We Mangaloreans do love our leaves, and Thimare Chutney is one of those simple recipes that says it so well. Fresh leaves, coconut and a few familiar ingredients, ground into a thick chutney to sit beside a bowl of ganji.
This one takes me back to a stay at my sister Minty’s home in Bengaluru. Her mum-in-law, Prabha Shetty aunty, made it in a jiffy with fresh thimare leaves growing in their home garden. A little plucking, a little grinding, and the chutney was ready. Such simple joys.
At my sister’s home, ganji is part of dinner almost every night: rice served with its cooking water, with fried fish and a vegetable on some evenings, or just a pickle or chutney on others. Thimare Chutney belongs to those quick-fix days when a simple meal is all you want.
Keep it slightly thick for ganji or pez vanas so it does not water down the meal. This version needs no tempering. Mom makes a similar chutney with a tiny piece of jaggery added, a little variation I have noted below.
Thimare Chutney
Ingredients
Ingredients
- A handful of fresh thimare leaves
- The grated flesh of ½ a coconut
- 2–3 green chillies
- 2 garlic cloves
- A ¼-inch piece of ginger
- A little tamarind
- Salt, to taste
- Very little water, as needed for grinding
- A tiny piece of jaggery, optional, for Mom's variation
Instructions
Method
- Prepare the leaves. Pick over the thimare leaves, wash thoroughly and drain.
- Grind the chutney. Grind the leaves with the grated coconut, green chillies, garlic, ginger, tamarind and salt. Add only enough water to help the mixture come together. You can use a grinding stone or a small wet-grinding jar.
- Keep it thick. Scrape down the sides as needed and grind to your preferred texture, keeping a thick consistency for ganji.
- Taste and serve. Adjust the salt. If making Mom's variation, grind in a tiny piece of jaggery. Serve with ganji or rice. There is no finishing tempering in this recipe.
Notes
- Prabha Shetty aunty's version is the recipe here; the jaggery is Mom's variation.
- A handful of leaves and half a coconut are the measures in my original post. Adjust the chillies and salt to taste.
- Use very little water, particularly when serving with ganji or pez.
- Use a grinder attachment intended for wet ingredients; a small jar is convenient for this batch.
For more chutneys from my kitchen, try Kuddu Tha Chutney and Peere Chutney.
