Peanut Chutney Powder Recipe (Shenga Chutney Pudi)

Peanut Chutney powder served in a small bowl with curry leaves on the side for decoration.

5 from 8 votes

Peanut Chutney Powder Recipe (Shenga Chutney Pudi)

Peanut chutney powder also known as shenga chutney pudi is actually a North Karnataka dish prepared using peanuts, red chili powder, curry leaves, garlic, tamarind, jaggery and salt.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, North Karnataka

Keyword chutney powder recipes, peanut chutney powder, shenga chutney powder, shenga chutney pudi

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Method Stovetop

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 43kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

Ingredients

½ cup peanut/groundnut/shenga/kadlekai
1.5-2 teaspoons red chili powder (adjust as per your spice level)
2 stalks curry leaves
2-3 garlic cloves USA or two full bulb if it is Indian garlic
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small piece tamarind
salt to taste
½ jaggery (optional)

Instructions

First, heat a pan or kadai and dry-roast ½ cup of peanuts (groundnuts) over low heat until they are well roasted and develop golden-brown spots.
Transfer them to another plate. Cool completely. You can also roast the peanuts in the air fryer.
In the same kadai, add 2 stalks of curry leaves and dry roast them over medium flame until they become dry and crispy.
Then add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, 2-3 garlic cloves, and 1 small piece of tamarind. Saute for another 30 seconds and turn off the gas. Let them cool completely before using.
Add all the following ingredients into a mixer jar.
1.5-2 teaspoons red chili powder (adjust as per your spice level), salt to taste, ½ teaspoon jaggery (optional but recommended)
Dry grind it using the pulse mode to make a coarse or smooth powder.
Transfer the mixture back to the plate, and mix it well.
Yields ¾ cup of peanut garlic chutney powder. Store it in an airtight container. Serve it with rotti or chapati.

Notes

Tips:

I have roasted the peanuts on the stovetop in a kadai. Alternatively, you can microwave the peanuts for 2–3 minutes, stirring every 1 minute, until they are well roasted and lightly browned. To save time, you can also use store-bought roasted peanuts.
The red color of this shenga chutney pudi mainly comes from the chili powder used. I got this red chili powder made in my hometown (made using Byadgi red chilies + Guntur chilies), but you can also use Kashmiri red chili powder to get this color.
Dry-grind the peanut mixture only after it has cooled completely. Grinding it while it is still warm can cause the peanuts to release oil and turn the mixture greasy.
You can also dry roast curry leaves in the microwave for 90-120 seconds; check in between.

Variations:

Jaggery is optional, so you can make spicy chutney powder without adding it too.
You can also use 2 tablespoons of roasted sesame seeds, flax seeds, or dry coconut and reduce the same amount of peanuts from the ingredients for healthier variation.
Please do not remove the skin of peanuts, as they are very nutritious.
Some people also use whole, dry red chilies to make this groundnut chutney powder. But I prefer using chili powder since it's easily available at home any time of the year.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition