Gujarati Lasan Ni Chutney No Cook Garlic Chutney

It’s made with a tonne of crushed raw garlic, chilli, fresh coriander, salt and oil. That’s it. No cooking and no fancy spices.

Where does this raw garlic chutney come from?

This is simple Kathiyawadi village fare from the heart of Gujarat. Kathiyawad is a peninsula off the western coast of India, in the region of Saurashtra and it’s where my family come from. Made up of several districts including Porbandar, Junagadh and Jamnagar, many people who live there have farming in their blood and an appetite for simply cooked but flavour-rich fare.

How to serve Gujarati Lasan ni Chutney

Serve Gujarati Lasan ni Chutney as an accompaniment to any curry (aubergines work particularly well and are traditional fare). Indian breads like millet chapattis (Bajra na Rotla), wheat chapattis both thin and thick (Rotli and Bhakhri) and fenugreek chapattis (Thepla) are fantastic pairings. It livens up a bowl of warm, comforting lentil and rice stew (Khichdi). For a less traditional but equally delicious use for Gujarati Lasan ni Chutney, stir it into warm vegetables, pasta sauces, stews and soups. Another thing I like to do is to fold some into mashed sweet potatoes with a little butter. Indeed, it is truly brilliant when you need instant garlic and chillies when making lazy curries – just dollop a spoonful in to your tempered spices and sauté away. You can even beat it with plain yoghurt for a speedy drizzle or dip for chaat, pulao and fries!

How to make and store this raw garlic chutney

Gujarati Lasan ni Chutney (No-Cook Garlic Chutney) is something that’s often made fresh every day, our busy schedules often don’t permit us to pound fresh garlic chutney each day so I have a workaround. I make a big batch of Gujarati Lasan ni Chutney, pile it into a clean, sterilised jar. Each time we use it, I top it off with a layer of oil to ensure it stays fresh in the fridge. The oil and salt in the chutney itself help to preserve the fresh ingredients so it lasts months. You only need a small amount of chutney to add big flavour to a meal so it’s worth making it in batches.

Can I use a blender to make this chutney?

This is good old-fashioned farmer food so leave the blender in the cupboard and make it by hand. I like to use a garlic crusher and then mix all the ingredients together but you could also pound it all in a pestle and mortar for a coarse and deliciously-garlicky accompaniment to any traditional Gujarati thali.