South Indian style Tomato Chutney is the perfect accompaniment to idli, dosa & vadas! It's easy to make with basic kitchen ingredients! Vegan

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 5
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon oil (use oil of choice, I used avocado oil)
  • 1&½ teaspoon chana dal
  • 3-4 large garlic cloves
  • 1 small onion (chopped, [adjustable]100 grams[/adjustable], I used white onion)
  • 2-3 dried red chilies (adjust to taste)
  • 2 large tomatoes (chopped, [adjustable]350 grams[/adjustable])
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (optional, for bright color)

Tempering/Tadka

  • 1 teaspoon oil (use oil of choice)
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • pinch hing (also known as asafoetida)
  • 5-6 curry leaves

Method

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a kadai/pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add 1 & ½ teaspoon chana dal and cook for around 2 to 3 minutes or until the dal is golden in color. Remove the dal from pan and set aside.
  2. To the same pan add 3-4 large garlic cloves, 1 white onion (small/100grams) and 2-3 dried red chilies. Increase the number of red chilies as per your taste. Cook for around 3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
  3. Then add 2 medium tomatoes (350 grams), along with ½ teaspoon salt and stir. Cook the tomatoes until they are soft and mushy, around 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the kadai from heat.
  4. Let everything cool down a bit and then transfer to a blender along with the roasted chana dal. Grind it to a smooth paste. I also added ¼ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder while grinding (for color) but that’s optional. Transfer chutney to a bowl.
  5. To make the tadka/tempering, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add pinch hing (see note 1) and 5-6 curry leaves. Sauté for a minute until the curry leaves turn little crisp.
  6. Transfer the tempering to the tomato chutney and mix. Enjoy tomato chutney with dosa/idlis or even parathas.

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.