Coconut Chutney Preserve

Tart, sweet, hot and full of delicious coconut flavours it is a wonderful accompaniment to curries, potato dishes and dals or Indian breads and snacks. This chutney is more of a preserve and quite different to the fresh Indian style coconut chatni or pachadi I make. I used to buy something like this in jars when I worked in London, from a South Indian grocer, and this is my best effort so far in replicating it.
Makes 3 small jars

• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup mild white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• handful dried curry leaves, crumbled
• 1 tsp fenugreek seed
• 4 dried chillis, crumbled
• 1 tsp salt
• chilli powder to taste

Pour the boiling water over the dry coconut and set aside until the water is absorbed. In a pan heat the oil then throw in the mustard seed, curry leaves, fenugreek and chillis as soon as they start to pop add the vinegar and sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and boil for 5 minutes or until it thickens slightly then add the coconut, salt, and chilli to taste. Cook for 10 minutes or so then spoon into warm sterilised jars and seal.

Cooks Note if you can use a fresh coconut, miss out the first step and simply grate the flesh and use it along with the milk, the chutney will be much better. Also I think I need to use Indian sugar rather than granulated for a more authentic taste. The chutney I was trying to copy (it is at least 10 yeas since I have even seen a jar of it) so if memory serves I remember it as being more green in colour when may have been colouring but may have been achieved by using fresh curry leaves or fresh green chillis.