Onion Chutney
This is a basic onion chutney that goes really well with idli, dosai, upma, rice, even rotis. The best version of this onion chutney is one I remember from one of those hole in the wall places in Pondicherry, from my childhood. It was called “Mani Iyer Cafe” and it had those simple benches and chairs you see in simple roadside hotels or what they call “mess” in India. Mani Iyer cafe served the best, softest, steaming idlis with a spicy onion chutney that I used to absolutely love. The flavor was enhanced by the banana leaf it was served on. I’ve been trying to recreate that for a long time now and this comes as close to my memory as it can! I served this with a simple dosa called “neer dosa” and it was so good! (Recipe to follow soon)
Servings Prep Time
4servings 5mins
Cook Time Passive Time
10mins 10mins cooling time
Servings Prep Time
4servings 5mins
Cook Time Passive Time
10mins 10mins cooling time
Ingredients
  • 1big red onion
  • 8-10 Dry red chiliesI added a couple of byadage chilies for color, not heat
  • 1gooseberry sized tamarind pieceif using concentrate, use 1 teaspoon
  • 2tsp urad dhal/black gramsplit/whole is fine; use dehusked (white) ones
  • 1tbsp oilto saute the ingredients
  • 1tsp Saltadjust to taste
Seasoning Ingredients
  • 1tsp oilI use sesame oil to season this chutney, it adds a wonderful flavor
  • 1tsp Urad dhal
  • 1tsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/2tsp Hing/asafoetida
  • 3-4leaves Curry leaves
Instructions
  1. Gather all ingredients
  2. Chop the onions roughly
  3. Heat 1/2 of the oil in the main ingredients in a pan/kadai and add onions when hot
  4. Saute till the onions are translucent and almost starting to brown; remove to a plate to cool
  5. Add the rest of the oil to the same pan, and saute the other ingredients – urad dhal, chilies
  6. Remove when the dhal is golden brown and the chilies look polished, and not burnt
  7. When cool, add the dhal, chilies to the blender, and grind roughly
  8. Add the onions and the tamarind, and blend everything together to a smooth paste; no water is needed as the onions provide enough moisture; if the blender struggles, sprinkle a little bit of water to get it going
  9. Remove the chutney to a bowl
  10. In the same pan, add the seasoning oil
  11. When hot but not smoking, add the mustard seeds; when they start to pop, add the rest of the seasoning ingredients; turn the heat off and pour over the chutney
  12. Serve with idli/dosai; here I served with neer dosai, recipe to follow soon