If you are looking for a condiment to spice up your breakfast, lunch or dinner meals, please check out this very tasty and spicy coconut chutney. This is one of my favourite things to add to my meals. I even add it to bread, butter and cheese. It gives toasted cheese sandwich taste very scrumptious.

It is very easy to make and can stay in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

I think that the secret that makes this chutney so tasty is to roast the pieces of coconut on an open flame. Alternatively, for those who only have an electric cooker, roast it in a pan or perhaps pop it under a grill for a few minutes

I use fresh coconut pieces to make this chutney. Sourced from some of the larger supermarkets. I live in London and most of the larger supermarkets sell them in small packets. Alternatively, you get a better deal if you can buy the whole de-husked coconut from the local markets. I t can be a bit fiddly to break into the rock hard shell but if you look closely at the coconut, you can see tiny perforations where the shell is thinner. Crack open at that area using a sharp and broad bladed knife. I rest on some pieces of newspaper on the concrete ground and whack it with all my might. Be careful though since the coconut can slip. Also some residual coconut water may also seep out when the shell is cracked. Use  the coconut as soon as you buy it. I found that it it stays too long, it is near enough impossible to crack the shell and I felt that the coconut itself was not so ‘fresh’ and tasty.

So, let me get onto the the preparation of this chutney

Ingredients

1 cup of fresh Coconut pieces

4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled

Fresh chillies (I used 2-3 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice

Salt to taste

Here’s how you make it…

Stick individual coconut pieces on a thin metal skewer and roast of the ‘skin’ side for one minute

Gas cooker image with a piece of coconut being roasted
Individual coconut pieces on a skewer and over an open flame

Or put in a dry frying pan, cook on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the skin side of the coconut pieces get charred.

Roasting individual coconut pieces in a dry frying pan
Roast in a dry frying pan

Place all the pieces in a bowl. Add the coconut pieces, garlic and chillies into the blender. Add the lime juice and 2-3 tablespoons of water to allow the blending process to occur.

Grilled coconut pieces
Some of the pieces look charred but that just adds to the flavour

Add salt to taste.

Blended coconut chutney in a small bowl
Blend with garlic, chillies and add salt to taste

 

I felt that the process of blending creates a watery chutney and I preferred it as a drier consistency. I add the mix into a dry pan and cook for 3-5 minutes stirring often to prevent the chutney from ‘catching’ in the dry pan and burning.

Coconut chutney cooking in a pan
Cooking the chutney in a pan on medium heat

 

Coconut chutney ready to eat
Cooked and ready to eat.

 

Sterilise a glass storage bottle and pack the chutney inside. This can stay in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Mine never lasts that long because I add it to my cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. It soon dwindles away but rest assured, it takes very little time to whip up some more. Also present in a beautiful storage bottle to friends and family. I’m sure they will enjoy this relish/ condiment/ chutney.

Try it with some bread, butter and sliced cheddar cheese. Or cheese toasties.

I think you will love it as much as I do.