Tomato Chutney is a tangy and tasty South Indian chutney made from tomatoes, herbs and spices. There are many variations of making tomato chutney aka thakkali chutney. I am sharing 2 such tasty variations in this post.
- Tomato Chutney – Easy recipe made without onion, garlic and tempered with spices.
- Onion Tomato Chutney – Simple recipe made with onions and without tempering.
Both the versions of tomato chutney taste good and go well with South Indian Snacks like Idli, Dosa, Vada or Uttapam.
Table of Contents
About Tomato Chutney Recipe
This Tomato chutney a spicy, tangy and tasty South Indian chutney and pairs extremely well with idli, dosa, uttapam, pakora or vada varieties.
Apart from the tangy taste of the tomatoes, there is one more ingredient in this chutney which gives a distinct warm aroma and flavor to the chutney – cloves.
I just added two cloves and found it gave a really good strong aroma to the chutney. You can also add one clove to make its flavor & aroma less dominant in the chutney. On refrigerating the chutney the aroma does mellow down.
This tomato chutney is a no onion and no garlic recipe. Though if you want you can add onions as well as garlic.
It goes very well with idli, dosa, uttapam or vada varieties. You can even serve them with pakoras.
Chutney are commonly made in every Indian home. So there are many varieties of chutney. Along with the famous Coconut Chutney, even vegetables and fruits are used to make chutney.
How to make Tomato Chutney
Cooking tomatoes
1. Heat ½ tbsp oil and add 1 tsp urad dal (split husked black gram).
2. On a low flame, fry the urad dal till they start turning maroonish brown.
3. Once the lentils get a maroonish brown color, add 2-3 broken dry red chilies, 1 to 2 cloves, 4 to 5 black pepper and ½ inch chopped ginger. Stir till the red chilies change their color.
If you are not fond of cloves or hesitant to add, you can easily omit adding them.
4. Then add 2 large chopped tomatoes (1 cup tightly packed chopped tomatoes) and a pinch of asafoetida (hing).
5. Add salt as required.
6. Stir and sauté till the tomatoes soften. About 6 to 7 minutes on a low flame.
Blending tomatoes and spices
7. Once the tomato mixture cools, add them to a chutney grinder or small blender. add 2 tbsp water and grind to a smooth paste. You can also add 1 or 2 tbsp more water if required.
For tempering
8. In the same pan or a different pan, heat ½ tbsp oil. Add ½ tsp mustard seeds and crackle them.
9. Then add 7-8 curry leaves, 2-3 methi seeds (fenugreek seeds), a pinch of asafoetida and one broken red chili. Saute till the curry leaves become crisp.
10. Then add the ground tomato paste.
11. Mix well.
12. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame.
13. Check the taste and add more salt if required.
14. Mix again.
15. The tomato chutney is done and ready to be served with idli or dosa or uttapam or snacks like masala vada, dal vada.
Variations
- Kara Chutney – Spicy chutney.
- Tomato Pachadi – an Andhra style tomato chutney which is tangy, sour and spicy.
- Momos Chutney – spicy chutney for momos made with tomatoes, garlic and red chilies.
How to make Tomato Onion Chutney
To make this onion tomato chutney is easy and you can just change the taste a bit here or there, by altering the proportions of onion, tomato, dry red chilies and tamarind.
I have used equal proportions in weight of the onion and tomato in this recipe.
I have not tempered the chutney towards the end, but just to perk up and make it more flavorsome you can temper with mustard seeds, dry red chilies and curry leaves.
But there is really no need. As the chutney tastes good even without tempering.
I served the tomato onion chutney with crisp dosa made in an easy way. No soaking and grinding method. It is so easy to make dosa using the method shared in the recipe.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon sunflower oil (or peanut oil) and add ½ teaspoon urad dal.
2. Once they start to become light brown, add 1-2 dry red chilies. So by the time the urad dal turns to a maroonish color, the red chilies would also have changed color. Make sure you don’t burn them.
3. Add 2 medium sized chopped onions (100 grams onion) and saute till they are light golden.
4. When the onions have become light golden, add 2 medium sized chopped tomatoes (100 grams), a pinch of asafoetida and salt as required.
5. Stir and saute till the tomatoes have softened and cooked. This step is important as you don’t want the raw aroma of tomatoes in the chutney. If the tomatoes start sticking to the pan, then just sprinkle some water on them and continue to saute.
6. So now the tomatoes are cooked and softened.
7. Let the chutney mixture become warm or cool. Later add in a chutney grinder or a small blender jar. Add a small piece of tamarind (approx ½ tsp of seedless tightly packed tamarind) too.
8. Without adding any water grind the chutney till smooth. You can also make it semi coarse if you prefer. If you are unable to grind, then you can add some water.
9. Serve the onion tomato chutney as an accompaniment with idli or dosa or medu vada.
More chutney recipes
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Tomato Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes or 1 cup tightly packed chopped tomatoes or 225 to 250 grams
- ½ inch ginger – chopped
- 2 to 3 dry red chilies – broken and deseeded
- 1 teaspoon urad dal (split and husked black gram)
- 4 to 5 black pepper
- 1 to 2 cloves – optional,
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
- 2 tablespoon water for grinding – add 1 or 2 tablespoon more if required
- ½ tablespoon oil
- salt as required
For tempering
- ½ tablespoon oil
- 1 dry red chili – halved and deseeded
- 7 to 8 curry leaves
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 to 3 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
Cooking and blending tomatoes
- Heat oil and add urad dal. On a low flame, saute the urad dal till they start turning maroonish.
- Once the lentils get a maroonish brown color, add broken dry red chilies, cloves, black pepper and ginger. Stir for till the red chilies change their color.
- Then add chopped tomatoes and asafoetida. Add salt.
- Stir and saute till the tomatoes soften. About 6 to 7 minutes on a low flame.
- Once the tomato mixture cools, add them to a chutney grinder or small blender.
- Add 2 tbsp water and grind to a smooth paste.
For tempering
- In the same pan or different pan, heat 1 tbsp oil.
- Add the mustard seeds and crackle them.
- Then add curry leaves, methi seeds, asafoetida and one broken red chili. Saute till the curry leaves become crisp.
- Then add the ground tomato paste. Stir well.
- Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame. Check the taste and add more salt if required.
- Stir again. The chutney is done and ready to be served.
- This tomato chutney pairs extremely well with idli, dosa, uttapam or vada varieties. You can even serve this thakkali chutney with pakoras.
Video
Notes
- Use tomatoes, which are fresh, red and ripe.
- You can skip adding cloves if you prefer.
- You could use any neutral oil or sesame oil (gingelly oil).
- The recipe can be scaled easily.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
Onion Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
- 100 grams onion – about 2 medium sized onions
- 100 grams tomatoes – about 1 large tomato or 2 medium sized tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon urad dal (spilt and husked black gram)
- 1 to 2 dry red red chilies – kept whole or broken, deseeded if you prefer
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- a small piece of tamarind – approx ½ teaspoon of seedless tightly packed tamarind
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil or peanut oil or sesame oil – not the asian variety of sesame oil
- salt as required
- water as required for grinding the chutney (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil. Lower the flame. Add the urad dal and when they start to become light brown, add the red chilies.
- Saute till the urad dal become golden.
- Add the onions and saute till light brown. Add the tomatoes and asafoetida. Season with salt.
- Saute till the tomatoes become soft, pulpy and are completely cooked. The rawness of the tomatoes should go away, otherwise you will get the raw aroma of the tomatoes in the chutney.
- Cool this onion tomato mixture and then grind in a chutney grinder with tamarind. No need to add water while grinding. But if you are unable to grind then add little water.
- Check the taste and add some more salt or tamarind if required and continue to grind to a smooth chutney. Pour the chutney in a serving bowl.
- You can temper the chutney with mustard seeds, dry red chilies and curry leaves if you want. But without the tempering, also the onion chutney tastes good.
- Serve tomato onion chutney with idli, dosa or medu vada.
This tomato chutney recipe from the archives first published in December 2014 has been republished and updated on 29 May 2020.
I had a craving and this hit just the spot! I used the 2nd recipe, and next time I will triple it. Thank you for sharing!!
Nice to know and thanks for sharing the lovely feedback. Most welcome.
I have loved this every time I make it and in-spite of making it now several times. I keep coming back to this recipe before i make it 😉
Happy to hear that! Thanks for the rating too.
Hi Dassana
You never know, how much indispensable service you are doing through your recipes. All recipes are practical, healthy, scientific. Your recipes are reflection of your true spirit.
Thanks so much. Glad to read your lovely comment. Thanks also for the rating on the recipe.
Superb, recipe! Much easier than my current one and just as good. I did add three tablespoons of ketchup, which gave a nice deep red color and also a sharp piquant taste! Thanks once again Dassana, I appreciate your instruction and the work you put into testing and presenting all your recipes. Nyle
Thanks a lot Nyle. Glad that you liked the recipe and also that the variation worked well. Thanks again and stay safe.
Just love your website new look and it is more convenient now to search recipes. Thanks dassana for awesome recipes
Thank you Ruchi. Glad that you have liked the new look of the website. Most welcome.
Hi,
This recipe seems really good.
I was wondering if we can freeze it(both versions) if yes,for how long?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Warm regards,
D
Yes, you can freeze both the versions and will stay good for a couple of months in the freezer.
Thank you for your reply.
Warm regards,
D
Welcome D.
Please make fast and musical videos for your recipes for better understanding.
making professional quality videos takes a lot of time. maybe when i have a staff i can make videos. thanks for the suggestion priya. though for some recipes i have made videos and i have uploaded them on our youtube channel also.
Awesome.. tried this and it turned out to be the star of our evening . Thank you so much for ur recipes
Welcome.
Chutney came out very well, thanks a lot for this wonderful receipe. Nice aroma. I love your cooking style. Overwhelmed!
thank you jasmine. glad to know. happy cooking.
I made this tomato chutney today… It turn out awesome…… My family loved it….. Thank u so very much. .
Welcome Ashwini. Glad to know this.
This chutney is delicious I did leave out the chili in the temper as It was hot enough for us without the extra chili. I used dried Kashmiri chilies . Love your site and your amazing detail and step by step photos. Thank you.
Welcome Libby. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
Tried many of your recipes, they are really good with good information. Thanks… Keep posting, God bless you.
Welcome Prajakta. Thanks for your best wishes and positive feedback.
How many days you can preserve tomato chutney.
PK Sharma, you can keep the chutney for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
This recipe is amazing. I have made many diffeent types of chutneys. This surpassed them all.
thanks a lot elsie for this feedback. glad to know.
Tried it….turned out so tasty…!!!
Thank u for awesome recipes…
Welcome Suvarna
I just love ur recipes ……. they are very helpful….. I have almost tried 8 of ur recipes and everything came out well….
Thank you for all ur recipes
thank you varalaxmi.
All recipes I love from this website excellent!!!
All recipes I love from this website excellent!!!
glad to know this, thanks for positive feedback rashmi 🙂
thanks rashmi for positive views 🙂
mam, i tried ur many recipes and i got lots of compliments, thank you.
thats nice to know nitisha. thanks a lot.
thanks nitisha for positive feedback, glad you got so many compliments.
Very nice recipe.
thank you.
Very nice and aromatic chatney i have ever tried
Thank you so much
welcome kavita thankyou for your positive feedback.
Very useful ..very supportive method..
thankyou prathima 🙂
nice recipe
Thank you for the recipe.
welcome deepesh 🙂
One picture is a thousand words. Very easy to understand for people who want to learn to cook.
Thanks.
thankyou osly for your kind words 🙂
Hi. .. your recipes are really helpful to make varieties … it’s a quick and easy guide to whatevr I wanna make.. thank u so much for posting it
welcome always ami and thankyou for your positive words.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it. The aroma, the look and the taste – all were awesome.
thankyou mayur 🙂
Tried… It was good
Awesome blog for working women & newly married girls….
Ma’m ur receipes i also tried…
All the receipes nice…
thanks dhanashri
Tomato chutney is my all time favourite but i never cooked it on my own. I tried your recipe and i got compliments from my husband. I have just started cooking and getting compliments boosted my morale,thanks to you. 🙂
welcome manogna. glad to know this.
I love ur website very good n easy to make veg dishes are available…
Thks
welcome nahida. glad to know this.
Hi,
I love your website.I am a hard core non vegetarian. But for veg recipes,I follow your website. I thought I will write today cos this week I made four of your recipes,andhra tomato dal ,bhindi do pyaaza,idli with idli rava and this tomato chutney to go along with it.As always everything came out exceptionally well. Thank you very much for your wonderful recipes.
welcome smrithi. thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Super chutney
Hi Dassana,
Just wanted to know how much cloves and black pepper need to be added as I am not seeing either in the ingredients list.
Regards,
Amitha
thanks for pointing this out. 4 to 5 black pepper and 1 to 2 cloves. i have updated the recipe.
How much tomato paste?
susan, difficult to tell as tomato paste is very concentrated.
Can this be stored outsider the fridge for few days.
ashwini, no it will get spoiled.
Thanks a lot, really good!
welcome alessandro
Explicas todo de maravilla
gracias.