Easy and tasty no-onion no-garlic South Indian style tomato chutney made with fresh juicy tomatoes, and lentils. A perfect side for idli, dosa, chapati, parathas, and yogurt rice! Here is my vegan tomato chutney recipe with step-wise pictures.
Different sides for idli and dosa-
After sharing the idli-dosa batter recipe, I want to post a simple side for both idli and dosa. I have already shared coconut chutney, tiffin sambar, and sambar for vadai, quick besan sambar, and aka Bombay chutney that you can serve with idli and dosa and other tiffin items. So I thought of sharing this simple tomato chutney now.
In restaurants, you can always find idli or dosa being served with assorted chutneys. My son and I always color code them. White chutney, i.e., the coconut chutney. Red chutney and it can be plain tomato chutney or tomato-onion chutney or kaara chutney/spicy chutney and then the green chutney, which can be cilantro/mint chutney or with curry leaves. I will share them all here. But now, let’s see the recipe of this plain tomato chutney without any onion or garlic.
The no-onion no-garlic tomato chutney with lentils | Thakkali Chutney-
You all know that I cook without onion and garlic on Thursdays and on festival days. And this chutney comes in handy for no-onion no-garlic days. The lentils(urad dal and chana dal) that we add give a nice texture to this chutney, making it an excellent side for rice as well. In Tamil, we call it as thakkali chutney. Thakkali means tomato in Tamil.
All you need to do is, first roast the lentils along with asafoetida and dried red chilies until they turn golden brown. I usually do not add oil while roasting the lentils. Then we need to saute the tomatoes until they turn soft and mushy. Let it cool and grind them all together with salt and temper the chutney.
Increasing the shelf life of this chutney-
When compared to other chutneys, this chutney has a longer shelf life. You can prepare it as a part of your weekend meal prep. When refrigerated, it stays good for up to a week. But if you want to store it outside, you can saute the chutney after grinding it.
My mom usually packs this chutney for me to my hostel during my undergrad days. After making this chutney, she cooks the chutney again with little extra oil and cooks until all the moisture is absorbed. She allows it to cool and packs it in an air-tight container.
In this way, even without refrigerating, it stays for a longer time. I remember using it for up to 5 days. It will be more like thokku/thick chutney, not semi-solid, like in this picture after sauteing.
Serving Suggestions-
It pairs well with idlis, dosa, uthappam, vada, roti, paratha, and even with yogurt rice. If you want to mix it with rice like thengai thogayal/coconut chutney for rice, increase the red chilies. But if you prefer a mild version, you can go with the same measure.
Now let’s see how to make this tomato chutney with step-wise pictures-
Cooking the lentils and tomatoes-
- Heat a pan add the urad dal and chana dal. Roast for a minute and then add the dried red chilies and asafoetida.
- Roast again over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until the dal turns golden brown. Allow it to cool.
- Now in a separate pan or the same pan (as you can see, I used my small cast iron pan for roasting the lentils and another for tomatoes), add a tsp of oil and heat it. When the oil is hot, add the chopped tomatoes.
- Let it cook for about 7 to 8 minutes or until they turn soft and bit-mushy. You don’t need to cook until it becomes all mushy as we do for curries. Let it cool.
Grinding the chutney-
- First, in a mixer jar or blender, add the lentils and grind it without adding any water. Make sure the lentils are 80% ground. I used my Preethi mixer jar for grinding.
- Next, add the tomatoes and salt. No need to add any water. The moisture from the tomatoes is sufficient to grind the chutney.
- Grind it smooth or according to your texture preference. Transfer it to a bowl.
Tempering-
- In a pan, add a tsp of oil and when the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add it to the chutney.
- Note – As mentioned before, for longer shelf-life, after the mustard seeds splutter, you can add the ground chutney and saute again over medium-low heat until the moisture is absorbed. I did not do it this time.
Store it in an air-tight container and serve along with idli, dosa, or other tiffin items.
Few key pointers & tips-
- If the tomatoes are not sour, you can add 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste or a 1-inch piece of tamarind. If you are using tamarind pulp, you can roast it along with lentils, so it softens.
- Adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- You can skip the asafoetida and make this tomato chutney a gluten-free one.
- Try Kashmiri or Byadgi variety of chilies for the fiery red color chutney.
- If you can’t source curry leaves, skip the curry leaves. Do not go for substitutes.
- Do not let the lentils turn black. It ruins the taste of the chutney.
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Tomato Chutney | South Indian Tomato Chutney Without Garlic and Onion
Equipment
- Blender / Mixer Jar
- Tawa / Kadai for roasting
Ingredients
Measurement details - 1 cup = 240ml;1 tbsp=15ml; 1 tsp=5ml;
- 2 tsp oil divided
- 3 tomatoes medium-sized / 400 grams/ 2 cups when chopped
- 1 tbsp urad dal whole skinned
- 1 tbsp chana dal
- 4 dried red chilies or to taste
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida optional
- 1 tsp salt heaped or to taste
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
Instructions
Cooking the lentils and tomatoes
- Heat a pan add the urad dal and chana dal. Roast for a minute and then add the dried red chilies and asafoetida.
- Roast again over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until the dal turns golden brown. All it to cool.
- Now in a separate pan or the same pan (as you can see, I used my small cast iron pan for roasting the lentils and another for tomatoes), add a tsp of oil and heat it. When the oil is hot, add the chopped tomatoes.
- Let it cook for about 7 to 8 minutes or until they turn soft and bit-mushy. You don't need to cook until it becomes all mushy as we do for curries. Let it cool.
Grinding the chutney-
- First, in a mixer jar or blender, add the lentils and grind it without adding any water. Make sure the lentils are 80% ground.
- Next, add the tomatoes and salt. No need to add any water. The moisture from the tomatoes is sufficient to grind the chutney.
- Grind it smooth or according to your texture preference. Transfer it to a bowl.
Tempering-
- In a pan, add a tsp of oil and when the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds splutter, add it to the chutney.
- Note - As mentioned before, for longer shelf-life, after the mustard seeds splutter, you can add the ground chutney and saute again over medium-low heat until the moisture is absorbed. I did not do it this time.
- Store it in an air-tight container and serve along with idli, dosa, or other tiffin items.
Notes
- If the tomatoes are not sour, you can add 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste or a 1-inch piece of tamarind. If you are using tamarind pulp, you can roast it along with lentils, so it softens.
- Adjust the salt and spice according to your preference.
- You can skip the asafoetida and make this tomato chutney a gluten-free one.
- Try Kashmiri or Byadgi variety of chilies for the fiery red color chutney.
- If you can't source curry leaves, skip the curry leaves. Do not go for substitutes.
- Do not let the lentils turn black. It ruins the taste of the chutney.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2009 but now updated with new pics and recipe cards.
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