Quick Onion Chutney Recipe (Vengaya Chutney)

Frying lentils and red chillies

1. Heat oil in a pan. Lower the heat and add chana dal and urad dal.
2. Fry stirring regularly until the lentils turn golden. Take care that you do not burn them.
3. Then add the kashmiri red chilies. Fry for some seconds until you see the chilies change color and become aromatic.
4. Fry on a low heat, so that the chilies do not get burnt. Kashmiri red chilies give a nice color and also do not make the chutney spicy.

Sauteing onions

1. Then add the chopped onions and chopped garlic.
2. Mix the onions and begin to saute on a low to medium heat. Keep on stirring onions while sauteing them.
3. Saute until the onions turn a light golden. Switch off the heat and let the onions become warm or cool at room temperature.
4. Transfer the entire onion mixture in a small blender or mixer-grinder. Add tamarind and salt as per taste.
5. Add water and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Tempering Spices

1. Heat in the same pan or a tadka pan. Keep the heat to a low. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle.
2. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add a pinch of asafoetida (hing) and curry leaves.
3. Fry for a few seconds until the curry leaves become crisp.

Making Onion Chutney

1. Keep the heat to a low or sim and now add the ground onion chutney.
2. Mix the chutney thoroughly with the tempered ingredients.
3. Add water. You can make this chutney slightly thick or of medium consistency by adding less or more water.
4. Mix very well and then switch off the heat.
5. Serve onion chutney with dosa, idli or uttapam.

Serving Suggestions

1. Serve this tasty onion chutney with snacks like idli, dosa, rava dosa or uttapam. You can also eat it as a dip with various pakoda varieties like onion pakoda, potato pakora or paneer pakoda.
2. I also like to have it with toasted bread. I spread some onion chutney on the bread and enjoy it.

Storage and Leftovers

1. Store any leftovers in a covered container for 1 to 2 days. I would not suggest to make ahead a large batch of this onion chutney. Simply make the quantity you need.