This takes a little longer to make than your average chutney, but well worth the effort. Double cooking the chutney (once before pureeing, and once after) makes the onion, garlic and tomatoes extra flavorful. I like to add sambar powder to my tomato chutney. Sambar powder is a roasted, powdered blend of spices from south India containing red chilies, coriander seeds, turmeric, lentils and fenugreek. You could leave out the sambar powder if you wish or use only turmeric and chili powder instead.
The recipe below is my ‘special’ version. For a simpler, ’everyday’ version of this tomato chutney, I simply saute the onions, garlic and tomatoes, blend in a blender, temper some black mustard and cumin, add the pureed chutney and cook again. No matter which version I am making, I always twice cook the chutney.
This chutney will freeze well, so if you have a bumper crop of tomatoes this summer, and dont know what to do with them, this is a great option for you. I put the chutney into ice cube trays and place in the freezer. Once they are frozen, I remove the cubes from the tray, put them in a zip lock bag and return to the freezer. This way, you can defrost even tiny quantities of chutney.
Serving tomato chutney with idlis or dosas is traditional. Here, I serve the chutney with pita bread.
Twice Cooked Tomato Chutney with Cumin and Fennel: Recipe
makes about 2 cups
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon each cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds, urad dal (black gram)
1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 dried red chili, optional
1/2 cup curry leaves loosely packed
1 large onion (about 2 cups when diced)
8 pods garlic, peeled
6-8 (about 1 lb) ripe tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon sambar powder
for tempering:
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon each cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds, urad dal
a few curry leaves
Heat oil in a large wok. Add cumin, fennel, black mustard and urad dal. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add fenugreek seeds, red chili if using, and curry leaves. Cook for about 30 seconds. Then add chopped onion and garlic. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook on medium for about 15 minutes or till the tomatoes are completely soft.
Cool the chutney a little and then puree in a blender, along with sambar powder and 1/2 cup water till smooth. (Make sure to vent the blender lid slightly when blending hot stuff).
Wipe the wok, and heat oil for tempering. Add all tempering ingredients. When the mustard seeds splutter, reduce heat and carefully pour the blended chutney into the wok. Be very careful, the chutney may bubble and splatter. Add salt. Cover the wok and cook the chutney on medium-low for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with idli, dosa or pita bread.
All of these photos are gorgeous and make me yearn to try your chutney. I love that you did a spread to show us the ingredients, but my favorite has to be the last shot.
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this looks really good.. where can we find the fenugreek seeds? i’ve never heard of it..
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
March 27th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
any indian store will have fenugreek. they are little brown seeds with a bitter, almost smoky taste.
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Amazing photos, I especially like the one of the tomatoes on the vine.
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i love tomato chutney! this looks especially flavourful and definitely worth the time, as u say
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I love the pic with all the ingredients!
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Lovely chutney!! Its my fav. one…can eat it with anything. Yummy.
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This looks delicious. Traditional chutney served with pita bread..great idea!! Do you use a branded sambar powder or make your own?
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
April 8th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I like MTR sambar powder, I rarely make my own.
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Fell in love with first and third click !!! . Brilliant sala!.
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So many wonderful flavors here–yum!
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Such beautiful photos; my mouth is watering! Awesome recipe full of beautiful spices YUM!!
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ooooh loots absolutely lovely!!!! GREAT pics..all of em. and I love this chutney…although never made it like this…a must try!
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Absolutely mouth watering recipe. Lovely photographs as well.
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Hi Sala, First time here. Tomato Chutney looks tasty and perfect for idili and dosa. I cook them at first and just do tempering. But this method sounds different, I like this version too. I never say no to try different version of tomato Chutneys.
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Tasty looking chutney. My mother used to make something similar often with dosa, idli and sometimes even with rotis. Love the second pic showing ingredients.
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Have not used fennel in my fresh chutneys before and I dont cook them twice either. I am going to wait for tomato season to try this chutney.
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I made a smiliar chutney a couple of years ago for an article. Your spice combo makes me want to make this again soon especially since there tomatoes are priced very reasonable at the market right now.
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I served this with dosa. Yum!!!
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
April 8th, 2010 at 11:57 am
glad you liked it!
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Hi, I am a newcomer to your blog and tried this chutney yesterday evening – it turned out fantastic! Thank you….
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We were successful in preparing this and the only thing we missed was curry leaves
But even without that its tasted Gr8..!! And it was a wonderful combination with dosai..!!
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Hi, This looks amazing! I am living in Egypt right now and the only items of food I can count on getting on daily basis are tomatoes and cucumbers, so this is perfect! I may have to substitute spices depending on what I find, but I love the idea of twice cooking.
Your blog is beautiful by the way, and from what I’ve seen so far of the recipes on here, I’m sure I’ll be back.
Thanks!
Lori
http://cooktravelwritelearn.blogspot.com
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Tried this recipie.. came out very well. The same taste of tomato chutney we get in Tamil brahmin hotels with ghee roast. Thanks Sala
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hi sala.. i regularly nake tomato chutney but never cooked it twice.. will definitely try…lovely clicks.. i am going thru ur photography tips to improve mine..i need a lot of improvement in that area…
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Thoroughly enjoyed this chutney. Thanks for the recipe! Check out my recreation here:
http://www.foodiescapades.com/2013/09/thick-flavorful-tomato-chutney.html
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