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red kara chutney in a bowl
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5 from 37 votes

Kara Chutney | Spicy Chettinad Red Chutney

If there is one chutney that I can have every day with idli and dosa, it has to be this Chettinad Kara Chutney / spicy red chutney. It also pairs really well with Paniyaram.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: chettinad, Indian, South Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 59kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Blender / Grinder
  • 1 saute pan

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Small red onions shallots or regular red onion
  • 6 Red chilies
  • 8 cloves Garlic
  • 4 Tomatoes 2 cups pureed
  • ½ teaspoon Tamarind or small marble size
  • to taste Salt
  • Seasoning
  • 2 Tablespoon Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Ullutham paruppu/Urad dal
  • few Curry leaves
  • ¼ teaspoon Asafetida

Instructions

  • Grind Shallots, red chili and garlic into a coarse paste adding no water or very little water.
  • In a pan, add the oil and heat it up. Once heated, add all the seasoning ingredients and let them sputter.
  • Now add the ground paste to the pan and sauté till the raw smell disappears, about 3-4 mins.
  • Meanwhile grind the tomatoes and tamarind into a paste and keep it ready. Once the shallot mixture cooks, add the ground tomatoes to it and let it come to a boil. Let the mixture sauté well and once they thicken up a bit, add the salt. If the salt is added in the beginning, the chutney will splatter a lot when boiling. Hence, it is always better to add the salt when the mixture cooks for a while and thickens up.
  • Let it come to the preferred consistency and then turn off the flame.
  • Serve with Idlis. Dosai’s or paniyaram!

Video

Notes

Expert tips
  • Use red chilies based on your spice level. This recipe for kara chutney yields medium spicy chutney. Increase or decrease the chilies based on your liking.
  • Saute the chutney well and use a little more oil if planning to store it for a week or so.
  • I have used more tomatoes as well in my chutney. Again the quantity of tomato can be decreased.
  • Do not skip the garlic. This chutney will not taste the same without garlic. Decrease the quantity if you prefer but do not omit it.

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 613IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.4mg