• The first step is to roast the peanuts on a low flame.

  Place a pan on low-medium flame. Once the pan is warm, add the peanuts to it. Roast the peanuts until you hear the crackle of the peanuts splitting and you can notice that the skin is about to come off.
• At this stage, turn off the flame and transfer the peanuts to a plate for them to cool down.

  I usually do not remove the skin but if you want to you can remove the skin at this stage by rubbing the peanuts between your fingers to remove it.
• While the peanuts are cooling down, you can soak the tamarind in bowl of warm water. Allow it to soak for a few minutes.

  Using your fingers, extract the pulp from the tamarind and remove the fibres and seeds if there are any.
• In the same pan, roast the dried red chillies for a couple of minutes without the stalk. Once the red chillies are crisp, (should take less than 2 minutes) turn off the heat and allow it to cool down.

  If you are using garlic, roast the garlic for a couple of minutes along with the red chillies too.
• To a mixer jar, add the cooled peanuts, tamarind extract along with the water and the red chillies (and garlic). Grind it to a smooth paste.

  Transfer the chutney to a container. Add 1/2 tsp salt and adjust it according to your taste.

  The next step is to season/temper the chutney.

Tempering the chutney

• Place a tadka pan on a low-medium flame. Add a teaspoon of oil to it.
• Once the oil is warm, add the mustard seeds and split urad dal. Alow the mustard seeds to crackle.
• When the crackling stops, add the asafoetida powder and curry leaves. Turn off the flame.
• Add this tempering to the bowl of peanut chutney.
• Mix well and your Peanut chutney is ready!