Tomato Chutney

Ever thought of ways to spice things up in your home? How about in the kitchen?

Get your family ready for a foreign invasion as you try this new culinary addiction all the way from India.

Tomato Chutney gives you the tangy taste of tomatoes but there is one more ingredient that adds a distinct warm aroma and flavour to the condiment—cloves.

There are many variations of chutney and they include gooseberry chutney, green coriander chutney, mango chutney, tamarind chutney, garlic chutney, groundnut chutney, nutmeg chutney, and vegetable chutney.

Health Benefits

1. Tomatoes are good source of vitamin C, A, K, folate and potassium.
2. It is low in sodium and cholesterol, thus good for high blood pressure as well as heart patients.
3. It wards off inflammations related with many diseases like heart disease, cancer and arthritis.
4. It also helps as blood purifier and with urinary infections.

Ingredients

oil: 1/2 tbsp

black gram--spilt and husked: 1 tsp

dry red chillis: 2-3

cloves: 2-3

black peppercorns: 4-5

ginger: 1/2 inch

large tomatoes--chopped: 2

asafoetida: 1 pinch

salt to taste

water for grining: 2 tbsp

oil: 1/2 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

curry leaves: 7-8

fenugreek seeds: 2-3

asafoetida: 1 pinch

dry red chilli: 1

How To Make Tomato Chutney

1. Heat oil on low heat. Add urad dal and sauté until they start turning maroonish.
2. Add broken dry red chilies, cloves, black peppercorns, and ginger. Stir until the red chilies change color.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and asafoetida. Season with salt.
4. Stir and sauté until the tomatoes soften, about 6 to 7 minutes on a low heat.
5. Cool the tomato mixture.
6. Place tomato mixture in a chutney grinder or small blender. Add 2 tbsp. water and grind to a smooth paste.

Tempering Tomato Chutney

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and toast them.
2. Add curry leaves, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, and broken red chili. Sauté until the curry leaves become crisp.
3. Add the ground tomato mixture and stir well. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes on low heat. Check the taste and add more salt if needed.
4. Stir again. The tomato chutney is done and ready to be served.
5. This tomato chutney pairs extremely well with idli, dosa, uttapam or vada varieties. You can even serve this tomato chutney with pakoras.

Trivia

1. The tomato is America’s fourth most popular fresh-market vegetable behind potatoes, lettuce, and onions.
2. The heaviest tomato on record weighed in at 3.51 kg (7 pounds 12 ounces). A “delicious” variety, it was grown by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986. Gordon sliced the tomato to make sandwiches for 21 family members.
3. Indonesia uses half the world production of cloves. The cloves are mixed with tobacco to make kretek cigarettes, two parts tobacco to one part cloves.