Servings
Font
Back
Tomato Chutney Recipe For Idli & Dosa
5 from 105 votes

Tomato Chutney Recipe For Idli & Dosa

This Tomato Chutney combines cooked ripe tomatoes with urad dal, dried red chilies, ginger, and spices, blended into a smooth paste. A tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, and dry chili adds fragrance and depth. Its balance of tartness and spice works well as an accompaniment for South Indian staples like idli and dosa.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 3
Calories: 90 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Condiments
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

To Cook and Blend
  • 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
  • 2 to 3 dried red chilies broken and deseeded, I have used less hot variety of red chillies. Check point no 4 in notes
  • 1 to 2 cloves - optional
  • 4 to 5 black peppercorns
  • 1 inch ginger - peeled and chopped
  • 1.5 cups tomato chopped, 225 to 250 grams or 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) - optional
  • salt as required
  • 2 tablespoons water - for blending or grinding, add 1 or 2 tablespoon more if needed
To Temper
  • ½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil sesame oil or sunflower oil or any neutral flavored oil, generic cooking oil
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 7 to 8 curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
  • 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 dry red chili - halved and deseeded

Instructions

Cooking and blending tomatoes
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a frying pan or sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and add urad dal. On a low heat, fry the urad lentils till they start turning maroonish.
  2. Once the lentils get a maroonish brown color, add broken dry red chilies, cloves, black peppercorns and chopped ginger. Stir for some seconds, till the red chilies change their color.
  3. Then add chopped tomatoes and asafoetida. Add salt.
  4. Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften. About 6 to 7 minutes on a low to medium-low heat.
  5. If the tomatoes start sticking to the pan, add a splash of water and continue to sauté.
  6. After the tomatoes have softened, turn off the heat and set aside the chutney mixture to cool.
  7. Once the tomato chutney ingredients cool, add them to a chutney grinder or small blender.
  8. Add 2 tablespoons of water or as needed. Blend or grind to a smooth and fine consistency.
Tempering Tomato Chutney
  1. In the same pan or different pan, heat ½ tablespoon of oil.
  2. Add the mustard seeds and crackle them.
  3. Then add curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and one broken red chili. Sauté till the curry leaves become crisp. Ensure that the spices and herbs do not burn.
  4. Then add the blended and ground tomato paste. Stir to mix and combine.
  5. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat. At this point you can add in a few tablespoons of hot water if the chutney looks thick to you.
  6. Check the taste and add more salt if required.
  7. Stir to mix. The chutney is done and ready to be served.
  8. This Tomato Chutney pairs extremely well with idli, dosa, uttapam or vada varieties. You can even serve this Thakkali chutney with pakodas.
  9. The remaining chutney can be stored in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.

Notes

  • Use ripe, fresh tomatoes for best flavor; they can be tart or sweet-tart but should not be unripe.
  • Adjust dried red chili quantity depending on desired spice level, using fewer if the variety is hot.
  • Cooking tomatoes thoroughly removes raw flavors; add a pinch of sugar if chutney is too tart.
  • Cloves are optional and may be omitted for allergy or preference.
  • Both neutral and sesame oils are suitable for cooking and tempering.
  • The recipe can be scaled to make larger quantities as needed.

Nutrition Information

Calories 90kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 5g (2%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g (2%) Monounsaturated Fat 6g (30%) Sodium 393mg (16%) Potassium 182mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 741IU (15%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.03mg Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.03mg Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 27mg Vitamin B6 0.1mg Vitamin C 56mg (62%) Vitamin E 3mg Vitamin K 6µg Calcium 26mg (3%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 285µg Iron 1mg (6%) Magnesium 13mg (3%) Phosphorus 24mg Zinc 0.2mg

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 90

% Daily Value*

Calories 90kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g 2%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Sodium 393mg 16%
Potassium 182mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 741IU 15%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.03mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.03mg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 27mg
Vitamin B6 0.1mg
Vitamin C 56mg 62%
Vitamin E 3mg
Vitamin K 6µg
Calcium 26mg 3%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 285µg
Iron 1mg 6%
Magnesium 13mg 3%
Phosphorus 24mg
Zinc 0.2mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.