Tomato chutney is a tangy, somewhat spicy and sweet concoction of ingredients, cooked and ground.
This recipe has a south Indian touch and goes well with “pakodas” (vegetable fritters), Idli (savory steamed cake), Dosa (Fermented crepe), Vada (fried pulses ball) or even as a side with main course!
You make also like: Peanut Tamarind Chutney, Dahi ki Chutney, Ginger Chutney
What is Chutney?
Chutney is from south Asian cuisine and just like salsa, there is no right or wrong recipe ?! It’s all about the flavor. Chutney can be sweet, tart, spicy or hot. It adds flavor balance to dish/ meal.
Chutney is mostly associated with India, but what is generally not known is, it has a great presence and use in African and Caribbean cuisines as well.
Chutney can be fresh or cooked, made with a variety of ingredients, generally fruits and/or vegetables and spices. The texture can be chunky or smooth.
About the recipe
This recipe is a fusion between south Indian ingredients and use of a few whole spices.
I used ‘tomatoes on the vine’ that are good for sauces, salsa and gravies. If you don’t get hold of them, simply use your locally grown tomatoes or ‘Roma’ tomatoes. The key is using fresh vegetable and not canned tomato chunks or sauces.
I love my spices and try experimenting with them here ☺️ A good quantity of ginger, lentils (urad dal), dried red chilis, black pepper corns and cloves. Cook them well with juicy tomatoes and get a smooth paste.
The final touch is mild tempering using basic Indian spices. Voila! Tomato chutney is ready.
Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
For chutney
- 1 lbs Tomatoes on the vine or 500 grams tomatoes
- 2 tsp Urad dal or split black gram
- 2 tsp Ginger paste or chopped ginger
- 4 whole Dried red chilli broken
- 8-10 whole black pepper corns
- 5-6 whole cloves
- a pinch Asafetida or hing
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Water as required during grinding
For tempering
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2-3 whole Dried red chilli broken
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 5 Fenugreek seeds
- a pinch Asafetida or hing
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes thoroughly and chop them. Keep it aside.
- In a medium non-stick pot/ pan, heat oil. On a medium flame, add urad dal and let it sizzle for 30 seconds.
- Now add dried red chilis, cloves, pepper corns and asafetida. Stir for 30 seconds and add ginger. Cook until the raw aroma of ginger disappears (about a minute).
- Next add chopped tomatoes and salt. Let it cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have turned soft.
- Remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
- Once cooled, transfer the mixture to a blender/ grinder/ food processor to obtain a smooth paste. Add water if necessary. Keep it aside.
- In the same non-stick pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Next add dried red chili, asafetida and fenugreek seeds. Cook for 30 seconds and add the tomato paste.
- Let it cook for another 10 minutes. Add salt if necessary.
- Remove from heat and let it cool. Transfer into storage containers and keep refrigerated.
- Serve with pakodas, idli, dosa, vedas or as a side with the main course. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use ginger-garlic paste instead of ginger paste only.
- Curry leaves can be used during tempering. I personally don’t prefer having curry leaves in tempering for chutney.
- Instead of dried red chilis, you can use red chili powder/ paprika while cooking tomatoes.
Nutrition
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