Red garlic chutney is popularly known as Lasun (garlic in Hindi) chutney or Teekhi Lal (spicy red in Hindi) chutney. It is a condiment that brings out the flavors of the accompanying spice mixtures of Indian chaat recipes. You may not see this recipe in many Indian households that do not use garlic in their cooking, but this chutney is the secret ingredient for street foods across India. Red chutney when used alongside spicy green chutney, and sweet tamarind chutney or date chutney is sure to take your memories back to the streets of amchi Mumbai. Let’s dive in…

What is Red Garlic Chutney

Red garlic chutney is a hot and spicy chutney that you will notice on every Indian street food vendor’s table. As the name suggests, this spicy condiment is made with loads of dry red chilies and garlic. Don’t be scared to try it, as the red chilies used are more for the rich color. The garlic cloves are the ones that give heat to this chutney. However, the key is to use it sparingly in chaat recipes. Simply grind them along with some basic ingredients like salt and cumin and you can create streetside magic at home. 

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What you will need to make Spicy Garlic Chutney

Ingredients

Note: 1 cup = 235 ml

1. 12 Kashmiri red chilies, soaked in 1 cup. water for up to 2 hours
2. 8 garlic pods 
3. 1 tsp. Cumin powder
4. 1 tsp. Black salt
5. Salt to taste, I use ½ tsp. 
6. 3 Tbsp. water

Equipment

1. A small mixing bowl
2. A small blender jar
3. A small air-tight container to store

A note on key ingredients

Kashmiri red chili is one of the two main ingredients used in this recipe. This is a milder variety of chili and has a rich color to it which gives this chutney its bright color. If you do not have access to whole dry chili, you can substitute with 1 ¼ Tbsp. of store-bought Kashmiri red chili powder. 

Garlic in general has a long shelf life. However, to get the best results, use a fresh batch of garlic pods for this recipe.

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How to prepare Red Garlic Chutney – An Overview

Simply add all the ingredients to a blender jar with very little water, grind to a smooth paste, and store it in the refrigerator. 

Tips before you begin

📝 If you forget to soak Kashmiri red chili, you can quickly immerse the chili in water and pop it into the microwave for a minute before grinding

📝 You can substitute Kashmiri chili with an equal number of Byadgi chili

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How to make Lal Lasun Chutney – Instructions with step-by-step images

Grind

Step 1 – Soak 12 dry red Kashmiri Chilies in 1 cup. water for up to 2 hours

Pro Tip: If you are in a hurry, simply immerse dry red Kashmiri chilies in water and microwave for 2 minutes, and go to step. 2. You can also substitute it with 1 ¼ Tbsp. Kashmiri red chili powder if you like.

Step 2 – Place softened Kashmiri chilies in a small blender. Now add 8 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. Black salt, 1 tsp. Cumin powder, salt to taste (I use ½ tsp.), and 3 Tbsp. water that was used for soaking the chilies

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Step 3 – Grind all ingredients to a smooth paste consistency

Store

Step 4 – Transfer to a bowl for immediate use or store it in an airtight glass jar for future use

Step 5 – Enjoy your sublime red garlic chutney in your chaat recipes😋

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How I learned about the red garlic chutney recipe

I’m married to a foodie who grew up in Mumbai. That says it all right? So when I ventured out to make street food recipes, I would end up with a B+ or an A-, and making that A+ was a challenge. So during my visit to India in 2014, I made sure I paid close attention to everything that the street vendors added to chaat recipes. While building a plate of Bhel, I noticed the guy added a hint of bright red chutney and I learned it was the Lasun chutney.

After I got back home to Houston, I tried a couple of recipes that did not make the cut. So I started using store-bought chutney for this one. Again there was no sublime effect. On the contrary, I got negative feedback so I continued making chaat with just two chutneys, Spicy Green Chutney and Sweet Tamarind Chutney. 

The quest continued, until my sister-in-law, another Mumbaikar, nailed it with her experiments. After learning this from her, I have tested it out several times before publishing it here. One important tip to note is that you should use very little quantity of this chutney in your chaat recipes. Remember that a little goes a long way when you handle this chutney. Thank you Bhavna Venkataraman for this sublime contribution and tip on how to use it 🤗

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