This is the classic tomato chutney for dosas, idlis, and medu vada. It is easy to make and has a wonderful, sweet, and tangy flavor from the onions and tomato. This is a very different dish than the tomato curry I make, which is also sometimes called “tomato chutney.”
About the Recipe
It’s easy to make. It adds a lot of flavor to a simple dish. It is gluten-free. It is not nut free, but can easily be made nut-free by swapping the peanuts for pepitas or skipping the nuts entirely.
Serving Tomato Chutney
Idlis and dosa are an everyday food in South India. These are typically served with a few chutneys as options, such as this one. Other chutneys that go well with idlis, dosa, and other South Indian food are coconut chutney, peanut chutney, or even just a common green chutney.
Ingredients
Tomato
Onion
Peanut / Cashew – Peanuts are more traditional, but I prefer cashews. Pepitas also taste great here.
Tamarind Paste – a shortcut for making tamarind from the pulp. The combination of tamarind and tomato is classic.
Ghee
Dried red chilies
Recipe
Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp peanuts almonds, cashews, pepitas, sunflower seeds
- ½ tsp tamarind paste
- 1 cup tomato 1-2 tomatoes
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 3 dried red chilies
Vaghar (optional)
- 1 tsp oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- 1 dry red chili
- ½ tsp urad dal
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add roughly chopped onion and whole garlic cloves, smashed. Cook until onions are softened.
- Add peanuts and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add tomatoes. Cook until jammy.
- Let cool and transfer to a blender.
- Optionally, make your vaghar by heating oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, red chili, and urad dal. Cook until dal is toasty.
- Top the chutney with the vaghar.