February 21, 2013

Tomato Chutney – one more way to enjoy antioxidant rich tomatoes


I am quite amazed at how time flies.

This tomato chutney was photographed on January end. And we are into the end of February already.

Yes, I’ve been happily busy with recipes and photographs and, more recipes and photographs as seen here.





But alas, I hardly find the time to sit down for a blog post. And whenever I do find a bit of breathing space, I’m hardly in the mood to write. And when I have enough of both, I’m simply lost for words.

Such has been my life lately.



Er, not to mention the unwritten emails scandalously piling up, and the even busier state of disarray at home.

I wish, I wish… oh how I wish, the fairy godmother came to my rescue with her magic wand.

As if!



Anyways, today I decided to pull myself together and jot down something—anything, to be honest—to go with this beautiful condiment recipe and set of photographs.

Chutney is one of those condiments that is so widely loved that it graces our dinning table on a fairly regular basis. Well, if you are from the Indian subcontinent, you know what I am saying—right?

With a riotous mix of color and character, ranging form the red tomato chutney and white coconut chutney to the green mango chutney or fiery dry chili chutney, it takes on different avatars, and transforms a simple platter of dish to wonderfully flavorful heights.


When I flipped through the stunningly delicious pages of Hari Nayak’s My Indian Kitchen—a beautiful cookbook added to my quickly expanding possession a while back—the chutney recipes stood out instantly.

What lured me to this particular recipe is that it is different from all the tomato chutneys I regularly do at home, plus it has a south Indian touch with the use of mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red chili for tempering. And never hurts to have one more tomato chutney recipe, right?

Packed with great flavor, and of course the phenomenal tang of chutney, it is spicy, but subtly so. My family loved this version, and I’m definitely making it again.


Don't lose heart by looking at the little long list of ingredients. It is pretty easy to make, and the preparation is simple.

Just as the mustard seeds dance to the temper of hot oil—you know, I’m always fascinated by this—minced vegetables and freshly ground whole spices are added, filling the kitchen with an appetizing aroma. After few minutes of stir-frying, the chopped tomatoes together with a bit of tomato paste and vinegar are thrown in, and then the wonderful mix of flavors are left alone for a few minutes to simmer away to aromatic deliciousness.

No kitchen should be without the versatile tomato chutney. This ubiquitous Indian condiment goes well with almost anything—be it crisp bits of pappadam, chunks of bread, burgers, or grilled food. It is also amazingly good as a pizza topping, dipping for baked potatoes, or spread in savory sandwiches. For more options, serve with crackers, samosas, use as filling in burrito, or toss with pasta.

That said, we love it best with idli or dosa for breakfast, or as a relish with steamed rice.



 

Did you know that the vibrant red tomato is loaded with antioxidant lycopene, and cooking tomatoes in olive oil increases the absorption of this antioxidant? So pack more hero food into you diet by making a jar of tomato chutney and using it as a relish to go with meals. Or simply make a jar, seal with love, and give away as a gift to someone you know loves Indian food.

Hmm, not much more to say. So pull out your mason jar, and get to work!


Tomato Chutney
Recipe source: here

Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup
Prep+cooking: 30 min

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
3 tablespoons oil (I used olive oil)
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
1 spring curry leaves, torn
2 dried red chili, broken into half
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 small red onion, minced
½ teaspoon paprika
1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ cup water
salt, to taste


Directions

Grind coriander, cumin and peppercorns to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or deep non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add mustard seeds and cook until seeds crackle. Add curry leaves, dried red chili, garlic, and toss well for 15 seconds. Stir in onion and cook for a minute. Tip in paprika, ground spices and salt, and cook, stirring continuously for 2 more minutes.

Add chopped tomato, tomato paste, vinegar and water, and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until chutney is thick and fragrant. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve hot or cold. Once cool, store in an airtight sterilized jars in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Tastes even better with age—it’s a promise.


So until next time, hope you enjoy every bit of this beautiful season before it slips away. 

35 comments:

  1. Lovely shots as usual...mindblowing!!!
    Love your tomato chutney!!!

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  2. Mhm I can literally imagine the flavors of your gorgeous tomato chutney Nash. The red color is so vivid and inspiring, I feel like running into the kitchen and make me some right now. =P

    Fascinating set of photography Nash, I am glad that you found the time to create this post for us. =)

    I have to admit these days it seems as if time itself was just flying by. It's running faster then ever and it's getting difficult to follow life.

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  3. great minds- I literally just made some tomato chutney today, to curb from post-hols blues! Different kind though, the sweet kind with apples etc. I love your sliced tomato pic, straight out from a food mag!

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  4. Chutney looks so delicious and clicks are just AWESOME!!!

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  5. Your Pictures are amazing than your recipe. Like the chutney too..

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  6. Oh My God.... I am drooling here

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  7. Can imagine the flavor and taste,drooling here.

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  8. Tasty and tangy tomato chutney. Excellent preparation.
    Deepa

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  9. Flavourful and tongue tickling chutney, beautiful captures..

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  10. It looks really fantastic! So fresh and gorgeously spiced... I also like that no sugar is used.

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  11. What stunning pictures! I love tang tomatoes adn this chutney is so well suited to idli, dosas and I am not going to say nay, to adding it to steaming rice with a dollop of ghee ;)
    BTW, in the picture above, you have labeled Fennel seeds, but they look like cumin seeds to me. is that a typo?

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    1. Thanks much Manasi! Thanks again for your eye for detail! Yes it is cumin and I've made the edits :)

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  12. I am a big tomato chutney addict and I am surely trying out this recipe soon :)
    I don't need to repeat myself once again but your photos are beautiful!

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  13. Love the burst of flavors in this tongue tickling chutney!!! and as always the stunning pics do complete justice to your delish recipes!!!
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  14. lovely shots Nashi! Looks like u r enjoying ur new camera... :) And we get to enjoy ur spectacular pics too... Love tomatoes in anyway (except ketchup), raw, in salads, as a chutney, freshly juiced and lightly spiced... indeed it is a versatile fruit.... I too have a similar staple tomato chutney... though it is high on ginger and without garlic...

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  15. Stunning photography..magazine like.

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  16. Lovely and amazing clicks. Looks delicious.

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  17. again really beautiful snaps... and lovely tomato chutney... yummmm....

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  18. Beautiful....
    I love love love tomato chutney... This recipe is up in my must make alley.

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  19. lovely beautiful awesome mouthwatering...i love this post and your space. yes am a new follower .

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  20. Beautiful clicks, Nash..as always! Love the tomato chutney your style.

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  21. Nashira, just letting you know that your link to Food on Friday: Apples was featured in my Need Some Inspiration? Series today. Have a nice week.

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  22. Nashira.....you know you are one of the craziest food stylist I ever came across on food blog....love the way you style the food...even the simple chutney is looking droolicious.....you rock buddy...keep up the good work....

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  23. wow loved the chutney,yum...

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  24. Great looking chutney...I am drooling over your pics, which I have been doing from the day I started visiting your space..:)Gorgeous ones...

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  25. I had to come n tell you... I made this and I am in total LOVE!
    Really Delicious Nash! Beautiful Chutney

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  26. Nashira, I will get tired of telling you how talented you are as a photographer! The pics are gorgeous as usual. The tomato chutney looks fabulous and im sure its tangy and fiery! My mom makes a Tomato chutney which is really popular among family and friends... It looks similar but is way simpler - about half a kilo of tomatoes with a small ball of tamarind, salt, chilli powder and methi powder. And a tempering of jus mustard seeds and asafoetida. Cook till it reduces to 1/4th the quantity. Its absolutely lip-smacking!

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  27. Nashira, just letting you know that your link to Food on Friday: Chillies and Other Spicy Stuff was featured in my Need Some Inspiration? Series today. Have a nice week.

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  28. Wowwwww... Looks absolutely tempting and amazing.. Stunning photography :)

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  29. We always prepare tomato chutney at home, but with less spices...never tried adding tomato paste. Love the red color, for me it always looks orange when I make them...I wonder why?

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  30. Tried this chutney today. Simple and delicious! thanks for sharing :)

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  31. wow drooling:)
    HAppy to follow you

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  32. Tried this one!!The best tomato chutney..i must say!!
    It goes excellently with dosa n idli!!Thank you dear !!

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A million thank you's for stopping by, taking the time to connect, and coming back to visit again. I genuinely appreciate each of your kind thoughts, lovely words, love and support. Happy, happy to hear from you, and hope to see you again!

♥ Nashi