Tomato Chutney (Thakkali / Kara Chutney)
Cooked tomato chutney with garlic, dry red chili, jaggery, and roasted cumin, finished with a mustard and urad dal tadka. Makes about 1 cup.
Equipment
- Kadhai or wide pan
- Blender or small mixer jar
- Small tadka pan
Ingredients
For the chutney
- 1 tablespoon oil sunflower or other neutral oil
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes about 3 medium
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 dry red chili broken, or 1 fresh red chili
- 1/2 teaspoon jaggery
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
For the tadka
- 1 teaspoon oil sunflower or other neutral oil
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
- 6 curry leaves optional but good
Instructions
Cook the tomatoes
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide pan on medium. Add garlic and the broken red chili. Stir 20 to 30 seconds until the garlic smells cooked and stays pale gold.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes collapse and you see oil at the edges. The raw smell should be gone.
- Stir in jaggery and roasted cumin powder. Cook 1 minute. The mix should look thick, not soupy.
- Cool 5 minutes. Blend to a coarse puree. You want body, not a thin soup. Taste for salt and jaggery.
Tadka
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add urad dal.
- Stir until the dal turns pale gold, about 20 seconds. Add curry leaves if using.
- Pour over the blended chutney. Stir. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
If the tomatoes are very juicy, cook uncovered the whole time. Do not cover or they steam and stay watery.
For a brighter red, use Kashmiri chili powder (1/4 teaspoon) with the cumin instead of a second dry chili.
I once added the jaggery with the raw tomatoes. It stuck and browned on the bottom. Add sweeteners after the tomatoes have given up their water.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavor settles on day two.
Reheat gently or serve cold. I do not freeze this. The texture goes dull.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!