Making this is super easy! Soak the red chilies in hot water to soften. Then blend them with garlic, cumin seeds, lemon juice, salt, sweetener & little water. This is the same chutney I use for my bhel puri and other chaats. The basic red chutney needs no cooking and keeps good for about 7 to 10 days in the refrigerator. Sometimes I also temper this with little oil for a longer shelf life (about 3 to 4 weeks).

Tips to make garlic chutney

Choose red chilies (or red chilli powder) that are low in heat like Kashmiri or Byadgi. Very hot red chilies do not go well for this chutney.Avoid using garlic cloves that have begun to sprout as they make the chutney bitter.Do not skip lemon juice/ vinegar in the recipe as it helps to reduce the pungent taste & flavor of garlic.Use clean water or boiled and cooled water for longer shelf life.

Substitutes

You can substitute red chilies with low heat red chilli powder like Kashmiri or Byadgi.Substitute sugar with jaggery. Substitute lemon juice with vinegar. I prefer vinegar as it helps in longer shelf life. You won’t smell the vinegar in the chutney.

How to make

  1. You can skip this step and use Kashmiri red chilli powder. Please use gloves if you cannot tolerate the heat of the chilies. Remove the stalks of the red chilies and break them to 2 parts. Deseed as much as you can. Add them to a bowl. Next pour hot water and let them soften for a while. Once they soak, remove the chilies from the water leaving the seeds that settle down.
  2. To a grinder jar, add sugar, salt, cumin seeds and garlic cloves. Do not use garlic cloves that have begun to sprout as they taste bitter. To check, you can trim off one end of the garlic cloves and take a look.
  3. Add lemon juice or vinegar and the red chilies. I drained off the water as my red chilies were too hot and pungent. Add little fresh water & blend.
  4. Scrape off the sides. Keep adding more water as needed & blend to a smooth yet thick chutney. The taste of this garlic chutney has to be well balanced – slightly hot, pungent, slightly sweet & tangy. Taste test at this stage and add more salt, sugar or vinegar.
  5. Transfer it to a clean glass container and refrigerate. This can be used for chaats and snacks.
  6. I made this for a chaat so I did not temper. If you want to temper this, heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a pan. Add a pinch of mustard seeds & 3 to 4 curry leaves. Next when the leaves turn crisp, add little hing. Pour the chutney and cook for just 1 minute on a low heat. Cooking longer can make the chutney bitter. To serve the tempered chutney, I usually add a few tablespoons of hot water to bring it to consistency.

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