Tomato Chutney Recipe

Tomato Chutney is a tasty South Indian dip or side dish made using tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices. Tomato Chutney or Thakkali Chutney serves as a great side dish for idli, dosa, chapathi, upma etc. Let us learn to make Tomato Chutney Recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Tomato chutney is one of the staple side dishes that I make to go along with South Indian breakfast like Idli, dosa, pongal, vada, oothapam. It goes well with chapathi, frankie, parathas and sandwiches too.

About Tomato Chutney

Tomato chutney is a popular South Indian dip made using tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander leaves and red chillies as main ingredients. Tomato chutney can be made in a number of ways. This is one easy and quick recipe that you can make in a jiffy. We call this thakkali chutney in tamil.

This is ammas special tomato chutney recipe that is absolutely our family favorite, in fact few of my friends who tasted it loved it too. So this tomato chutney is one of the most commonly made chutneys for breakfast / dinner.

Traditionally tomato chutney was made using aatukal(hand mortar pestle) by crushing onion tomatoes roughly then sauteing it until raw smell leaves and finally tempering it. But these days we use mixer for ease and convenience though the taste that comes from hand ground chutney is totally different, this tomato chutney has its own unique taste.

This tomato chutney is very easy to make as all the ingredients are grind raw then boiled for few mins along with a final tempering. You do not need to baby sit while boiling just do other works and give a stir on and off and tada your tomato chutney is ready.

Tomato Chutney Video

Tomato Chutney Recipe – 2 Methods

• Tomato Chutney Easy version : Easy and quick to make tomato chutney using tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander leaves, garlic, red chilies etc.
• Onion Tomato Chutney : This is a basic simple version made by sauteing and grinding the ingredients including onion, tomato, curry leaves, coriander leaves finally tempered.

Tomato Chutney Ingredients

• Tomato – Choose fresh ripe juicy tomatoes for best tasting tomato chutney. As we are going to grind it you can chop them roughly.
• Onion – Onion measure is very little for this recipe just for sauteing along with tempering. You can use either big onion or small onion.
• Garlic – Garlic in this chutney elevates the taste and flavor of this chutney so I recommend adding it.
• Tadka – A basic simple tadka is made using oil mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dal. Hing is optional but adds good flavor to this chutney. I used a combination of kashmiri red chilies and regular red chilies to give more spice and color.
• Herbs : Coriander leaves gives a distinct flavor to this chutney.

How to make Tomato Chutney Step by Step

Grinding and preparing tomato paste

1.To a mixer add all the ingredients listed under ‘to grind’ :

• 5 big tomatoes
• 6 nos garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves
• 2 kashmiri red chilies
• 2 regular red chilies

2.Grind it to a smooth paste without adding water. Set aside.

3.To a kadai / pan : heat 2 teaspoon oil add 1/4 cup chopped onions saute until transparent and golden.

Boiling chutney

4.Now add tomato paste.

5.Rinse mixer jar with 1/4 cup water and add it too.

6.Let it start to boil.

7.Once it starts to boil cook covered as it splutters a lot.

8.Open and give a quick stir then again cook covered. This is done to avoid burning at the bottom.

9.It starts to thicken. Cook covered and stir in between.

10.Cook until the chutney is thick, raw smell leaves and oil starts to float.

Tempering Tomato Chutney

11.To a tadka pan : heat 2 teaspoon oil first crackle 1 teaspoon mustard seeds. then add 1/2 teaspoon urad dal let it become golden then finally add few curry leaves, add a pinch of hing and switch off.

12.Add this tadka to chutney.

13.Give a quick mix. Cook for 2 mins then switch off.

Tomato chutney ready.

Onion Tomato Chutney

It serves as a great side dish for idli dosa and even roti! I love this chutney for the green chili flavor along with tomato coriander combination…do try this for yourself am sure you will agree with me. This chutney is unique with its green chili flavor. It tastes best with idlis, dosas, upma or even roti.

Onion Tomato Chutney Step by Step

1. In a pan heat oil in a kadai – add 2 tomatoes, 10 small onion and 2 green chilies and saute till mushy. Once raw smell of tomatoes leave, add few curry leaves.
2. Saute till it becomes like a thokku then add a handful coriander leaves, give a quick stir and switch off. Transfer the ingredients to a mixer along with salt.
3. Add little water and grind it to a fine paste. Heat oil in  pan – add 2 teaspoon oil add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds let it crackle. then add 1/2 teaspoon urad dal let it become golden then add curry leaves and a pinch hing. Transfer it to the chutney. Stir well.

Serve hot with soft idlis or crispy roast dosa!

Expert Tips

• You can skip garlic if you don’t like the flavor but I strongly recommend adding it for best tasting tomato chutney.
• Skip coriander leaves and proceed with other ingredients if you prefer.
• If you do not have kashmiri red chilies add 3 regular red chilies itself in total.
• Adding hing is purely optional while tempering.
• You can even add onions while grinding itself and boil the chutney but it takes time for the raw smell of onion to go also the taste slightly varies.
• Tempering is done at the last stage so that the flavor stays. But if I am in a hurry I usually temper before adding onions that way also it tastes good.
• You can either use big onion or small onion.

Variations

• Coriander and curry leaves gives a great flavor when combined together while grinding.
• I used gingelly(nallenai) oil for tempering, you can use normal cooking oil too, but gingelly oil gives great aroma.
• It takes for the tomato puree to boil and leave its raw smell.
• Any thick bottomed kadai or iron kadai works best.
• You can even use canned tomato puree for this recipe though fresh tomato puree tastes the best.

Serving & Storage

You can serve tomato chutney with idli, dosa, pongal , oothapam, pongal etc. It goes well with parathas, sandwiches etc.

You can keep tomato chutney in room temperature and use it for a day or 2 depends on your weather conditions. But if you want to extend shelf life then make tomato chutney thick more like thokku in consistency and add more oil. That way it keeps well for 4-5 days in room temperature.

FAQS

1.What to serve with tomato chutney?

You can serve tomato chutney with any south indian breakfast like Idli, dosa, pongal, vada, oothapam etc.

2.How long tomato chutney last?

Tomato chutney lasts for 2 days(depends on your climatic conditions too) in room temperature itself and can extend up to 3-4 days in fridge. If you want to extend shelf boil for some more time, and make the chutney more like thokku (thick) with little more oil.

3.What is tomato chutney made of?

Tomato chutney is made using basic ingredients like onion, tomato, garlic and red chillies as main ingredients.

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