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Sweet Sour Indian Tomato Chutney Final4 3653

Sweet & Sour Tomato Chutney

Author: Traffic Light Cook
This gluten-free and vegan sweet & sour chutney recipe comes from my Indian roots. This chutney makes a great side with main meals, i.e. lentil/rice/chapati or a great dip for crackers or bread. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dips & salad Dressings
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4
Calories 40 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups (360g) tomatoes (preferably peeled and deseeded, can sub with 1, 14.5 oz of diced canned tomatoes)
  • 1 tsp avocado oil (or any other)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (whole)
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper* (sub with red chili powder)
  • 1 tsp green chili** (sub with jalapeno pepper, minced)
  • 1 tsp ginger (fresh, grated)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt*** (or any other)
  • 2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp jaggery (powdered, can sub with brown sugar)

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan for tempering whole spices. To check if the oil is hot enough, add a couple of cumin or mustard seeds. If the seeds start to sputter, the oil is at the right tempering temperature (please make sure not to smoke the oil). Add cumin, mustard seeds, and fennel sees and let them sputter for a few seconds****. 
  • Once the whole-spice sputtering slows down (please make sure not to burn the spices), add grated ginger, coriander powder, green chilies, and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds. 
  • Add the peeled, deseeded tomatoes and salt. Stir and let it cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add water and let the mixture cook for another 15 minutes or till tomatoes are cooked through. Add the powdered jaggery and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and turn off heat. Enjoy!

Notes

*increase or decrease the amount of cayenne pepper per your taste
**increase or omit per taste
***add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt more if needed
****be ready with a lid to avoid the scattering of seeds out of pan. 
Variation #1
If you don't have whole spices like cumin, mustard, or fennel seeds  then tempering process is not necessary. Heat the oil add  1/2 tsp ground cumin , 1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional). Add 1/2 tsp garam masala 2-3 minutes before turning off the heat.
Variation #2: using date syrup instead of jaggery
I also tried the recipe with 2 tbsp of date syrup instead of jaggery. The recipe still tasted good, but different and came out darker in color. 
Make it Low-sodium
If avoiding salt, either reduce salt to 1/8 tsp or omit it all together. This chutney is quite flavorful even without adding any salt. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4tbspCalories: 40kcalCarbohydrates: 7gFat: 1gSodium: 156mgSugar: 6gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 0.8mgIron: 0.4mg
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