Desi and I worked as journalists in Bombay. In fact, we first met on the job. After we were married, we moved to an apartment in Thane, a lovely and then laidback city just outside Bombay which is now part of its booming urban sprawl.
After deadline, we'd often take the last train home from Victoria Terminus and it would usually be past 2 in the morning when we got home. As anyone from India can relate to, we were rarely alone. We'd tag along other journalist friends or we'd have visiting relatives staying over. There always was a lot of cooking and eating involved in the middle of the night, and even at that hour it was always fun.
At 3 am in the morning, I learned how to make aloo paratha from my friend Seema. Another time, a friend who'd worked at a top restaurant in the city, taught me how to stir-fry noodles. Sometimes, we'd cook a big pot of biryani, break out the liquor and dance into the morning.
One fairly frequent visitor to our house in those days was Sampath, Desi's older brother, who lived in Pune and would sometimes visit Bombay on business. Sometimes, when Sampath got home before us, he'd cook for us. His favorite dish to make was tomato chutney. We were always more than thrilled to eat it.
Rich and tangy, tomato chutney is a traditional Tamil dish. Sampath made it so well, I can remember the taste of his tomato chutney today, so many years after. I have often made it in my kitchen since. And when I found my neighborhood grocery store selling tomatoes at a bargain this week, I couldn't help but stock up on armloads of it with the intention of cooking up as much tomato chutney as two people can possibly eat.
So here it, my very special tomato chutney that never fails to remind me of times and places and people so far away but never forgotten. Hope you enjoy it too.
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Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp urad dal (black gram dal)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 7-8 tomatoes , diced
- 2 small onions , diced
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 2 green chile peppers like serrano or jalapeno, minced. Deseed for less heat or use just one.
- 2 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp jaggery (unrefined Indian sugar, available in Indian grocery stores. You can leave this out, but I love the slight sweetness it adds to the dish)
- Salt to taste
- 2-3 tbsp cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a skillet, heat the oil.
- Add the mustard seeds and blackgram dal. When the seeds sputter and the dal turns
- lightly golden, add the onions and green chilies and stir for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes, the sambar powder, the turmeric, and the curry leaves.
- Stir well. The tomatoes will almost immediately start expressing their juices. Allow them to cook on medium-low heat for as long as it takes for most--but not all-- of the juices to evaporate. The tomatoes should have broken down completely.
- Add the jaggery and salt to taste. Cook for another minute, stirring.
- Add the coriander and turn off the heat.
- Enjoy hot with some chapatis or rotis or with sambar and rice.
This chutney is da bomb! Thank you so much for sharing, Vaishali.
Awesome, thanks Aeli!
I love sambar powder added to chutneys, curries and what not! Lovely colour - I can feel its tangy taste! My daughter has been asking me for this for sometime now. I have gotten lazy!!
Your chutney looks delicious,I make a variation of this chutney off and on but have never tried it with sambar powder and jaggery,will try this soon 🙂
I lived in Thane too (Vasant Vihar- Pokhran road) very briefly - about two months when we shifted out of our staff quarters in Matunga. I then moved to Bandra as a PG but still remember the lovely hills around us.
The tomato chutney recipe is interesting...thanks for sharing!
Miri
mmm. the chutney looks so colorful and delicious.
Hi vaishali,
first time in ur blog....tomato chutney ..hmmm..mouth watering dear:-)
Please please please come cook for me!
yum! I've never had tomato chutney, I'll have to try this!
Exactly how i made 2 days back from my garden tomatoes ! They re perfect & thick Vaishu!
Lovely chutney. So full of color, you should submit it to What´s Your Color Event - Red 🙂
I am happy to have discovered your blog. Came here through Sreeya´s Mum´s Cooking.
Btw, I hope you are participating this month´s Tried And Tasted, we are cooking from Jugalbandi(ts), they have plenty of healthy vegan recipes over there ...
What a beautiful and delicious looking chutney! Yum!
I love tomatoes..And the chutney looks vvvvvvvvtempting..
Great recipe
How do I post Vegan Banner on my blog like yourds ?
i make this often too..luved the color..
Hi Vaishali, awesome pics, and great fresh tomatoes in the background. That colour is just gorgeous, isn't it. Tomato chutney is a favorite at home, espcially with Idlis and Dosas, and I learnt to make it from my MIL. I will try adding jaggery next time.
Kumudha, Jayashree, Aparna, Thanks, ladies.
Tina: Thanks. Dry curry leaves have almost no flavor. If you cannot find fresh, I'd just advise leaving them out. The chutney would still be very tasty.
Looks delicious! I'm definitely going to make this. I can only find dried curry leaves though, any advice how many dried ones I should use??
This chutney makes it to our table at least once a week. Mine is slightly different and the addition of sambhar powder here is a nice touch.
I love the bright red of your chutney.
I too make tomato chutney often. Tomato chutney looks so spicy and tasty.