Ellu pajji: down memory lane, a sesame treat!

After all that reminiscing about early mornings in my grandmother’s kitchen, I just had to rustle up a batch of my favourite chutney ever. I may not have hot off the fireplace akki ottis available to me at breakfast too often these days, but this chutney, on a bit of toast, goes a long way towards satisfying the craving 🙂

Ellu pajji

A spiced sesame and coconut chutney, with just a hint of smokiness

  • 1/2 cup  brown (unhulled) sesame – washed and dried
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
  • 2 – 3 shallots or sambar onions, roasted*
  • 3 – 4 hot green chillis, or to taste
  • 1 tbsp thick tamarind extract
  • 1 tbsp jaggery, or to taste
  • Salt to taste

Dry roast the sesame on medium heat until it sputters.

Grind all the ingredients together to a smooth paste.

It’s hard to match the buttery texture achieved by grinding this the traditional way, on a grinding stone. Even the best “Indian mixie” falls short!

If you’re using a food processor, grind the sesame before adding the other ingredients.You may need to add a little water to help grind the mixture.Use as little as possible.

A tempering of mustard, curry leaves and broken red chillis is optional.

*Roasted in embers would be ideal, but over an open flame, under the broiler, or in a hot pan will do too.

  Roast the onions with their skins on until they’re blackened outside, then peel.

The version above is the one I like best as a breakfast accompaniment for akki ottis and dosas. It’s also  fantastic as a sandwich filling. (Did I mention I ate this in combination with honey too? My savoury sesame version of a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich!)

This sesame chutney lends itself to many delicious applications. Here are a couple of my favourites:

  1. Add a touch of ginger to the mixture, and spread a thin layer on a bit of fish before grilling or steaming.
  2. Use coconut milk instead of the grated coconut, add some red chilli flakes, and you have an unusual dipping sauce for satay skewers.

Now go ahead and give it a try!

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