What is Coconut Chutney?
Coconut chutney is an Indian condiment made from desiccated coconut. The chutney is comprised of finely grated coconut that creates a texture that is medium-thick, smooth and still has noticeable pieces of coconut. Some varieties are creamier. The color is white and the flavor is sweet and savory, with a hint of Indian spices, such green chili peppers. It is excellent on Indian flatbreads.
What does Coconut Chutney Taste Like?
...Salty is one of the five main tastes. It has a satisfying and addictive quality with hints of sourness. Salty foods include cheeses, cured meats, chips, and olives. It is used in almost every dish and prepared food. Salt is added to enhance flavor and offer a distinctly salty taste.
...Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
...Spicy is a flavor that brings heat and fire to food by creating a burning sensation in the mouth or sinuses. Spicy flavors come from hot peppers, horseradish, and wasabi. Spicy adds a kick and sometimes complexity to a dish and releases endorphins, creating a mildly addictive quality.
Ingredients
...The round coconut grows on a tree and has a hard grey/brown shell with hairs when it is mature. The meat on a mature coconut is dense and woody, though chewable. Young Thai coconuts are have a large green shell that is sometimes removed before buying. The meat is tender and the fruit is full of sweet coconut water. Coconuts have a white flesh inside that tastes sweet and tropical. Coconut is used in many Asian and Island dishes.
...Chana dal is a legume and related to the chickpea. It can be green, black or speckled and is split in half to create what is called chana dal, in Indian cooking. The bean is hard until boiled, where it then becomes soft. If overcooked it falls apart, but when cooked properly it has a soft texture that holds, and a mild bean flavor similar to chickpeas. It pairs well with many strong spices and is used in dishes throughout India, including soups and curries.
...The green chili pepper is a spicy vegetable by culinary standards, but botanically it's a fruit. Green chili peppers have thin, green bodies with a tapered bottom. They are 2-3 inches in length with a one inch diameter. Their skin is a medium shade of green and is shiny and very thin. The flesh of the pepper is thin too and contains hot seeds in its center. It is an extra hot chili with a wonderful flavor and used in many dishes to add heat.
...Ginger is a spice whose root is used in food around the world. The root is grown underground and has a hard body and thin beige skin. The root has many rounded and long shoots and is often fat. The flesh of the ginger is golden colored with a flavor that is earthy, spicy and bright. Ginger is made into tea, used in sauces, desserts and savory dishes.
...Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.