Ingredients

1. Oil – 2 tsp
2. Hing - 1/4 tsp or a pinch
3. Coriander leaves – 1 1/3 cup or 45 gms
4. Ginger (optional) – 1/4 tsp
5. Dry chillies - 3
6. Green chillies - 2
7. Mustard seeds – 1/2 to 1 tsp
8. Urad dal – 1 tbsp
9. Dry tamarind paste – gooseberry size or 1 tsp (if using concentrate)
10. Water – 100 ml to 1/2 cup
11. Salt - as per taste

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in hot water for a few minutes. You can extract its pulp or just add the tamarind (after removing the seeds) directly with other ingredients for grinding.
2. Preheat a vessel. Add oil and when it gets warm add mustard seeds, urad dal, dry chillies and green chillies. Saute for a few minutes on a medium flame, until the urad dal and dry chillies have light golden or brown colour is seen on urad dal and dry chillies.
3. Add hing, stir quickly. Add coriander leaves with its stalk and sauté until the leaves get reduced (water is absorbed) but don’t sauté until it becomes crispy or changes its colour. Allow to cool.
4. Put all the ingredients in a mixer along with ginger and tamarind. Grind first without water. If using tamarind water or pulp, add water as per the requirement.
5. Now add more water as per the consistency required and grind to a smooth paste or a light coarse paste.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve as a side dish/dip with dosa or idli.

Notes

1. With the same ingredients, you can make mint chutney by adding mint leaves instead of coriander leaves.
2. In this chutney, I have used dry red and fresh green chillies. They are optional. Alternatively you can use any one (dry red or fresh green chillies) of them as well.
3. Add chillies as per its hotness.
4. If you want, you can add tempering (oil 1 tsp, mustard seeds 1/4 tsp and 5 curry leaves) after transferring the chutney to a serving bowl.
5. I have roughly chopped coriander leaves with its thin stalk and measured in the cup. Alternatively you can just take one big handful.
6. You can use dry tamarind - soak in hot water for a few minutes, extract its pulp and use it. Alternatively, you can just remove the seeds and add the tamarind directly to the chutney. You can also use 1 tsp of ready made thick and concentrated tamarind paste.