Kara Chutney is one of the popular sidedishes in hotels which pairs up well with idli, dosa, oothapam, pongal etc. Let us get on to learn Kara Chutney Recipe with easy step by step pictures and video.
Kara Chutney is a super spicy side dish and it was apt with soft uttapams, goes well with idlis and crispy dosas too.
About Kara Chutney
I had this Saravana Bhavan Style Kara Chutney long back when I was searching for spicy chutney recipes. Even before I tried Saravana Bhavan Sambar, this recipe was in my bookmarks folder. Last week when I posted sambar few readers and friends requested to post the tomato chutney recipe which is famous in Saravana Bhavan.Only then I remembered about this recipe that I had bookmarked long ago so tried it today and enjoyed it with hot uttapams for breakfast.
Kara means spicy and chutney is a sidedish served with idli, dosa hence the name Kara Chtuney.
Kara Chutney 2 Methods
I have given here 2 versions of kara chutney :
- Kara Chutney Hotel Style – This is super spicy and flavourful just like in hotels.
- Kara Chutney Instant Version – that can be done in just 5 mins if you have all the ingredients in hand.
Kara Chutney Ingredients
- Onion, Tomato : Onion , tomato along with garlic are sauted well until mushy and add along with ingredients to grind.
- Dals : Urad dal and chana dal are roasted well and grinded.
- Tadka : A simple tadka is made using oil, mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves and added to chutney at the final stage.
- Red Chillies : I have used a combination of red chillies the regular ones for spice and kashmiri red chillies for color which balances the taste and color.
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📖 Recipe
Kara Chutney | Hotel Style Kara Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized big onion
- 1 medium sized tomato
- 4 nos whole dry red chilli
- 1 tbsp whole urad dal
- 1 tbsp channa dal
- 4 cloves garlic skin peeled chopped roughly
- salt to taste
- water as required to soak
- 1 tsp oil
To temper
- 1 tsp oil
- 3/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp urad dal
- few curry leaves
Instructions
- In a pan add a drop of oil and roast urad dal, chana dal along with red chillies till golden. Set aside to cool.
- Now in the same pan add onion, garlic and saute till onion turns transparent.
- While its getting sauted, soak roasted red chillies in hot water. Once onion turns slightly golden, then add tomato and saute till mushy and raw small leaves completely.
- Cool down and transfer everything to a mixer and grind it along with little water to a chutney consistency. Don't grind it too smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add required salt and mix well.
- In a tadka pan – heat oil add the ingredients listed under 'to temper' let it splutter. Add this tadka to the chutney and mix well.
- Serve Kara Chutney hot with idli, dosa or uttapam
Video
Notes
- Soaking red chillies is to just get grinded easily.
- Roast the dals just till golden.
- As per the orginal recipe you can add upto 6 red chillies.But for me this itself was spicy.
- Adjust salt according to the spice level of the chillies.
- You can even add a tbsp of grated carrot , saute and grind it as mentioned in the orginal recipe.
- Adding gingelly oil(nallennai) while tempering not only gives flavour,it balances the spice level well.
How to make Kara Chutney
1.In a pan add a drop of oil and roast urad dal,chana dal along with red chillies till golden.
2.Pick up the red chillies alone and Soak red chillies in hot water for few minutes and set aside.
3.Transfer dals alone to a plate and set aside to cool.
4.Now in the same pan add onion,garlic and saute till onion turns transparent.
5.Add tomatoes.
6.Saute until mushy and raw smell leaves. Switch off.
7.Set aside to cool.
8.Once cooled completely transfer everything to a mixer and grind it along with little water and salt to a chutney consistency.
9.Don’t grind it too smooth.Transfer to a serving bowl.
10.In a tadka pan – heat oil add the ingredients listed under ‘to temper’ let it splutter.
11.Add this tadka to the chutney and mix well.
Serve hot with idli, dosa or uttapam.
Expert Tips
- Soaking red chillies is to just to get grinded easily.
- Roast the dals just till golden.
- As per the orginal recipe you can add upto 6 red chillies.But for me this itself was spicy.
- Adjust salt according to the spice level of the chillies.
- You can even add a tbsp of grated carrot , saute and grind it as mentioned in the orginal recipe.
- Adding gingelly oil(nallennai) while tempering not only gives flavour,it balances the spice level well.
Variations
- You can replace kashmiri red chillies with regular red chillies also.
- You can even add a tsp of toor dal for flavour.
- Make it thin by adding little water.
Serving and Storage
Kara Chutney is a great side for Idli, Dosa, Vada, Uthappam, Pongal, Kichadi, Upma.
This Chutney keeps well for 1 day in room temperature and 2 days in fridge.
Instant Kara Chutney
Instant Kara Chutney is one of the quickest and easiest chutney recipe I tried recently.If you are a garlic lover like me then this chutney is just for you.This is a no cook version except for heating oil,super easy and tastes so good with hot idlis.
I tried this Instant Kara Chutney and we all soo loved it that I have made it 2 times already on demand.We had it with idli,dosa and as a side dish for curd rice, tastes best!
Ingredients
- 10 nos garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 and 1/2 tbsp gingelly oil
- salt to taste
How to make instant kara chutney
- Peel the skin from garlic.Crush it.I used my hand mortar and pestle to get this work done.
- Crush it roughly like this.Transfer it to a bowl, add red chilli powder and coriander powder.
- Add jeera powder,salt and turmeric powder.Mix well with a spoon.
- Set aside.Now heat oil, when its smoking hot add it to the boel.
- It will bubble up nicely, set aside for 5mins. Mix well and serve.
Serve with hot idlis.
Spicy garlicky kara chutney with soft idlis…bliss!!
Meenal Krishnan
today i tried this receipe sharmi and it come out well….thanks for sharing this easy and tastey receipe….
Lucky Lucky
U dint mention salt
SHARMILEE J
Updated now!
sathya
I tried this today.. Nice chutney for dosa
Roopa
Tried the chutney became out really well. Thanks for sharing!
viji
Looking yummy.