Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe

Easy Onion Tomato Chutney Recipe with step by step pictures. This chutney is traditional South Indian chutney made with onions and tomatoes which is usually served with Idli, dosa or kuzhi paniyaram. It is popular side dish just like coconut, tomato & onion chutney. It is delicious, flavourful, spicy and slightly tangy. Learn how to make the best side dish for idli or dosa.

Onion Tomato Chutney

This is my go to chutney for idli or dosa, it is so easy to make and taste really yummy. I like to have it with idli, dosa or kuzhi paniyaram. I like to add little extra oil for this chutney and the oil which I prefer to use is gingelly oil because of its aroma and taste.

Jump to:

• About Onion Tomato Chutney
• Onion Tomato Chutney Ingredients
• How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney (Stepwise Pictures)
• Variations
• Expert Tips
• 📖 Recipe Card

About Onion Tomato Chutney

Chutney is one of the essential side dish for idli, dosa, kuzhi paniyaram and more South Indian breakfast menu. There are many version of chutney that are usually served with breakfast, onion chutney, tomato chutney and coconut chutney are the popular ones.

This chutney is a staple in South Indian homes, it is also known as thakkali vengaya chutney, onion tomato chutney or even kara chutney.

Most of the days I make this onion tomato chutney which is made with the combination of both. It is simple to make but taste so delicious. I like to add some dry red chillies, garlic in the chutney when roasting and grinding for added flavour and taste.

I usually make this chutney two ways. The ingredients used for making both the version of onion tomato chutney is same but the cooking method varies. I have shared both the version on this blog post.

Onion Tomato Chutney Ingredients

Onion - I use large onions for making this chutney but you can use peeled whole shallots as well.

Tomatoes - use large ripe tomatoes that is juicy and fresh is important. The ratio for onion and tomato is 1:1 which is the correct proportion for making this chutney.

Garlic - you can use peeled garlic cloves which adds a slight garlic flavour to the chutney.

Dry Red Chillies - depending on the spice level, you can increase or reduce the dry red chillies.

Tamarind - a small amount of tamarind is added to balance the taste of the chutney.

Tempering - for tempering, I like to use gingelly oil which is Indian sesame oil along with mustard seeds, urad dal, dry red chillies, curry leaves.

Onion Tomato Chutney (two ways)

There are two ways you can make onion tomato chutney. I have shared both the version below, depending on the time and resources you can pick any which one.

Grinding & Cooking - You can grind the ingredients together and then cook down till it is done. This method is one of the easy way to make this chutney if you don't have much time on hand.

Cooking & Grinding - This method is more elaborate, this is great when you want to preserve the chutney longer. It is simple and easy to make and the onion tomato chutney stays good for a long time in fridge.

How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney (Stepwise Pictures)

Pre-Preparation

1)Peel and chop onions, tomatoes, garlic and dry red chillies. Instead of onions, you can use peeled shallots.

Grinding onions with tomatoes

2)Take peeled roughly chopped onions in a blender

3)Add in peeled garlic cloves into the onions.

4)Add in dry red chillies into the onion garlic mixture.

5)Add in tomatoes into the onion and chilli mixture.

6)Add a piece of tamarind into the tomato mixture and grind them.

7)I don't add water when grinding, the water content from the onions and tomatoes is enough to make it into a puree.

Tempering Spices

8)Heat oil in a kadai. Let the oil gets hot. Once it is heated, add in mustard seeds and allow them to pop. You can also add urad dal, dry red chillies and curry leaves in the tempering but I kept it simple.

9)Once the seeds has splattered. Add in the ground chutney mixture.

10)Season with salt and mix well. Allow the chutney to cook completely for 3 to 4 minutes.

11)Chutney is ready and cooked.

12)Serve onion tomato chutney with idli, dosa or paniyaram.

Variations

This version of onion tomato chutney uses the same ingredients but has addition of green chillies instead of dry red chillies. I added some coriander leaves for a fresh refreshing taste to the chutney.

The tempering for this chutney is so flavourful with lots of whole spices and curry leaves. This chutney starts by sauteing all the ingredients and then grinding to a puree which gets tempering in the end for the punch of flavour.

Ingredients Used

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1 large sliced
• Tomatoes - 1 large sliced
• Green Chillies - 2 to 3 slit
• Garlic - 6 cloves
• Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
• Salt to taste

For Tempering

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds / Kaduku - ½ tsp
• Urad dal / Ulundu Paruppu - ½ tsp
• Cumin Seeds / Jeerakam - ½ tsp
• Chana Dal / Kadalai Paruppu - ½ tsp
• Curry Leaves a sprig
• Asafoetida / Hing / Kaya Podi - a pinch

How to Make Onion Tomato Chutney

1)Heat oil in a kadai. Add in onions, green chillies and garlic cloves. Saute for couple of minutes. Make sure you slice the onions thinly so it gets cooked faster.

2)Also sprinkle the onions with some salt so it gets cooked faster.

3)Now you can see the onions has turned translucent and slightly golden.

4)Add in chopped tomatoes into the onion mixture.

5)Saute the tomatoes till it gets soften.

6)Even though this is optional, you can add some coriander leaves or mint leaves for flavour.

7)Now the mixture has cooked really well.

8)Take this in a blender and without adding any water, grind into a smooth paste.

9)Onion tomato chutney is ground. Take the ground chutney in a bowl.

Pro Tip: I ground this chutney without any water which helps preserve the chutney for longer. If you are serving the chutney immediately, you can add some warm water when grinding and make the chutney pouring consistency.

10)Now for tempering, heat oil in a small pan. Add in mustard, urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves, cumin seeds, asafoetida and let them splatter for a minute.

11)Pour the tempering over the chutney and mix well.

12)Onion tomato chutney ready to enjoy.

Expert Tips

• Instead of onions, you can use peeled shallots also known as sambar onion.
• Use ripe tomatoes which are juicy and fresh. If your tomatoes are tart, you can reduce the tamarind in the chutney.
• For Tempering spices, use gingelly oil also known as Indian sesame oil for best flavour. 
• Cook the chutney till all the moisture evaporates which preserves the chutney longer.

More Chutney Recipes to Try

📖 Recipe Card

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