Tomato Chutney Recipe 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 2 teaspoon Coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)
• ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• 4 Dried red chilies, stems removed
• 1 cup Red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2 cups Tomatoes, chopped (~ 2 large)
• ¾ teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Tamarind, seedless
• 1 teaspoon Jaggery (Gur)
• ¼ cup Water, to grind (use if needed)

For Tempering:

• 1 tablespoon Oil
• ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon Urad dal (split, skinless black gram)
• 6-8 Curry leaves
• ⅛ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a wide pan on medium heat. Once hot add fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds. Fry until they are golden brown in color.
2. Add dried red chilies and saute for 20-30 seconds only.
3. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Salt will speed up the onion cooking process. Mix and cook until onions are light pink or translucent in color and start to soften. Also, there is no more raw smell of garlic.
4. Add chopped tomatoes, remaining salt, tamarind, and jaggery. Mix and cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy kind.
5. Let the mixture cool down slightly, then transfer it to a blender.
6. Make a smooth paste out of it. You won’t need any water. But just in case, if you need to add water then add a little at a time and make sure that chutney doesn’t become too runny.
7. Remove it to a bowl.
8. To make the tempering, heat the oil in a small tadka pan on medium heat. Once hot add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
9. Add urad dal and within a few seconds, the dal turns golden in color.
10. Add hing and curry leaves.
11. Immediately add this tempering to the tomato chutney, mix, and serve.

NOTES

Adjust Spice Level

1. Super spicy: Add one or two green chilies along with dried chilies. Green chilies add a spicy taste without being too hot.
2. Spicy: Follow as written.
3. Medium spicy: Add one or two fewer chilies than mentioned.
4. Mild: Remove the seeds of the chilies. Or use Kashmiri red chilies that are not spicy but give a nice red color.

Use ripe tomatoes otherwise, unripe tomatoes make chutney sour. The sour taste is not good in chutney but the tangy flavor is good.

If your tomatoes are sour then skip adding tamarind.

If chutney turns out runny then add some peanuts or roasted chana dal, and grind again to adjust the consistency.