Tomato Chutney – 2 Ways
on Jul 09, 2021
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Move over, salsa! Coz here come my tomato chutney recipes! One is chunky, jammy and spices up any boring meal, while another is sweet and spicy and tastes amazing with your big south Indian breakfast. Check out my tips on how to make tomato chutney two ways and how to put these versatile chutneys to good use!
Chutney is that Indian accompaniment which can literally save you from a boring meal. Chutneys are made with fresh ingredients and have so much spunky flavour. You can mop them up with dosas or rotis, and serve them along with khichdi or dal chawal to oomph it up.
Tomato chutney is my all-time-favourite. It’s tangy, sweet and spicy and so so simple to make. In this post, I’ve shared recipes of both North Indian Style chutney and South Indian style chutney to go with dosas. The North Indian style tomato chutney (shown in the video) is chunky, sweet and spicy vs the south indian version which is a smooth chutney that’s tangy and sweet.
They are both amazing, especially when tomatoes are in season. I usually make a big batch of both because it lasts in the fridge for up to a week, and is a perfect way to spice up a boring meal.
Pick The Right Tomatoes
Tomato chutney is supposed to taste tangy and sweet and spicy all at once. The acidity comes from picking the right tomatoes – ones that are small and round, often referred to as Naati tomatoes in Kannada meaning country or local tomatoes. These are locally sourced as against hybrid tomatoes that are mass produced which are sweeter and not as acidic in nature. You can identify naati tomatoes from the fact that they are smaller and perfectly round in shape vs hybrid tomatoes which are larger and more oval-ish. If you’re not sure about picking the right tomatoes, just ask your local vegetable vendor and they’ll point you in the right direction!
North Indian Style Tomato Chutney
This simple tamatar ki chutney is served with khichdi or along with dal chawal. It’s so jammy and chunky. It’s super versatile and can be served alongside a meal. Or used as a spread for toast or sandwich or as a snacky dip for fried stuff. It’s more coarse and chunky than the south Indian tomato chutney. We used curry leaves, garlic, onions, tomatoes, spices and spice powders to make this onion tomato chutney.
Watch the Video
Steps to make North Indian style tomato chutney:
- Temper the spices
- Cook garlic, onions and tomatoes till soft
- Add spices powders
- Balance flavour profiles
- Cook till the chutney is jammy
South Indian Style Tomato Chutney
Thakkali chutney is the perfect accompaniment for idlis and dosas. It’s tangy, sweet and sour, and lightly spiced. In this recipe, chopped tomatoes and onions are cooked before grinding them together into a sweet and spicy chutney. So there is no raw taste at all. Also, the tempering is the finishing touch to the ground chutney unlike it’s North Indian counterpart where the tempering comes first. Serve tomato chutney for dosa with dosas and idlis. You can also smear the chutney on top of the dosa while it’s cooking (masala dosa vibes).
Must – Try Accompaniments
- Trio of South Indian Chutneys
- Green coriander Chutney
- Egyptian Beetroot Dip
- Mango Mustard Dip
- Lebanese Muhammara
- Garlicky Yogurt Party Dip
Tomato Chutney – 2 ways
Ingredients
North Indian Tomato Chutney
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 2 Sprigs Curry Leaves
- 1/4 cup Onions
- 1 tsp chopped Garlic
- 2 cups chopped Tomato
- 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1 green chilli finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tbsp Jaggery
- 2 tbsp chopped Coriander
South Indian Tomato Chutney
- 2 1/2 tsp Oil, divided
- 1 small Onion, sliced
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1/4 inch Ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp Chana Dal, divided
- 2-3 dried Red Chillies
- 3 medium Tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 sprig Curry Leaves
Instructions
North Indian Tomato Chutney
- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering, add curry leaves and saute. Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes till the onions soften and become translucent
- Add tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, green chillies and salt. Mix well, and cook covered for 10 minutes till the tomatoes soften and become jammy.
- Add jaggery and 1/4 cup water and simmer for another few minutes.
- Serve hot topped with chopped coriander.
South Indian Tomato Chutney
- Heat two teaspoons oil in a pan and add onions, garlic, ginger, dried red chillies and one teaspoon chana dal. Stir fry and cook this till the onions soften and turn translucent.
- Add tomatoes, salt and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook this for 7-8 minutes till the tomatoes start breaking down. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool completely.
- Once cool, blend to a smooth paste.
- To make the tempering, heat the remaining oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering, add chana dal and curry leaves. Cook for 30 seconds and turn off the flame. Pour this over the chutney.
Video
Notes
- Pick the right tomatoes: The acidity comes from picking the right tomatoes – ones that are small and round, often referred to as Naati tomatoes in Kannada meaning country or local tomatoes.
- North Indian chutney: This simple tamatar ki chutney is served with khichdi or along with dal chawal.
- South Indian chutney: this chutney is the perfect accompaniment for idlis and dosa
Absolutely delicious!! Made the North Indian one coz I like sweet chutneys, to go with my samosas I made last weekend and man, just absolutely perfect!!! Richa, I think we’re going to become best friends hahaha!
Very nice Women day cake recipe
Excellent
I just made the North Indian version and it was perfectly jammy and full of flavor. I don’t think I’ll ever eat khichdi without it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Super tasty recipes with tips