Onion chutney recipe – Quick, delicious and hot chutney made using onions. Most South Indian Breakfasts are served with a chutney which usually taste hot and sour with hints of sweetness. At home we mostly eat Idli, Pesarattu and Dosa varieties for breakfast. So I make chutney almost everyday and often try out varieties.
The recipe shared here gives a thick, hot and delicious chutney which can be served not only with Indian breakfasts but also with Snacks and Parathas.
Onion chutney is best when made with shallots but in this post I have used regular onions. Peeling the shallots does take some time so I have used regular onions.
For more Chutney recipes, you can check
Peanut chutney
Coconut chutney
Tomato chutney
Onion tomato chutney
Video of onion chutney recipe
Onion chutney recipe
Onion chutney recipe | How to make onion chutney | Chutney recipes
Spicy onion chutney is a south Indian chutney variety that can be served with most Indian breakfasts and snacks like idli, dosa, vada, bonda etc.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- 1 cup onions (or 2 large cubed)
- 2 tbsps oil
- ¾ to 1 tbsp bengal gram chana dal
- ¾ to 1 tbsp black gram (skinned or urad dal)
- 2 tbsps peanuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 to 4 red chilies (use less spicy variety)
- 1 sprig curry leaves (optional)
- ½ tsp cumin (or jeera)
- 1 tsp tamarind ( or lemon juice as needed)
- 1 tsp jaggery (optional)
- ½ tsp salt ( or as needed)
- ½ cup water
Tempering onion chutney
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ tsp mustard or rai
- ½ tsp urad dal
- ½ red chili
- 10 curry leaves
- Pinch asafoetida or hing
How to make the recipe
Preparation for onion chutney recipe
- Soak tamarind and jaggery in half cup water. Set this aside.
Pour 2 tbsp oil to a pan and heat it.
- Add chana dal, urad dal, peanuts and red chilies.
- Fry until lightly golden.
- Add garlic and onions. Fry them for 3 to 4 mins until the onions are half done.
Next add jeera and curry leaves.
- Saute until the onions are light golden or turn soft.
- Cook completely.
- Add these to a blender jar along with salt.
- Squeeze tamarind in the water.
- Pour the water to the jar.
- Blend until smooth. If needed pour more water or tamarind water.
- Check the spice and salt. Transfer this to a serving bowl.
Tempering onion chutney
- Pour 1 tbsp oil to the pan.
- When the oil turns hot, add mustard , urad dal and red chilies.
Next when the dal turns light golden, add curry leaves and hing.
- Pour this to the chutney.
- Serve onion chutney with breakfast or snacks.
Preparation for onion chutney recipe
1. Wash and peel onions. Chop or cube them.
2. Soak little tamarind and 1 tsp jaggery in half cup water. Often tamarind has impurities, so I just rinse it once and soak in water. You can also use it directly, if you do not prefer to soak.
3. Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan. Do not reduce oil otherwise onions will not fry well. Add chana dal, urad dal, peanuts and red chilies to the hot oil.
4. Fry them on a medium heat until lightly golden.
5. Add garlic.
6. Next add onions. Fry for 3 to 4 mins.
7. Then add curry leaves and jeera. You can also skip curry leaves. I prefer to add as they are healthy. Fry until the onions wilt completely and turn soft.
How to make onion chutney
8. Cool these completely and add them to the jar.
9. This is the soaked tamarind and jaggery. Squeeze it with your fingers.
10. I prefer to pass it thru the filter.
11. I forgot to add the salt in the earlier step, so I added it here.
12. Also check salt and sourness. You can add more water to the tamarind, and pour it to the chutney. Pour more water if needed and blend again to bring it to the consistency you desire.
13. Tempering is optional and can be skipped. Heat the same pan with oil. When the oil is hot, add mustard, urad dal and red chili. Next when the dal turns light golden, add curry leaves and hing. Turn off the stove.
14. Pour this to the chutney. I usually pour the chutney to the pan and mix.
Serve onion chutney with idli, dosa and snacks.
Babita Garg says
Hi, Swasthi . . . . . . I liked your massore bond recipe
swasthi says
Hi Babita
Thank you very much.
Sanu says
Yummy chutney. Was so good with idli.
swasthi says
Thanks for trying
Sarah Kay says
Ado I use the red chilis dried or reconstituted before frying.?
Thank you
swasthi says
Welcome Sarah
You can use the dried red chilies. But if you have reconstituted ones, you can add them directly to blender