Onion Peanut Chutney Recipe | Shenga Chutney Recipe

Onion Peanut Chutney recipe is a simple and delicious South Indian chutney recipe. The medley of flavors pairs wonderfully with breakfast items like dosa, idli, uttapam, wada, and the list goes on.

Being South Indian, we love our idlis and dosas for breakfast at home. Serving an accompaniment is a challenging task every day. So I keep hunting and experimenting with some interesting chutney recipes. I personally love peanuts in my side dish, so keep making variations.

I was first introduced to this amazing chutney during my visit to a popular breakfast restaurant in Bengaluru. Like every other dish, every restaurant has its version of peanut chutney.

Being a peanut lover, this variation of peanut chutney is one of my favorites. And today, I am sharing the very basic version. There are different variations of this chutney and they are mentioned below under the variations section. 

In Karnataka, this peanut chutney is familiar with the names shenga chutney, kadlekai chutney, and nelagadale chutney.

I have already shared a few chutney recipes – peanut chutney, coconut chutney, coriander coconut chutney, spicy peanut chutney, peanut coconut chutney, fried gram chutney.

About Onion Peanut Chutney Recipe

Onion Peanut Chutney Recipe is easy to follow. This popular side dish is made from roasted peanuts, onions, dry red chilies, green chilies, and tamarind. Later, a tempering is poured.

The chutney gets a mild sweetness from the roasted onions, creamy texture from the peanuts, heat from dry red chilies and green chilies, and tanginess from tamarind. A tempering adds flavors and texture that further enhances the taste.

The key step in this onion peanut chutney recipe is to saute/fry the peanuts until they turn golden and the onions well until they lose the raw flavor and just begin to caramelize.

This onion peanut chutney recipe is a great alternative to those coconut-based chutneys. In this onion peanut chutney, tempering is optional.

Reasons to try

Easy to make.

Delicious.

Gets ready in under 15 minutes.

Needs basic pantry ingredients.

A great make-ahead chutney dish.

Vegan.

Versatile.

Pro Tips

As peanut is one of the key ingredients, make sure to use good quality peanuts. The rancid ones will ruin the chutney.

You can vary the onion: peanut ratio as per your preference.

Saute the tamarind along with the onion and peanuts so that it gets softened. Or, you can soak tamarind in 1/4 cup of warm water and extract the juice by rubbing it between your fingers or using a strainer.

If you can not tolerate the spicy taste, then substitute the chutney with half normal dry red chilies and half Kashmiri or byadagi red chilies, so you can get less spicy chutney but with a bright red color.

You can make this chutney thick or slightly watery based on your liking. Diluting the chutney will dilute the spice too, so add chilies accordingly.

Ingredients

Onion and Peanuts: The key ingredients in the chutney. Use raw unsalted peanuts with skin on for this chutney.

I have used regular onions in this recipe. However, you can replace it with shallots or pearl onions (sambar onions).

Oil: I used sunflower oil as it has a neutral flavor.

You can use coconut oil, groundnut oil, or sesame oil. But, it will change the taste profile.

Chilies: I have used regular dry red chilies and green chilies for the color. You can use either one and adjust the number of chilies to suit your palate.

Tamarind: It adds a nice tangy flavor to the chutney.

Tempering: I kept the tempering ingredients minimum and went with oil, mustard seeds, cumin, and curry leaves.

How to make Onion Peanut Chutney

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium flame. When hot, add the peanuts and saute until they turn golden brown.

Stir frequently for even roasting.

2. Once, they turn golden brown color, remove them and let them cool.

3. Add 3-4 green chilies, 3-4 dry red chilies, and 1 sliced onion.

Adjust the number of chilies as per your taste.

4. Add a marble-size tamarind and continue to saute until the onions turn soft and light brown color.

5. Turn off the heat and cool completely.

6. In a blender jar, add roasted peanuts, sauteed onion-chilies mixture, salt, and water.

7. Blend to a coarse or smooth paste as per your preference. Remove it to a bowl and keep it aside.

Tempering:

8. Heat 1/2-1 tbsp oil in a small pan over medium flame. When hot, add mustard seeds and cumin. Let them crackle. Next, add curry leaves and saute until they turn crisp.

Turn off the flame and immediately pour the tempering over the chutney.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this onion peanut chutney with breakfast items like idli, dosa, uttapam, vada, tomato upma, paniyaram, or snacks like mirchi bhaji, dal vada, pungulu, etc.

The chutney also tastes great with flavored rice dishes like coconut rice, lemon rice, vegetable pulao, etc.

Storage Suggestions

This onion peanut chutney stays good for up to 1-2 days in a clean and dry airtight container in the refrigerator.

If you want to refrigerate the chutney for more days ensure not to add too much water while grinding and skip the tempering.

Before serving, let the chutney come to room temperature. The chutney thickens when we refrigerate it. So if required thin it down by adding water as required.

To store for a longer period, you can freeze the chutney. Honestly, I will not suggest freezing this chutney as it takes less than 15 minutes.

This chutney is a great make-ahead dish to save time on busy mornings.

Variations

This onion peanut chutney recipe is a basic recipe. You can make many varieties out of this by adding one or two ingredients and you will get a whole new flavorful chutney.

1. If you have store-bought roasted unsalted peanuts, use them directly in this recipe.

2.  If you don’t have tamarind, replace it with little lime juice or yogurt (curd). However, there will be a slight change in the taste.

3. You can add garlic cloves or a small piece of ginger for an extra punch. If you don’t like the raw flavor, saute it along with onions.

4. You can also include coriander leaves/cilantro or mint leaves along with the onion for added flavor. The herbs will change the color of the chutney.

5. You can add urad dal, chana dal, and asafoetida while tempering.

6. The chutney tastes great without tempering too.

7. You can increase the quantity of chutney by adding fresh coconut and or fried/roasted gram dal.

If you’ve tried this Onion Peanut Chutney Recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Also, please share the recipes with your friends and family members.

You can also follow me on Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Recipe Card