Tomato chutney recipe | How to make onion tomato chutney recipe

Tomato chutney recipe to accompany South Indian Breakfast like Idli, Dosa, pesarattu, Pongal. Tomato chutney is a basic condiment made with tomatoes & spices. Each South Indian house hold may have a different recipe made to suit their taste & liking.

Most South Indian house holds enjoy a variety of chutneys with every meal & snack. We Telugu speaking people make spicy hot chutney with almost every seasonal vegetable. Our meal is incomplete without having a chutney. Tomato chutney is one of them.

Traditionally tomato chutney was made with just few basic ingredients. Tomatoes, garlic, chillies, tamarind, cumin and salt were crushed in a mortar pestle.

In the modern days, to add aroma and taste ingredients like chana dal (bengal gram), urad dal(skinned black gram), peanuts or sesame seeds are used. One of these or a mixture of all these can also be used.

Variations of tomato chutney

There are tons of variations one can make to the basic tomato chutney.

Onion is one of the main ingredient to make onion tomato chutney. It is used to bring in a mild sweet aroma and balance the tang from tomatoes. However onions are an optional ingredients and can just be skipped in the recipe.

Red chilies are most commonly used to add spice and heat to the tomato chutney. However they can be replaced with green chilies but the chutney turns out to be extra hot. Also red chilies will yield a bright color to the chutney.

In some parts of Andhra pradesh , chana dal & urad dal are used to make most chutney varieties as both these roasted lentils help to balance the heat and add a nutty aroma & taste. In recent times, we have been loving peanuts in this chutney.

We do not eat very spicy foods so I have used red chilies. For extra heat do add in some green chilies.

You can replace onions with shallots, garlic with ginger or use both.

I have not used tamarind, you can add in a bit for that unique flavor and taste.

If making tomato chutney for rice, avoid making it runny and cook the tomatoes until the moisture evaporates completely.

In the onion tomato chutney recipe, the amount of onions, tomatoes and red chilies can also be altered to suit ones taste. The color of the chutney may vary based on the type and number of red chilies used.

You can check this link for more Tomato recipes.

More tomato chutney varieties
Andhra style tomato pachadi

Serving suggestions

Most South Indians serve chutney with breakfasts like idli, dosa, vada and even with plain rice & ghee. I also use this tomato chutney to serve with snacks, sandwiches, pakora and rolls. Smear the chutney on bread or rotis then add your favorite filling. You will love this!

I also smear this over the rotis for making kathi rolls for my kids.

Tempering tomato chutney with mustard, curry leaves & red chilli takes it to a new level and adds aroma. However if you are diet conscious you can skip it.

Tomato chutney can be made ahead & refrigerated for 2 days. Avoid using peanuts if you wish you refrigerate. A tadka or tempering to the refrigerated chutney brings back freshness to the chutney.

More Chutney recipes
Peanut chutney
Coconut chutney
Onion chutney

Tomato chutney recipe

Tomato chutney

Tomato chutney is a spicy south Indian condiment made of tomatoes, garlic & chilies.  It is most commonly eaten with breakfasts & snacks. Tomato chutney can also be used to spread on sandwiches & wraps. 

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time5 minutes

Total Time10 minutes

Servings3

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Ingredients for onion tomato chutney

• 3 large tomatoes chopped
• 1 medium onions cubed (optional)
• 4 to 6 red chilies or green chillies
• 1 tbsp chana dal or bengal gram or 1½ to 2 tbsp peanuts
• ½ tbsp urad dal or skinned black gram or peanuts (optional)
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp jeera or cumin
• Salt as needed
• 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi as needed
• 1 tbsp oil

Tempering for tomato chutney – optional

• 1 tsp oil
• ¼ tsp urad dal or skinned black gram (optional)
• 1 sprig curry leaves or kadi patta
• ¼ tsp mustard or rai
• pinch asafoetida or hing
• 1 red chili broken

Instructions

How to make tomato chutney

• Heat a pan with oil. On a low to medium flame roast dal or peanuts until aromatic & deep golden. Saute cumin for a minute. Remove to a plate.
• Fry chilies, onions (optional) & garlic until a sweet aroma comes out for 3 to 5 mins. 

• When the onions turn golden add tomatoes, salt & turmeric. Saute until soft & mushy. The raw smell of onions and tomatoes must go away.

• Cool this and blend until smooth. You may need to pour little water if using peanuts.

Tempering tomato chutney – optional

• Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan.
• Add mustard and urad dal. 
  
• When the dal turns golden, add curry leaves and red chilies. Fry till the leaves turn crisp. Add hing.
• Add onion tomato chutney to the pan and mix. Or pour this tempering to the tomato chutney. Serve with idli, dosa and pesarratu.

Video

Video of onion tomato chutney recipe

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 14.3% | Vitamin C: 137.2% | Calcium: 3.3% | Iron: 11.9%

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Preparation

1. Dry roast chana dal and urad dal till golden and aromatic. You can also use peanuts instead of dal. This is the latest variation of the tomato chutney we have been loving at home. Next add cumin to the hot pan & toss for a while. Set aside to cool. I generally do the roasting of dals and cumin in large quantity and use whenever needed.

2. Next fry red chilies till crisp in 1 tsp oil. I set them aside to prevent burning.

3. Fry onions and garlic as well for about 3 to 5 minutes until the raw smell of onions goes away. You can also brown the onions lightly. Some people like to add garlic directly to the blender for the flavor.

4. Add tomatoes, sprinkle salt and turmeric. Fry until mushy.

5. The raw smell of onions and tomatoes should go away. Next set aside to cool completely.

How to make onion tomato chutney

6. Next add red chilies, cumin and roasted dals as well to a blender jar.

7. Make a fine powder. You can also blend all the ingredients together but I prefer to blend the dal finely first.

8. Add garlic, tomatoes and onions.

9. Next blend to a smooth or coarse texture to suit your liking. If using peanuts you may need to pour little water to adjust the consistency.

10. Lastly heat oil in a pan. Add mustard and urad dal. The dal turns golden in seconds. Add curry leaves and red chilies. Sprinkle hing. Finally pour this to the chutney.

Serve tomato chutney with breakfasts or snacks.