Spicy Tomato Onion Chutney

It’s no secret that I love spicy food, and Indian is definitely one of my favorites. This chutney is a great staple to have on hand. The recipe makes around 3-4 cups and it will keep for around 2-3 weeks in the fridge. I like to store mine in glass mason jars. If you store it in plastic, the plastic will take on not only the flavor but the color of the chutney. For a mild version, omit or reduce the Serrano peppers depending on your taste preference. Make sure you remove the seeds and stems if you don’t like heat!

I know that many of the ingredients here are not available at a local supermarket. I am fortunate to live with 30 minutes of two great Indian grocers. If you love Indian food and want to start cooking it, you can easily order these ingredients online. A little of each goes a long way.

Spicy Onion Chutney

Indian Feast! Mattar Tofu, Coconut Basmati Rice, Eggplant Curry, Home-made Chapati, Cilantro-Mint Sauce, and Tomato-Onion Chutney.

• 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 4 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp asafetida
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 Serrano chilies, diced (omit or reduce for a milder chutney)
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained; reserve liquid
• 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
• 1 large onion, diced (around 3 cups)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 3 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp salt (more or less depending on your personal taste.)

Method

1. Heat ghee in a very hot skillet; add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
2. When the seeds pop, add the rest of the spices along with the tomato and tamarind.  Bring to strong simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes
3. In a glass or ceramic bowl, place the raw onion, raw ginger, cilantro, onion and garlic along with the salt, mix well and pour the HOT (this means temperature and it is very important that it is hot!)  mixture over the onion mixture.
4. Take the reserved liquid, and reduce by half in a saucepan (this is an optional step, but gives the chutney a much better depth of flavor, if you don’t do this please reserve the liquid and use it in place of some of the water when you cook rice.)
5. Pour reduced tomato mixture into the hot onion mix, let cool completely and season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

This chutney lends a beautiful, authentic taste to your Indian feast! You can also use it in place of salsa if you want to give fusion food a try! I love to mix Mexican and Indian flavors!