The khakhra tin comes out more during Paryushan than any other week. Greens are off the board. The methi thepla stash has to stretch. What I want on the plate is a dry jar I can pinch over ghee, not another wet chutney that needs the fridge.
That jar is sing daliya chutney. In Gujarati it is also shing daria ni chutney. Sing / shing is peanut. Daliya / daria is roasted gram. The powder is peanuts, daria, white sesame, and a little desiccated coconut, crushed coarse, then tossed in a low-flame spice oil. No onion. No garlic. No curry leaves.
Come make it with me. A quarter cup of peanuts is enough for a week of khakhra breakfasts. It is vegan and gluten-free.
What is sing daliya chutney?
Sing daliya chutney is a Gujarati dry peanut chutney. You roast, cool, crush, and keep it in a glass jar. It is meant to be sprinkled, not spooned like a dip.
This is not the wet Andhra peanut chutney I blend for dosa. That one is garlic, tamarind, and water. This shing daria ni chutney stays a loose powder. If it looks like peanut butter, you ground it too far or you crushed it hot.
Jain kitchens keep a version like this for Paryushan, when green vegetables and root vegetables are off the menu. I also make it in ordinary weeks when I want something on leftover roti that does not compete with wet garlic chutney.
Daliya is roasted gram, not raw chana dal
Daliya here is daria: the pale, already-roasted split chickpeas sold as roasted gram or bhuna chana. They need a short toast, 2 to 3 minutes, until they smell warm.
Raw chana dal is a different ingredient. It takes longer and stays harder. If that is all you have, roast it alone 6 to 8 minutes until it is fragrant and a cooled piece cracks, then grind. Do not toss raw dal in with sesame. The seeds will burn first.
Why you’ll love this
- Tiny batch: 1/4 cup peanuts
- No onion, no garlic, Paryushan-friendly
- Vegan and gluten-free
- Stays on the counter, not in the fridge
- Works on khakhra, thepla, roti, and dhokla
- Uses the peanut and til jars you already have
Peanuts and daria bring protein and crunch to a plate that is otherwise bread and ghee. That matters on festival mornings when the sabzi list is short.
Test note: I roasted 1/4 cup raw peanuts on medium 7 minutes, until the skins loosened and a test peanut was crisp. Then 1/4 cup daria 2 minutes, 2 tablespoons white sesame 90 seconds until a few seeds popped, and 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut 1 minute. Cooled 10 minutes on a plate. Pulsed to a coarse crumb, not a paste. Spice oil on low: 2 tablespoons peanut oil, 1/2 teaspoon saunf, a pinch of hing, then 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon dhaniya-jeera, 1 1/2 teaspoons red chilli, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stirred in the crush and 1 teaspoon amchur for 5 minutes. The batch I sugared while the pan was still hot clumped in the jar by morning. I started over and added 2 teaspoons powdered sugar only after the mix was fully cool. That jar stayed loose.
Perfect for
- Store khakhra with ghee
- Leftover methi thepla
- Soft roti or bhakri
- Sandwich dhokla when you want crunch instead of mint chutney
- Bajra rotlo on a non-Paryushan night, next to a wet katori
Why you must cool it twice
Hot nuts release oil in the mixer and turn the chutney pasty. I learned that by dumping the peanuts straight from the tawa into the jar. The grind looked shiny. By dinner it had packed into one lump.
Cool the roasted mix 10 minutes, spread out. Crush. Then, after the spice roast, cool the whole pan again before you add sugar. Hot sugar melts, grabs the oil, and the powder sets like a praline.
The crush cue is a coarse sandy crumb with visible peanut bits. If you see a smear on the spoon, pulse less next time. A mortar is kinder than a blender if your jar runs hot.
Sing Daliya Chutney (Shing Daria / Dry Peanut Chutney)
Equipment
- Kadhai or skillet
- Mixer jar or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
For the chutney
- 1/4 cup raw peanuts
- 1/4 cup daliya roasted gram / daria
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or any neutral oil
- 1/2 teaspoon saunf fennel seeds
- pinch hing optional
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon dhaniya-jeera powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon amchur powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar add after the mix cools
Instructions
Roast and cool
- Dry roast the peanuts on medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the skins loosen and a cooled peanut is crisp. Tip onto a plate. Rub off loose skins if you want. A few skins left are fine.
- In the same pan, toast the daliya 2 to 3 minutes until it smells warm. Add to the plate.
- Toast the sesame 1 to 2 minutes, until a few seeds pop and they stay cream-colored. Add to the plate.
- Toast the coconut 30 to 60 seconds, just until it smells sweet. Do not let it brown. Add to the plate. Cool everything 10 minutes.
Crush
- Pulse or crush the cooled mix to a coarse crumb. Stop when you still see peanut bits. Do not run the mixer until it turns into a paste.
Spice oil and finish
- On low heat, warm the oil. Add saunf, and hing if you are using it. When the fennel smells, add turmeric, dhaniya-jeera, red chilli, and salt. Stir 15 to 20 seconds. Do not burn the chilli.
- Add the crushed mix and the amchur. Roast 5 minutes on low, stirring, until the powder looks dry and the raw spice smell is gone.
- Take the pan off the heat. Cool completely. Stir in the powdered sugar. Taste for salt and chilli. Store in a dry glass jar.
Notes
Tips from the tawa
Stay on low once the chilli goes in. I scorched one batch by turning the flame up “just for a minute.” The powder tasted bitter and the oil smelled dark. Extra sugar did not save it.
Salt is not optional. A spice-only jar tastes flat on khakhra. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and add a pinch after the sugar if the sweet is louder than the chilli.
If your peanuts are already roasted and unsalted, skip the long roast. Give them 2 minutes on the tawa so they are warm and crisp, then proceed.
Variations and swaps
- No coconut: skip it. Add 1 extra tablespoon sesame. The powder is a little less sweet.
- No sugar: fine. Add 1/4 teaspoon extra amchur if it tastes sharp.
- Milder: 1 teaspoon red chilli.
- Raw chana dal: roast it alone 6 to 8 minutes before the sesame. Cool. Then crush with the peanuts.
- Everyday, not Paryushan: this recipe stays no-onion no-garlic. If you want a wet peanut dip for dosa, make the blender version instead.
FAQs
Q1. What is the difference between sing daliya chutney and peanut chutney?
Sing daliya chutney is a dry Gujarati powder with daria, sesame, and coconut. No garlic, no water. Peanut chutney in the South Indian sense is a wet blender dip with garlic and tamarind. Same nut, different bowl.
Q2. Is sing daliya chutney Paryushan and Jain friendly?
Yes, as written. No onion, no garlic, no green leaves, no root vegetables. Skip hing if your house does that on certain days. Check your hing brand if you need it wheat-free.
Q3. Can I use raw chana dal instead of daliya?
Yes. Roast it longer, alone, until a cooled piece cracks. Do not treat it like already-roasted daria.
Q4. Why did my dry peanut chutney clump?
You added sugar while the pan was hot, or you ground the nuts warm. Cool fully both times. Use a dry spoon every time you serve.
Q5. Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. That is the point of the jar. I make it the weekend before Paryushan and keep it next to the khakhra tin.
Q6. What do I serve sing daliya chutney with?
Khakhra with ghee, roti, thepla, bhakri, puri, and dhokla. I do not loosen it with water. If you want a dip, mix a spoon into thick dahi.
Keep the jar next to the khakhra tin
This sing daliya chutney recipe is the dry, rusty-red powder I want when the green katori is off the table. The crush should look sandy. The sugar should go in last, when the pan is cold.
If you try it, tell me: pinched over khakhra, or packed into a thepla roll?
Made this? Share a photo and tag @petitepaprika on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
