
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp chana (bengal gram) daal
- 2 tbsp urad (black gram) daal
- 1 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (or any other cooking oil)
- 6 dry red chilies
- 1 large onion – peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves – peeled and coarsely chopped
- 6 large tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
For tempering
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp urad daal
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 12-14 leaves of curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida
Method:
- Heat a pan on medium heat and dry roast chana and urad daal till light brown in color and aromatic
- Add jeera seeds and roast for another minute, making sure it does not get too dark
- Remove and set aside to let it cool
- Add the oil in the pan
- Add chilies and shallow fry till they become crisp – 1 to 2 minutes
- Add onions and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes, till the onions turn translucent
- Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Put the mix aside to cool
- In a blender, dry blend the roasted daals and cumin seeds
- To that, add the tomato mix and blend till smooth
Tempering
- In a small pan, heat the tempering oil on medium – high heat
- Once hot, add urad daal and mustard seeds
- Once the daal becomes lightly brown in color and mustard seeds start popping, add asafoetida and curry leaves
- Add the tempering to the blended tomato mix
- Serve the chutney with idli, dosa or uttapam
Serves: 6
Inspiration source:
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/onion-tomato-chutney-recipe/
Remarks:
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe mangoes, diced
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 Serrano chili, finely chopped
- 1 lime, juiced (about 1/4 cup lime juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Method:
- In a large bowl, combine the mango, bell pepper, onion and chili
- Drizzle with lime juice, add salt and mix well
- Serve chilled with your choice of chips
Serves: 6
Inspiration source:
https://cookieandkate.com/2015/fresh-mango-salsa-recipe/
Remarks:
For best flavor, let the salsa rest for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
Ingredients:
- 340 gm (12 oz) grated fresh coconut
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 tbsp gram (channa) daal
- 2 green chilies
- 15-18 curry leaves
- ½”. piece ginger, chopped
- 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
For Tempering:
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp black gram dal (lentil)
- 1 dry red chili, halved
- ½ tsp asafetida powder
- a few curry leaves
Method:
- Heat the oil and roast gram daal till light brown in color, stirring regularly. Make sure that daal does not get too deep in color
- In a vessel, take 1 cup water and to it add coconut, roasted gram daal, cut chilies, chopped ginger, curry leaves and salt. Soak all the ingredients for about an hour so that they soften (especially roasted gram daal)
- Grind the combined ingredients to a fine paste and take out in a serving bowl
- Heat oil and add black gram daal. In about a minute add mustard and cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the rest of tempering ingredients and stir on medium flame for 20-30 seconds, making sure they don’t burn (must not start becoming black in color). Add the tempering to the ground chutney and mix well.
- Serve with dosai, idli and vadai (all South Indian savory dishes)
Inspiration source:
Vegetarian Cuisines from South India by Chandra Padmanabhan, page 113
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe, peeled, pitted and mashed avocados
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped spring onions
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Method:
- Stir together all the ingredients in a bowl
- Serve with warm pita bread or pita chips
Serves: 4
Inspiration source:
Something Extra, Summer 2014, page 10
Remarks:

Ingredients:
- 2 cups curry leaves (discard the twigs, wash and dry)
- 1 cup raw peanuts
- 2-3 red chilies
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
Method:
- Roast the leaves, peanuts, chilies and sesame seeds on low heat
- Once properly dry and lightly brown and fragrant, add salt and sugar and take off the heat
- Grind to desired fineness level
Serves: 8-10
Inspiration source:
A friend… apparently it’s a common meal-time accompaniment in Maharashtra, western state of India.