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Capsicum chutney comprises fresh capsicum, onion, ginger, garlic, and other spices. My step-by-step guide will walk you through the process to make capsicum chutney at home.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Capsicum chutney is unique and quite easy to make at home.
Refrigerate the chutney in an airtight container to extend its shelf life and preserve its freshness.
Serve the chutney with South Indian food, Indian bread, rice dishes, pakoras, snack items, grilled or roasted veggies.

Capsicum chutney tastes sweet, tangy, and savory with a hint of heat.
Capsicum and mint chutney, capsicum and coriander chutney, and capsicum and tomato chutney will offer a similar taste.

I first tasted this dish at a wedding buffet. Among dozens of fancy items, this one humble bowl of flavour stole the show. I asked the caterer about it and was lucky enough to get a rough idea of how it was made. I experimented at home until I got it just right. Now, it features regularly in house parties and potlucks. It is a tool for me to impress others. The best part is watching guests go back for seconds without knowing it’s my homemade special. Feels like a win every time.

Table of Contents

How to Make Capsicum Chutney? (Step by Step Guide with Images)

Step 1: Take a wok and heat it on a medium flame on your gas stove. When it is hot enough, put 2 tbsp of white oil in it. When the oil heats up, put ¼ tsp of mustard seeds along with ½ tsp of split black lentil (urad dal) in it. Fry it for just a couple of minutes until the urad dal turns golden brown in color.

(Pro tip: You can use any type of white oil you have at home to make the chutney).

Step 2: Now, add ¼ tsp of asafetida powder to the spices in the oil. Stir it to mix it nicely.

Step 3: Then, add 1 piece of a medium-sized onion (sliced finely), 2 pieces of fresh green chilies (cut into small pieces), 1 piece of fresh ginger of about ¼-inch in size (deskinned and cut roughly), and 2 garlic cloves (deskinned and cut into small pieces) in the oil. Sauté the ingredients for about 2 to 3 minutes until the onion becomes soft and turns translucent. At this point, add 1 piece of tamarind about 1-inch in size.

(Pro tip: You can add a few more pieces of green chilies if you want the capsicum chutney to be a bit spicier).

Step 4: Stir it to mix it with the other ingredients and then add 2 pieces of fresh capsicum (deseeded and cut into thin slices) along with a little bit of regular table salt to taste. Stir them all once again to mix everything nicely and let them cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until everything is tender.

Step 5: At this point, add ½ cup of fresh coriander leaves to the content in the wok. Stir it and mix nicely and let it cook for another minute or so. When everything is cooked nicely and gets reduced, turn the flame of your gas stove off. Let the pan sit for a while for the ingredients to cool down completely at room temperature.

(Pro tip: You may transfer the ingredients to a separate plate if you want to speed up the cooling process).

Step 6: When the ingredients have cooled down completely, transfer them from the wok or the plate to a clean grinder. Add ¼ cup of water to it.

Step 7: Grind it to a fine paste. Check the consistency of the paste. If you think it is too thick and you want something less thick, add some more water and blend it again.

(Pro tip: However, do not add too much water at once. If you add excess water, you will not be able to take it back. Therefore, add water gradually and blend it after every time you add water to it, and make sure you do it in short intervals. This will prevent heat buildup which might eventually affect the color of the chutney).

Step 8: If you are happy with the consistency, transfer the paste to a bowl and keep it aside.

Step 9: To prepare the tempering ingredients for the chutney, take a tadka pan and heat it on medium flame. When it is hot enough, put 1 tbsp of white oil in it and then add ½ tsp of mustard seeds in it when the oil heats up. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add ½ tsp of split black lentil (urad dal) to the oil. Stir the ingredients for about half a minute to cook them nicely till the urad dal turns golden in color. Finally, add 6 to 8 pieces of fresh curry leaves to the oil and turn the flame of your gas stove off.