Onion Garlic Chutney

This chutney is my wife's specialty that she prepares as a side dish for Idlies and Dosas. This dish has found many fans among our neighbours, friends and colleagues. It is a very simple but tasty dish that can also stored in the fridge for a few days and used when required.

Ingredients:

• Onions (Medium Sized) – 5
• Garlic – 8 to 10 pods peeled
• Tomato  (medium sized) – 2
• Red Chillies – 8 (based on taste)
• Salt – 1.5 tsp (based on taste)
• Urad Dal – 1 Tsp
• Channa Dal – 1 Tsp
• Mustard – ½ Tsp
• Cumin – ½ Tsp
• Corriander Seeds – ¼ Tsp
• Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
• Cooking Oil for frying – 2 to 3 tbsp

 Method:

1. Peel and cut each onion roughly into 8 pieces
2. Cut Tomatoes in a similar fashion
3. Heat a kadai or a thick bottomed vessel with the cooking oil.
4. Once the oil is hot, put the Cumin, coriander seeds and mustard.
5. Once they start to crackle, add the red chillies, channa dal and Urad Dal
6. As the Dal gets roasted and turn red, add the cut onion and garlic
7. Sauté the onion and garlic in a medium flame for a few minutes
8. As they start to soften, add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt.
9. Sauté the mixture until all the ingredients are cooked well. This should take roughly 5-8 minutes. Ensure that the raw smell of the turmeric and garlic are removed.
10. Remove from flame and let the mixture cool well.
11. Once the mixture is cooled well, blend well in a blender into a smooth paste. Add little water as necessary
12. Transfer the ground contents back into the vessel and heat again for a few minutes until the chutney starts bubbling up.
13. Remove the vessel from the flame. The chutney is ready to be served.

 Additional Tips:

1. If you do not like a strong Garlic flavour, add the garlic to the oil first and roast it well. This will reduce the intensity of the garlic.
2. The chutney can also be prepared by first grinding all the ingredients and then just boiling the ground mixture on the stove. This method will result in a stronger flavour of the ingredients, especially garlic.
3.  If you do not want to use a lot of oil, then use just one tsp of oil for the initial roasting of the spices and then cook the rest of the ingredients by sprinkling water and covering the vessel with a plate.
4. Since the ingredients are well cooked, you can check the taste of the chutney immediately after grinding. If you feel any modifications are necessary, you can add required ingredients which will then get cooked while boiling the chutney.
5. Once prepared, this chutney can be kept in the fridge, in an air tight container for at least 4-5 days.