Tomato Kara chutney is a simple spicy chutney that can be prepared very easily. I usually choose it if I have to cook very fast. This South Indian recipe goes well with idli, dosa and uttapam. The tangy taste of tomatoes along with garlic and chilli powder makes the dish very tasty.
Adding a little gingelly oil to the spicy tomato chutney further enhances its flavour. As no coconut is included in the tomato kara chutney, the shelf- life of it is longer. Adding gingelly oil also acts as a preservative.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons oil
5 medium-sized tomatoes (cut haphazardly)
1 pod garlic
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dhal
a sprig of curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste
Method
Grinding
Take the tomatoes and garlic in a mixer grinder and grind well.
Tempering
Tempering should be done in low-medium flame only.
Now you need to temper the above paste. For this take a Kadai or tempering pan. Heat it and add oil. Allow the oil to get heated for a minute. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.
Now add urad dhal and cumin seeds. Let the urad dhal turn slightly brown.
Immediately add asafoetida and red chilli powder and stir. The colour of the chilli powder will change.
Without further delay add curry leaves and give a quick stir.
Note:Add curry leaves instantly as the colour of the chilli powder changes from red to darker red. Otherwise the chilli powder will get overheated and turn black.
Then add the ground mixture to it. Add salt and allow it to boil for 5 minutes.
To increase the taste you can also add a little gingelly oil.
Enjoy this spicy kara chutney with hot idlis, dosa or uttapam.
Happy Eating 🙂