Wet Garlic Chutney with Roasted Red Bell Pepper (Less Oil)
Smoky red lasan chutney with roasted bell pepper and minimal oil. Thick, spreadable, and perfect with thepla, bajra rotlo, and chaat.
Equipment
- Blender or small food processor
- Tongs (for charring pepper)
- Small pan (optional, for tempering)
Ingredients
Chutney
- 1 medium red bell pepper ~200 g; roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped
- 10–12 large garlic cloves ~35–40 g; peeled
- 8–10 dried Kashmiri red chillies stems removed, soaked in hot water 15–20 minutes and drained
- 2 tsp lemon juice plus more to taste
- ¾ –1 tsp fine salt plus more to taste
- 2 tsp neutral oil for roasting pepper and optional tempering; divided
- 1–2 tbsp water as needed for blending
Optional tempering
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 6–8 fresh curry leaves
- 1 tsp neutral oil if not used during roasting
Instructions
Roast the bell pepper
- Rub the pepper with about 1 tsp oil. Char over a gas flame, on a grill pan, or under a broiler until the skin blisters and blackens in spots.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover 5–10 minutes, then peel off most of the charred skin. Remove stem and seeds; chop roughly.
Soak the chillies
- Cover dried chillies with very hot water and soak 15–20 minutes until soft. Drain well.
Blend
- In a blender, combine roasted pepper, soaked chillies, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp water.
- Blend in short bursts until very smooth (about 60–90 seconds total in a high-speed blender) to avoid bitter garlic.
- Taste; add salt, lemon, or a splash of water until thick and spreadable like Greek yogurt.
Optional tempering
- Heat remaining oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds; when they pop, add curry leaves and swirl a few seconds.
- Stir into the chutney or pulse once in the blender to combine.
Notes
Oil-free: roast the pepper dry; skip tempering. Flavour is sharper; use within 5–7 days refrigerated.
Milder heat: use fewer chillies or Kashmiri-only; remove some seeds after soaking.
Jarred roasted peppers: use about ½ cup chopped, drained and patted dry; reduce salt if needed.
Store in a clean airtight jar in the refrigerator up to 10–14 days. Freeze in ice cube trays up to 2 months.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!