Onion Chutney or Vengaya Chutney is made by sautéing onions, garlic, dried red chilies, spices and tamarind. The mixture is blended smooth and finished with a tempering of mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. It has a spicy and tangy taste. Serve with dosa, idli, medu vada or uttapam.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Condiment, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (120 grams or 1 large) onion (- chopped)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon (or 1 to 2 small to medium) garlic (- chopped)
  • 2 to 3 kashmiri red chilies
  • 2 teaspoons oil ((can use sesame oil or sunflower oil or peanut oil))
  • 1 teaspoon chana dal ((husked and split bengal gram))
  • ½ teaspoon urad dal ((split and husked black gram))
  • ¼ teaspoon tamarind (or a small piece of tamarind)
  • salt (– add as required)
  • ¼ cup water (or as needed, for blending/grinding)
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup water (or as needed, to be added later)
  • 2 teaspoons oil (– can use sesame oil or sunflower oil or peanut oil)
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing), optional)
  • 5 to 6 curry leaves

Method

Frying Lentils & Red Chillies

  1. Heat oil in a pan. Lower the heat and add chana dal and urad dal.
  2. Fry stirring regularly until the lentils turn golden. Take care that you do not burn them.
  3. Next add the kashmiri red chilies. Fry for some seconds until you see the chilies change color and become aromatic.
  4. Fry on a low heat, so that the chilies do not get burnt. Kashmiri red chilies give a nice color and do not make the chutney spicy.

Sautéing Onions

  1. Next add the chopped onions and chopped garlic.
  2. Mix the onions and begin to saute on a low to medium heat. Keep on stirring onions while sauteing them.
  3. Sauté until the onions turn a light golden. Switch off the heat and let the onions become warm or cool down at room temperature.
  4. Transfer the entire onion mixture in a small blender or mixer-grinder. Add tamarind and salt as per taste.
  5. Add water and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Tempering Spices

  1. Heat in the same pan or a tadka pan. Keep the heat to a low. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
  2. Once the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add a pinch of asafoetida (hing) and curry leaves.
  3. Fry for a few seconds until the curry leaves become crisp.

Making Onion Chutney

  1. Keep the heat to a low or sim and now add the ground onion chutney.
  2. Mix the chutney thoroughly with the tempered ingredients.
  3. Add water. You can make this chutney slightly thick or of medium consistency by adding less or more water.
  4. Mix very well and then turn off the heat.
  5. Transfer chutney to a serving bowl.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Serve Onion Chutney with idli, dosa, rava dosa, medu vada, pakoda, or as a spread on toasted bread, sandwiches, or wraps.

Storage & Leftovers

  1. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Best enjoyed fresh. Do not freeze.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.