Onion Tomato Chutney (for Dosa, Idli)

Onion Tomato Chutney is a tangy zesty South Indian chutney recipe made with onions, tomatoes, chillies and spices. It is so simple to make, gets ready in less than 15 minutes and can be served with idli, dosa, uttapam, paniyaram or upma etc.

This humble tomato onion chutney instantly elevates any dish with its bright bold flavours. I think almost every Indian household has their own recipe with slight variations like addition of garlic, ginger, peanuts or coconut etc.

Whether its is Sagar Ratna in Delhi or Chutneys in Hyderabad, I enjoy the different types flavour packed chutneys they serve with South Indian meals. Apart from coconut chutney, this spicy red chutney made with tomatoes & onion is my favourite. The recipe shared here is:

Vegetarian
Vegan / Dairy free
Gluten Free
Gets ready in less than 15 minutes

Onion Tomato Chutney Ingredients:

Onion: You can use red onions or shallot onions (also known as sambar onions) to make this chutney.

Tomatoes: Use juicy ripe red tomatoes to make this chutney for maximum flavour and colour.

Dried Red Chillies: Whole dried red chillies instantly add heat and colour to the chutney. If you don’t have whole chillies, you can also use red chilli powder. For more reddish colour, use dried kashmiri red chillies as they are less spicy.

Oil: You can use any cooking oil like peanut, sesame, coconut or sunflower oil for making this chutney.

Lentil (Dal): Split urad dal or chana dal add nutty aroma and taste to the chutney. You can use either one or both of them in this chutney recipe.

Curry Leaves: You can use fresh or dried curry leaves in tempering. They add a wonderful warm aroma to the chutney.

Tamarind: A small piece of tamarind or tamarind paste is added to the chutney if the tomatoes are not sour enough, otherwise skip it.

Ginger & Garlic (optional): I like to add some freshly chopped ginger & 1-2 cloves of garlic for more flavour but you can make this tomato & onion chutney without garlic or ginger too.

Coconut (optional): If you like coconut flavour, you can add some 2-3 tbsp of grated fresh coconut or desiccated coconut (dried coconut powder) while blending the chutney. I have not added any here.

How to store tomato onion chutney?

It can easily be stored in an airtight container in fridge for 3 to 4 days or kept frozen for upto a month.

You can enjoy it with various dosa or idli recipes like sweet corn dosa, moong dal idli, mixed dal dosa, vegetable rava idli or matar oats idli. I personally like it with some dal rice or even parathas too.

Hope you will like this simple tomato and onion chutney. More Indian chutney recipes you might like:

Coconut Chutney (with coconut powder)
Chana Dal Chutney
Green Chutney (Coriander mint Chutney)
Imli Chutney (Tamarind Chutney)

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Heeng (Asafoetida)- A pinch
Dried Red Chillies – 2
Split Urad Dal / Chana Dal- 1 tsp
Onion (medium)- 1 (chopped)
Ginger -1 tsp (chopped)
Garlic Cloves – 2 to 3 (optional)
Tomatoes (medium) – 2 (chopped)
Salt- 1/2 tsp (to taste)
Haldi (turmeric) – 1/4 tsp
Tamarind (Imli) paste- 1 tsp (if needed)

For tempering

Oil – 2 tsp
Rai (Mustard Seeds) – 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal- 1/2 tsp
Dried red chilli- 1
Curry leaves – 5 to 6

Directions:

Step 1:

Heat oil in a pan. Add heeng (asafoetida), dried red chilli and urad daal to it. Stir while roasting for 15-20 seconds.

Step 2:

Add chopped garlic, ginger and onion to the above pan. Cook till onions begin to soften up & become translucent.

Step 3:

Add chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and mix well. Let them cook on low flame for 4-5 minutes till the tomatoes become soft & mushy. Switch off the flame, add tamarind (if required) and let the mixture cool down for sometime.

Step 4:

Add this onion & tomato mixture into a blending jar. Blend well till you get smooth consistency chutney. Add water only if required.

Step 5:

Transfer this chutney in a serving bowl. Prepare the tempering by heating oil in a small tadka pan. Add mustard seeds (rai), urad dal, dried red chilli and curry leaves to it. When the seeds begins to splutter, pour this tempering over chutney.

Enjoy it as a dip with idli, paniyaram or as chutney with dosa, uttapam or pongal . Store the leftover in an airtight container in fridge.

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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)