Coconut Chutney, how my agee does make it

Coconut chutney and Aloo-pie on a banana leaf

“Vote for me, I will not disappoint. I guarantee total gastronomic satisfaction; dem odders eh have notin on me. I is the only one with a smoky disposition and a serious spicy undertone. I could take de heat and with all dis fuss about de environment I can boost of being green….ish. I am a team player, I doh go it alone, whether I working with aloo pie or kachorie or even pholourie I am a hit wherever I go. Try me with some dhal and rice and you’ll see what I mean. So vote for me; coconut chutney, I am the king of chutneys, tamarind and mango is only pretenders, I am the real contender” That was an unpaid culinary announcement. The views expressed may be exactly the views of this blog.

So with all the electioneering going roung, ah was in a politicking mood. Is just two weeks again before Trinidad’s 41st General Election and I hope that we make it there without any violent or ugly incidents. I don't tink so though, Trinidadians are in general a peaceful people, unless you raise the price of a doubles or try to cancel Carnival. 

Coconut Chutney garnished with Bandania

Coconut chutney is really vying for my vote as my favorite chutney with tamarind running a close second. This recipe is how my agee used to make it long time. She used to grind it with this massive stone mortar and pestle. It was a massive 15’’×20’’ stone with a concave indentation on the top and a smaller oblong stone which she used to do the grinding. I think she got it from the beach or a river. I wish I had one of those but I had to make do with a blender. The main drawback of the blender was the exorbitant amount of water required to get it to blend properly which sometimes gives a watery result. With the mortar and pestle my agee has you get everything even the bandania ground really fine giving the chutney a green ting and you don't require a huge amount of water to achieve this.

This version of coconut chutney is very versatile as it does not contain any exotic spices and so can go with any type of cuisine. I’ve seen other coconut chutneys recipes on the net and in cookbooks but they don’t do what my agee does which is roast the coconut. The roasting brings out the fabulous warm earthy aroma of the coconut, it’s really fantastic. It makes the whole house smell yummy.

Cuisine    Trini-Indian
Type        Condiment
Serves     20 (makes 2 ½ c chutney)
Skill          Easy
Time        40 mins
  

Ingredients

1 ¾ c         coconut diced into ¼ “ cubes (about 1 ¾ of a whole coconut)
7 cloves    garlic chopped coarsely (so would not stick in blender blades)
4                congo pepper (or whatever hot pepper you have) chopped
1 ¹/8 tsp    salt
15-20        leaves bandania (can subst curry or mint leaves) chopped
1 ½ c         water

The heat of this chutney I would say is medium. You can add more pepper if you want it hotter or less if you prefer a milder chutney.

Procedure

 1.    Cut your coconut into two with the blunt edge of a knife. Separate the white coconut flesh from the hard brown outer shell. You can use a knife to do this but be careful not to cut yourself.

2.    Try to flatten the pieces of flesh so they are not too curved as this will help them get evenly roasted. Roast the coconut on both sides on a stove top until there are dark brown patches but do not burn to a crisp. Some parts may catch fire but that’s okay, just put it out and continue. When you are done you can scrape out the really burnt bits. When done chop coarsely enough so that it will not get stuck in the blender blades. 

3.    Chop garlic, bandania and pepper. 

4.    Drop the coconut, garlic, bandania and pepper into the blender and pulse until everything is minced. If you like this consistency you can add salt to taste and you’re done. 

5.    If you prefer a more soupy consistency add the water a little at a time and blitz until you get the consistency you like. Add the salt and blend. Pour into a bowl to serve.   

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