The other day while making dinner, I realised I needed to make some kind of chutney to go with dosa or adai. I didn’t want to make one with coconut which is what is traditionally made for these dishes since I didn’t have enough coconut on hand to make it, so came up with this tomato onion chutney which was super yummy!

Tomato Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 7-8 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp broken urad dal
• 1 tsp roasted Bengal gram
• 1 tsp seedless tamarind (If using tamarind paste, you can use about 1/2 tsp)
• 6-8 dried red chillies (more or less depending on spice tolerance)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp grated jaggery (can omit or substitute with brown sugar)
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pan and when warm add the mustard seeds and let it pop.
• Next, add the urad dal and Bengal gram dal and stir for a couple of seconds.
• Now add the dried red chillies and stir for a few seconds. Then add the sesame seeds and give it a good stir.
• Then add the tamarind and stir for a few seconds.
• Now add the garlic and let it saute for a minute and then add the onions. Let the onions become translucent.
• Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes become mushy and cooked. You can also add in a pinch of salt to help this process. At the point add the jaggery if using.
• Switch off the gas and let the mixture cool completely before grinding it to a fine paste. Add salt while blending and adjust as per your taste. You can add a bit of water while blending if you feel the need.