Amte Kai Coconut Chutney Recipe | Konkani Recipes

Say Yes to New Adventures

The perfect sourness for a lip smacking chutney.

Amte kai coconut chutney! Have you tasted ambarella? It looks like a small raw mango, and tastes amazing! The perfect sourness for a lip smacking chutney.

Known by many names like Amte kai in Kannada, Ambade in Tulu, Ambado in Konkani, Ambarella or Hog Plum in English, this fruit is very popular in Asian, American and African countries. In India, it is used in chutney, pickles, soups and curry. Rich source of dietary fibres and Vitamin B complex!

Chutneys today are popularly garnished with an oil tadka. This is unnecessary and does not add any health benefit to the chutney. In fact, nut-based chutneys like amte kati chutney have plenty of natural oil by themselves, from the whole nut. This oil is of much better quality than any extracted unrefined or refined oil.

Amte kai coconut chutney is a traditional dip prepared with ambarella and coconut with selected spices. Also check out Amte Kai Chutney without coconut.

Whole Food Plant Based Amte Kai Coconut Chutney Recipe

Course: Chutneys; Side Dish for Snacks & Course 3 (Grain Dishes) at Lunch & Dinner Meals
Cuisine: Satwik Konkani Recipe from Coastal Karnataka in South India
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people

INGREDIENTS

4 Ambarella / Hog Plums
2 tbsp Fresh Coconut grated
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds / Jeera
1/4 tsp Dhaniya / Coriander Seeds
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup Coriander Leaves chopped
2 Dates
4 tsp Miso Paste
1/4 cup Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak dates overnight on drinking water or for 30 minutes in hot water.
2. Wash, peel and chop ambarella into small pieces. Remove seeds if fruit is not tender.
3. Grate coconut.
4. Dry roast jeera and coriander seeds mildly on low flame. Blend jeera, coriander seeds, pepper into a fine powder.
5. Add all ingredients and blend into a smooth chutney, with a dip like consistency. Serve with Dosa, Idli or Roti!

Plant Based Chef Pro Tips for Best Amte Kai Coconut Chutney Recipe

1. Dry tadka or seasoning can be prepared with dry roasted mustard seeds and curry leaves.
2. Amte kai can be replaced with raw mango or gooseberry (nellikai / amla) in case you don't find ambarella.
3. Replace coconut with almonds to make this recipe even healthier.

Nutrition Science Highlights for WFPB Amte Kai Coconut Chutney Recipe

1. Why not honey, sugar or jaggery? Sugar and Jaggery are processed foods. Although jaggery is healthier than brown sugar, which, in turn, is healthier than white sugar, all forms of processed foods are unhealthy when compared to whole plant foods. Honey is healthwise as good as jaggery, which isn't saying much. In addition to not being very healthy, honey production kills millions of bees every year, affecting our environment adversely. The best sweetener alternative is a whole fruit or dry fruit. The easiest method of using these is date syrup, as it does not involve peeling or chopping.
2. Why Miso Paste? Miso paste is fermented & salted soya bean paste. American Heart Association Maximum recommended maximum daily salt intake of 3.75 grams per person to minimise risk of high blood pressure, stomach cancer and chronic kidney disease. In addition to helping us restrict salt intake, replacing salt with miso paste also helps by neutralising the negative effects of salt by soya phytonutrients. You can easily make fresh miso paste at home by mixing 100 grams of cooked soya paste with 10 grams of salt, or 10 tablespoons of cooked soya paste with 1 tablespoon of salt. If making at home, ensure to use immediately, or freeze in batches to use later. Or, simply use 3.75 grams of salt or less per day per person and add 18 to 20 grams (dry weight) of soya beans in any dishes, spread through the day!
3. Why not tadka? Tadka, thaaLippu, oggaraNe. Tempering spices in oil is quintessential to Indian cuisine. This practice may have started as a compromise when whole nuts were unavailable, and indeed, is more common in inland, drier areas where nuts do not grow easily, all year round. You can enjoy the taste and fragrance, though, by just dry roasting the spices you require, without the oil, or even better, mixing spice powders directly into your dish!
4. Why nuts instead of oil? Whole foods are healthier than processed foods. When nuts are pressed and oil is extracted, fiber and phytonutrients are lost, along with many other nutrients. Therefore, whole nuts are much healthier than oils, whether cold-pressed or refined. In addition, they provide the oil content we need to absorb fat-soluble phytonutrients from other whole plant foods! This may be why nuts are used to garnish nearly every traditional Indian dish