TOMATO CHUTNEY

                                                  

I did not grow up eating this chutney with Idlis, nor did my mother make this. I started making this after tasting it in one of the Udipi restaurants.

INGREDIENTS

1. 100 gms onions 
2. 500 gms of tomatoes 
3. 2 Tbsp 
4. 1 tsp chili powder
5. 1 Tbsp. grated ginger 
6. salt to taste(1/2 tsp)

For the seasoning 

1. 1 Tbsp. oil 
2. 1 tsp each of mustard seeds and dalia
3. a few curry leaves
4. 2 dried red chilies 

METHOD

• Heat a wok. When warm, add oil. 
• Add onions and saute. Sauté the onions till slightly brown. Let the onions turn slightly brown. Then turn the heat to high and add in the sliced tomatoes. Sauté until the tomatoes are cooked, then cook until the water has almost evaporated.
• Then open, add salt, and cook again until the water has completely evaporated.
• Should I cook till the water in the tomatoes has completely evaporated? Yes, I have tried not to sauté too long and to turn off as soon as the tomatoes are just wilted. But sautéing and evaporating the water make a big difference. When the tomatoes are not sauted well, they taste raw in the chutney, and the chutney is loose.
• When cool, grind into a fine or coarse paste. 
• Add the seasoning to the chutney and serve.

NOTES

• Use a wide flat pan instead of a kadai; kadai brings out the water, but I like the tomatoes nice and sauteed, which is time-consuming in a kadai. 
• This can also be a base for tomato soup and tomato rice.