2 Village Style Chutney | Bimbli Chutney | Easy Bilimbi Recipe

This post is about two easy village style chutney prepared using bilimbi or bimbul fruit, ready in less than 5 minutes. Bimbul chutney or dip is the perfect accompaniment for idli, dosa, steamed rice, kanji, congee, etc.

While you are here, also check out our popular chutney recipes for Idli, dosa, garlic chutney or लहसुन की चटनी, easy tomato chutney.

What is Bimbul, Bimbli or Bilimbi?

Averrhoa Bilimbi, also known as tree sorrel or cucumber tree, is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus Averrhoa. This fruit is sour in taste.

So you can use it in any food recipe to give sour flavor to the dish by using bilimbi or bimbul instead of tomato, lemon, raw mango, tamarind, vinegar, etc.

Also, bilimbi can be used if you want to clean brass, bronze, or remove any stains.

My childhood memories

We have a bimbul tree in our garden. During the summer holidays, I remember the times when we used to play in the garden along with my siblings and cousins, munching on these sour yet tasty bimbul fruits plucked fresh from the tree.

Yes, we all liked to eat the fruit raw! Surprisingly my little one is following in Mama's footsteps. Not only does he enjoy eating bimbul whenever he visits his grandparents, but when he is here, he makes sure there are plenty of bimbul reserved for him on the tree via video call. 

Some people like eating bimbula by dipping in salt. Others like to cut them into rounds, sprinkle some salt, chile powder, coconut oil, and eat.

At many homes in the coastal Karnataka region, bimbli is used to make pickles. In local vernacular, these pickles are called bimbla nonche or bimla lonche, and they taste best when served with shevai, steamed rice, or even dosa.

Bimbul is also used in my kitchen when making patrode, sarupkari, etc. Basically, when bimbul is in season, the locals like to use it as a sour or acidic substitute to commonly used tamarind/lemon.

Why is this called village-style chutney?

I was born and brought up in a small village in coastal Karnataka. Our life used to be super simple. There we no fancy ingredients in the kitchen. Most of the time, cooking happened with homegrown or locally grown veggies or using veggies and fruits that were pickled to be used throughout the year, like raw mango, raw jackfruit, tender bamboo shoots, etc.

Bimbul tree grows well in the tropical climate and is easy to maintain. In my village, bimbul was one of the fruit trees commonly found in most backyards, along with mango and jackfruit trees. Every other house in the town had one of these trees. And since plenty of fruits is borne in each tree, people would happily distribute the fruits to anyone who needed them.

When this fruit is in season, bimbul chutney is served most of the time along with rice porridge (congee) or as a side with dosa and idlis. Thus, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are sorted in less than 5 minutes, thanks to this yummy bimbul chutney. Also, it is a budget-friendly recipe with no compromise on taste. Almost everyone in our village loves this chutney. So we called it halli mane oota or village-style food.

If it's a season when raw mangoes are available in plenty, then they may be used in place of bimbul in the recipe below.

Ingredients to make Village-Style Chutney

RAW GREEN BIMBUL CHUTNEY

½ cup Grated coconut
5 strands Coriander leaves or Cilantro
3 Green chilies, adjust to taste
3 Bimbul or Bilimbi
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ cup Water

BIMBUL GARLIC RED CHUTNEY

5 Bimbul or Bilimbi
½ cup Coconut, grated
4 Dry red chilies, adjust to taste
3 Garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ cup Water

How to make old fashioned village-style chutney?

To make Green Raw Bimbul Chutney

In a mixie jar or blender, add coconut, coriander leaves, green chilies, bimbul, salt, water, and blend it to a smooth paste.

Transfer it to a bowl and serve with idli, dosa, steamed rice, or congee.

To make Bimbul Garlic Red Chutney

Add bimbul in boiling water and cook until it becomes soft. It should take about 5 minutes.

In a mixie jar or blender, add grated coconut, red chilies, garlic cloves, salt, cooked bimbul, water, and blend it to a smooth paste.

Transfer it to a bowl. Bimbul Garlic Red Chutney is one of the best accompaniments for congee, conjee, kanji, or pejja. You can check the making of chutney here. 

Tips:

• You can vary all the ingredients in both chutneys to taste. Especially the number of chilies and bilimbi.
• If bimbul or bilimbi is not available, but you still want to try this recipe, I recommend using tamarind, tomato, raw mango, or star fruit (carambola) instead of bimbul.
• I have used freshly grated coconut while making chutney. You can use dry or frozen grated coconut as well. While using frozen coconut, use hot water to blend the chutney or bring the frozen coconut to room temperature (thaw) and then blend.

Video recipe for Village-style chutney (Bimbul chutney or Bilimbi dip)

While you are here, you can also check my 5 different chutney recipes in less than 10 minutes for idli, dosa, pongal etc.

Recipe card

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