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 mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: chettinad, Indian, South Indian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 59kcal
1 Blender / Grinder
1 saute pan
- 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
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!
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.
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