tomato chutney

I often jokingly tell my friends that we Andhras are very attached to the three Ps when it comes to our cuisine—Pappu (dals), Pachadi (chutneys) and Pulusu (sweet and sour stews).  You will find such a variety in the types of vegetables and greens that can go into these and all of them very simple, very home style and made very casually.  And although all the women in my family are fabulous cooks, my Amamma (maternal grandma) always comes to mind when I think of traditional food.  I know I have mentioned it in previous posts but I have wonderful memories of watching her cook on a wood stove (like this) in her beautiful brass vessels and make food so delicious, that I can still feel the taste in my mouth.

Especially her pachadis, a different kind made almost every day.  She had a couple of stone mortars (Rolu) in different sizes in the patio just outside the kitchen door- the larger one for grinding batters and the smaller one for for making chutneys.  There was a long wooden pestle (Rokali)  with which the fried spices and cooked vegetable or greens were pounded into a coarse paste, usually by one of my aunts.  I just have to close my eyes to see that terracotta tiled house, the shaded kitchen with clay water pots and brass cooking vessels, my grandpa’s altar in one corner of the kitchen where he prayed every morning and the small wooden platfroms to sit on while having meals (peetalu) resting against a wall.  I know my mom will be reading this and smiling because now I look back with such fondness and nostalgia, but as a kid and teenager, this city girl used to complain constantly about spending time in a quiet village surrounded by lush, green paddy fields, coconut palms and mango groves :).

This tomato chutney is a pretty standard recipe although I have added my own take on it in the form of cashews.  And mainly because the tomatoes over here seem to have far more liquid in them than the ones found in India.  It makes for a very runny chutney and so I wanted to add something that would thicken it up.  I also roasted the tomatoes on the open flame instead of cooking them like my mother and grandma do.  When I posted the picture of the fire roasted tomatoes on Instagram, I discovered that many people also go the fire-roasted route.  You can choose whatever method works best for you.  Another option is to broil them in the oven, making sure to make a couple of holes to prevent them from exploding in the oven.  I had run a few tomatoes through a skewer before roasting and I think that helped keep them from bursting.

I also had a bit of an epiphany while making this.  These chutneys are typically pounded into a paste either in the stone mortar-pestle or in our house, a cast-iron one, to give a wonderful rough texture and a unique taste.  I never got around to bringing a heavy one from India and had been using my blender to make chutneys.  They tasted fine but no matter how careful I was, it always ended up as a smooth paste.  I had forgotten about my Mexican Molcajete used to make guacamole and had an aha moment when my eyes fell on it.  Am so excited about making pachadis now!

Just a brief note about the spices, especially fenugreek.  It gives the chutneys their distinct flavor but can make it bitter if more than the right amount is used.  In the recipe, I have mentioned a fourth to one half teaspoon.  If you are using it for the first time, I would suggest using a fourth of a tsp and figure out if you need to add a bit more the next time.

Tomato Pachadi

Print recipe

4 medium tomatoes
2 tbsp canola, peanut or vegetable oil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 dried red chillies, the less spicy kind like Kashmiri or Byadgi
10-12 raw cashews
salt to taste
Optional:
1 medium onion, chopped and cooked in the microwave or stovetop with a couple teaspoons water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Wash and dry the tomatoes.  Thread 3-4 through a skewer if fire-roasting, or cut into chunks if cooking.

Peel the roasted tomatoes and chop into large chunks and keep aside. If the tomatoes are very juicy, remove some of the juice and use in something else.  Also, skip the peeling step if cooking the tomatoes.

Heat the oil in a small skillet or saucepan and add the dried fenugreek seeds.  When they turn golden brown, add the urad dal, mustard sees, cumin seeds and dried red chillies.  Then add the raw cashews.

When the mustard seeds start to pop, turn off the stove.  Ket this mixture cool.

Powder the spices and cashew coarsely either in a large mortar pestle or blender.  Add the tomatoes  and salt (and onions plus cilantro if using) and grind to a coarse paste.

Serve with rice, idlis, dosas or even as a sandwich spread.

*  The cilantro will give the chutney a wonderful flavor but dulls the color a bit.  And I used the onion to add a touch of sweetness.  You can skip it and add a little sugar instead.

Yum