it was delicious.
Why make coconut chutney with mint?
- Instead of making plain coconut chutney, adding mint brings a different flavor to the chutney.
- Great way to use greens in a recipe.
- Adding more nutrition to the chutney.
- A great recipe to use garden fresh produce.
- In my case, it is kid-approved. They love the beautiful green color of the chutney.
Ingredients and substitutes
Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.
Coconut - I use frozen grated coconut for most of my recipes. We can either grate the whole coconut and keep it frozen or use store-bought grated coconut. I would recommend using the fresh or frozen coconut for the chutney. I don't like using desiccated coconut.
Mint / Pudina - Use fresh mint leaves for the recipe. We could substitute cilantro for mint or use a little of both as well for a different flavor.
Pottu kadalai / Roasted Gram / Dalia
Green chilies and Ginger
Salt
Seasoning - Coconut oil, mustard seeds, urad dal / ullutham paruppu, curry leaves, asafoetida, and curry leaves.
Step-by-step process
- Remove the mint leaves from the stem and clean it well.
- Add a few drops of oil to a pan and saute the mint leaves until it wilts a little. Make sure that the pudina does not change color. It takes only 2 to 3 minutes. Remove it on a plate and cool it a little.
- In the meantime, add the grated coconut, green chilies, ginger, and dalia (roasted gram) in a blender jar.
Tip - Make sure to thaw the frozen coconut before grinding to make chutney. We can thaw the coconut overnight in the refrigerator or leave it outside for a couple of hours. For quick thawing, we can microwave the frozen coconut as well.
- Grind them using a little water. Adding more water in the beginning will make it hard to grind the chutney smoothly. So use a little water as you grind.
- Now add the sauteed mint leaves and grind it further. Add the salt needed and also a little water to bring the pudina coconut chutney to the desired consistency.
- Pour the ground mint chutney into a bowl. Add a little water to the mixer jar, clean the sides of the jar, and pour it into the bowl as well.
- Heat a small pan and add coconut oil. When the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Add the seasoning to the pudina chutney and mix well.
- Serve coconut mint chutney with Idli, dosai, or Pongal.
Serving suggestions
Chutney is the best side dish with South Indian tiffin. Some of our favorites that we love to serve this chutney are -
Expert Tips
- Thawing the coconut and bringing it to room temperature is an essential process. If the coconut is not thawed properly, the consistency of the pudina chutney will not be proper.
- Grind the chutney with less water. This allows us to be able to grind the chutney smoothly.
- Clean the mint leaves well. Mint grows closer to the ground and hence has a lot of dirt in the leaves.
- Season with coconut oil. This makes the pudina chutney more flavorful.
- Use more or less green chilies depending on your liking. This recipe yields medium spicy chutney.
Frequently asked questions
Pudina chutney tastes best the day it is made. It can be refrigerated for a couple of days. The chutney might be very thick when taken out of the refrigerator. Add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to adjust the consistency.
Yes, we can add cilantro as well along with mint in the coconut chutney. We don't have to saute the cilantro. Also, add some cilantro stem when grinding as it has more flavor.
More chutney recipes
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Recipe
Coconut Mint Chutney | Pudina Chutney
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 saute pan
- 1 bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Coconut grated (fresh or frozen)
- 1 ½ cup Mint leaves / Pudina tightly packed
- ¼ cup Pottu kadalai / roasted gram dal / dalia
- 6 Green chilies
- 1 inch Ginger
- to taste Salt
Seasoning ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoon Urad dal / ullutham paruppu
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- few Curry leaves
Instructions
- Remove the mint leaves from the stem and clean it well.
- Add a few drops of oil in a pan and saute the mint leaves until it wilts a little. Make sure that the pudina does not change color. It takes only 2 to 3 minutes. Remove it on a plate and cool it a little.
- In the meantime, add the grated coconut, green chilies, ginger and dalia (roasted gram) in a blender jar.
- Tip - Make sure to thaw the frozen coconut before grinding to make chutney. We can thaw the coconut overnight in the refrigerator or leave it outside for couple of hours. For quick thawing, we can microwave the frozen coconut as well.
- Grind them using little water. Adding more water in the beginning will make it hard to grind the chutney smoothly. So use little water as you grind.
- Now add the sauteed mint leaves and grind it further. Add salt needed and also a little water to bring the pudina coconut chutney to the desired consistency.
- Pour the ground mint chutney in to a bowl. Add a little water in the mixer jar and clean the sides of the jar and pour it into the bowl as well.
- Heat a small pan and add coconut oil. When the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafetida and curry leaves. Add the seasoning to the pudina chutney and mix well.
- Serve coconut mint chutney with Idli, dosai or Pongal.
Video
Notes
- Thawing the coconut and bringing it to room temperature is an essential process. If the coconut is not thawed properly, the consistency of the pudina chutney will not be proper.
- Grind the chutney with less water. This allows us to be able to grind the chutney smoothly.
- Clean the mint leaves well. Mint grows closer to the ground and hence has a lot of dirt in the leaves.
- Season with coconut oil. This makes the pudina chutney more flavorful.
- Use more or less green chilies depending on your liking. This recipe yields medium spicy chutney.
This recipe for mint chutney looks simple to make, flavorful, and delicious! I cannot wait to give it a try this summer when my mint is in abundance.
I love all things mint and in the summer it pretty grows out of control. I can't wait to give this a try when summer rolls around here!
This turned out fantastic! I served it with your upma that you suggested and it made a wonderful meal.
This is a very tasty chutney! I too grow a lot of mint at home and am always looking for a new way to use it. This is a keeper!
I loved the spiciness of this chutney ~ so different than any I've had before. And coconut is my favorite and added such a nice flavor along with the mint.
I made this chutney this weekend as I had leftover mint. It was so delicious and easy to make thanks to your recipe!
what an easy-to-make and delicious chutney! I served it with grilled chicken last night and it was sooooo good!
I loved the flavors of this chutney. The heat from the green chiles added the perfect touch of spice. YUM!
I have so much mint growing in my garden. I'm saving this recipe so I can make it in the spring. Thanks for sharing!
The coconut and mint combo is so delicious and refreshing, I want to put it on everything!
This looks delicious!
Thanks!
5-star