Tomato and Dry Red Chilly Chutney

  If you are in search for a spicy and tangy chutney, this fits the bill. This is my mom’s recipe. Her basic dry red chilly chammanthi, made using crushed, fried dry red chilies, pearl onions, salt and oil, was too spicy for us kids. So she used to grind tomatoes along with the other ingredients to make it favorable to us. That way the chutney tastes tangy too. Tomatoes can be substituted with tamarind. This chutney is at its best when paired with idlis/ dosa.

Ingredients

1. Dry red chilies – 6 – 7  (You can adjust it according to your spice tolerance)
2. Pearl onions – 8 – 10
3. Tomato – 1 , seeded and chopped
4. Curry leaves – 4 – 5
5. Salt – To taste
6. Oil – 1 tsp  + 2 tsp

Method

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Fry the dry red chilies until they turn crispy and brown. Leave aside to cool.

2. Crush the dry red chilies in a mixer. Add the pearl onions and crush them. Finally add the chopped tomatoes and grind everything together.

3. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add the above ground mixture and a few curry leaves to it. Stir the mixture at medium heat until the oil separates. It won’t take more than 6 – 8 minutes. Serve with idli/ dosa. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Tip:

You can add more chopped tomatoes or pearl onions to make it less spicy.