Quick and Flavorful Onion Chutney Recipe (Vengaya Chutney)

Looking for a quick and aromatic side dish to accompany your idlis or dosas? Try this delicious Onion Chutney, also known as Vengaya Chutney, which is bursting with flavor and requires minimal ingredients. This chutney was a quick go to recipe in our homes taught by my Mother in Law. Unlike other chutneys, this recipe relies solely on the sweetness and pungency of onions to create a delightful condiment that will elevate your South Indian meals.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized onions
• 4 round red chillies (adjust according to taste)
• Gooseberry-sized tamarind or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
• 1/2 tsp crystal salt

For Tempering:

• 4 tbsp gingelly oil (sesame oil)
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• A few curry leaves

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Onion Mixture:

   • Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a flat pan. Roughly chop the onions and add them to the hot oil along with the red chillies.
   • Sauté until the onions turn golden brown. Be careful not to let them brown too much. Remove the pan from the heat.

2. Add Seasonings:

   • Sprinkle salt over the sautéed onions and red chillies. Add the tamarind (or tamarind paste) on top of the mixture. Let it cool down.

3. Grind into a Coarse Paste:

   • Once the onion mixture has cooled, transfer it to a blender or food processor. Grind it into a coarse paste. If needed, add 2 tbsp of water to facilitate blending.

4. Prepare the Tempering:

   • Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of gingelly oil in a small tadka pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.
   • Add a few curry leaves to the hot oil and temper for a few seconds until aromatic. Remove from heat.

5. Combine and Serve:

   • Transfer the ground onion chutney to a serving bowl. Pour the hot tempered oil along with mustard seeds and curry leaves over the chutney.
   • Allow the flavors to meld for a few minutes before serving. Mix well before serving.

Serving Suggestions:

• Enjoy this aromatic Onion Chutney with hot idlis or dosas, drizzled with gingelly oil (nallennai) for an extra burst of flavor.
• It also pairs well with uthappam topped with coriander leaves and green chilly.

Tips:

• Adjust the quantity of red chillies according to your spice preference.
• Be cautious not to let the onions brown too much while sautéing.
• For a thinner consistency, add a little water while grinding the chutney.

Elevate Your South Indian Meals:

With its enticing aroma and delightful flavor, this Onion Chutney is sure to become a favorite in your kitchen. Quick to make and bursting with taste, it's the perfect accompaniment to your idlis, dosas, and more!

Pacha Manga Chammandi a typical Kerala recipe

 In Kerala Chutney is called as Chammandi and one of the native dishes is this Mango Chutney or Manga Chammandi, the tangy and spicy chutney goes well with idly, dosa, chappati or even rice. 

I prefer using Kili mookku manga for this recipe though any vareity of mango can be used. 

Ingredients:
Raw Mango - Medium sized 1
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Red chilly - 1 no
Green chilly - 2 nos
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
The chutney needs to be thick like that of the thogayals of Tamilnadu. Wash and chop the mangoes to small pieces (Can be made after peeling the skin too). Grind it to a coarse consistency along with grated coconut, ginger and green chilly. Add the salt finally and add the salt and adjust it. Do not add water. The water in the mango is sufficient enough for the chammandi. 
Heat tadka pan and add oil and mustard seeds. Once it splutters add it to the chammandi. 
Though tadka is optional we love to add it as it gives a flavour to the chammandi. 
Serve it with hot rice and ghee or with rice kanji

Brinjal Chutney by Sumangalee Dhandapani

Brinjal contest entry posted by Sumangalee Dhandapani

Ingredients

Brinjal 2 medium sized
Scraped coconut 1/2 a cup
Green chillies 4 or 5 (can add more if you want)
Garlic cloves 3
Tamarind half a lemon size
Corriander leaves
Salt for taste

For seasoning
1 teaspoon oil 
1/2 a teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 a teaspoon urad dhal

Method
Apply oil on the brinjals and grill it or hold it on flame or fire to cook
Leave the brinjals to cool. When they become cool, remove the burnt skin and take the pulp
Grind the coconut, green chillies, garlic cloves, tamarind, corriander leaves and salt into a smooth paste
Add the brinjal pulp and run the mixer once
Season it and serve it with iddly or dosas

Thakkali Thokku

Making thakkali thokku have become quite a regular whenever it is available in abundance. On my recent visit to the super market, was surprised to see the rate of the tomato at Rs. 6 per kg. So I grabbed a few kilos to make thokku which is a favourite side dish of even my daughter who cant tolerate Tomatoes in rasam or sambar.

A bit time consuming but worth the time spent as it is consumed very fast.

Ingredients:
Tomato - 1 kg
Methi seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Sambar Powder - 2 tbsp (I prefer to use this as I need not add coriander powder, cumin seeds powder separately)
        or
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds Powder- 1/2 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Gingely Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:
Boil water in a shallow vessel and immerse tomatoes in it. Close it with a lid and remove from the flame. Let it cool and grind it through a juicer jar so that only the juice remains.

Heat oil in a shallow pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters add methi seeds and fry a little. Add asafodeita and turmeric powder and mix well. Add the tomato juice and let it boil and reduce to half. Add salt and either sambar powder or red chilly powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and mix well and let it reduce even further. When it is thick and oil floats on top remove from flame. Let it cool and store it in air tight container. Makes a great side dish for idly, dosa, chappati, roti and even curd rice. 

Thakkali Thokku using green chillies

When it is Tomato season, I prefer to make Tomato Pickle which will last a bit longer. I also make Thakkali thokku using both sambar powder and also green chillies and ginger. This time for a change, I added kothamalli also while grinding, which enhanced the taste.

Ingredients:
Tomato - 1 Kg
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch
Salt to taste
Gingely Oil - 1/4 cup
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Immerse Tomato in hot water and cover it. Remove from flame and let it cool. Grind it using a juicer jar so that the seeds and skin will be drained and you will get only the extract. Grind the green chillies, ginger and washed and cleaned coriander leaves also using the same juicer jar. Mix everything together.

Heat oil in a hard bottom pan and add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Add the methi seeds and fry it a little add the asafodeita and the ground paste. Let it boil and reduce. When it is half add required salt and let it reduce even more and thicken. When the oil floats on top remove from flame and let it cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate it.

Can be used for about a week. This thokku can be added to hot rice and it will def taste like Tomato Rice without onions. If you want onions, saute onions add a few spoons of this thokku and mix well and add it to hot rice. 

Demon Chutney (Chettinad Garlic Chutney)

Demon Chutney !!!!! Wondering what this is? Though I know the making of this chutney for quite some time, I have been reluctant to make it for the fear of its spiciness. But when I saw this recently in a TV serial while browsing the channel, decided it is high time, I try this. In the serial it was ground in Ammi Kuzhavi.

Honestly speaking, though I have tried grinding things in this, I was not able to do it the right way, ending up hurting my fingers. So ended up using our own modern kitchen equipment the mixie. The name Demon Chutney was given by my daughter, after she tasted it. 

Ingredients:

Garlic - 100 gms

Red Chilly - 8 nos

Tamarind - small ball 

     or 

Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp

Salt (Rock Salt) - To taste

Gingely Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

       Grind Garlic, Red Chilly, Tamarind and Salt together to a fine paste. Heat a pan, add the gingelly oil,

heat it and add it to the ground paste. Serve it with Idly, Dosa or Chappati or even curd rice.

       Alternatively, the ground paste can be sauted in the generous portion of gingely oil in a pan. That will become a thokku form. Which also gives a very good taste

Jeera Chutney - Recipe to enhance the taste of Tikkas and Kebabs

Ingredients:
Jeeragam (Cumin seeds) - 1 tbsn
Garlic - 3 to 4 pods
Red Chilly - 1 or 2 depending upon the size
Lemon - 1 no
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind cumin seeds, garlic, red chilly and salt to a coarse texture. Add lemon juice to it and blend it thoroughly. Serve it chilled.

Sambarai – A traditional chutney

Ingredients :

Fresh green coriander leaves,Urad Dhal, Red Chillies, Tamarind, Asafoetida, jaggery, salt , oil

Method :

Heat the pan with a spoon of oil and add Urad dhal, a little asafoetida, some red chillies(2-3) and fry it golden brown. Put a little tamarind, cut fresh green coriander,salt , a little jaggery and the roasted mixture in the mixie jar and grind it. Grind it a little coarse to get a good taste.

The chutney goes well with dosa, idli and also tastes good for curd rice.

Tomato Pudhina Chutney

Ingredients

1.Medium size tomatoes – 4
2.Mint leaves – Half bunch
3.Bengal gram dhall – 1 tsp
4.Split Urad dhall – 1 tsp
5.Red Chillies – 3
6.Salt to taste
7.Oil

Method

1.Clean the mint leaves
2.Add two tsp oil in a frying pan and sauté mustard,gram dhall,urad dhall and red chillies. Keep them aside.
3.Fry the mint leaves till it gets cooked. Keep them aside
4.Chop the tomatoes and fry them till they are cooked.
5.Grind the tomatoes, mint leaves and red chillies
6.Finally add the fried gram and urad dhall and grind them

Since we are adding the dhall at the end, it will give a crunchy taste.

Coconut Mint Chutney

Ingredients:
Coconut - 1 cup grated
Fried Bengal gram  - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Mint Leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Asafodeita - 2 pinches

Method:
Grind coconut, bengal gram, green chillies, mint leaves, salt to a fine paste. In a seasoning laddle heat oil and add mustard seeds, when they splutter add urad dal and asafodeita.

Serve it with hot idly or dosa. The mint enhances the taste and also the flavour.

Marcha Rot (Green chilly chutney)

Ingredients:
Green Chillies - 8 nos
Ginger - 2 inch piece
Onions - 2 nos
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan and add the green chillies to it after removing the stalk. Let it turn brown in colour. Remove from fire and grind it along with ginger and salt. Chop onions finely and saute it in the remaining 1/2 tsp of oil and add it to the ground paste.

A great side dish recipe from the state of Mizoram in North-East India

Recipe for raw mango chutney

Ingredients:
Raw Mango - 2 nos
Fenu greek - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 8 nos
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Dry roast mustard and fenugreek. Grate the mangoes. Grind all the ingredients in a mixer with little water.

Season with mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp of asafodeita. Makes a great side dish for rice, dosai, idly and chappati.

Horse gram thuvaiyal

Ingredients:
Horse gram - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint - a little
Garlic pods - 4 nos
Red Chillies - 2 to 4
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
Pressure cook horse gram for about 4 to 5 whistles with very little water and let it cool. Heat oil in a pan and fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and garlic. When cold grind the fried items along with horsegram, salt and coriander seeds. This goes well with Pepper Jeera Rasam or Garlic Rasam. Can also be served with hot rice and ghee.

Horse gram helps in reducing weight.

Chutneys and Thogayals (Thuvaiyals)

Chutneys
* Ginger Chutney
* Ginger Chutney - II
* Peanut Chutney
* Coconut Chutney
* Coconut  Chutney - II
* Mint Chutney
* Mint Chutney - II
* Mint Chutney - III
* Coriander Leaves Chutney
* Mint Chutney with Onion
* Spicy Chutney
* Mint Coriander Thokku
* Tomato Chutney - Jain Style
* Spicy Tomato Chutney - For Travel
* Red Chutney - For Chats and Dips
* Red Garlic Chutney
* Dry Chilly Chutney - Chettinad Style
* Katta Meeta Chutney
* Tamarind Chutney
* Methi leaves Chutney
* Small Onion Chutney
* Marcha Rot
* Coconut Mint Chutney
* Tomato Mint Chutney
* Raw Mango Chutney

Thuvaiyals
* Paruppu Thuvaiyal by Rajeshwari

* Paruppu Thogayal by Malini

* Paruppu Thogayal using Bengal gram
* Groundnut Thuvaiyal
* Horse Gram Thuvaiyal

* Pacha Manga Chammandi

Small Onion Chutney

Ingredients:
Shallots - 10 to 12 nos
Tamarind Paste - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 15 nos
Garlic - 8 pods
Salt to taste
Gingely Oil - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Broken Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil and fry the shallots, garlic and red chillies. Allow it to cool and grind it to a fine paste along with tamarind paste and turmeric powder.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters add the broken urad dal and asafodeita. Add the ground paste to the pan. Reduce the flame and allow the paste to become thick. Remove from flame when the oil starts floating on top.

Can be stored in airtight container for about 2 weeks.

Methi Leaves Chutney

Ingredients:
Methi (Fenugreek) Leaves - 1 bunch
Tamarind - lemon size
Red Chillies - 10 nos
Asafodeita - 1/2 tbsp
Gingely Oil - 1/4 cup
Broken Urad Dal - 1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind tamarind, Red Chillies, asafodeita and salt to a fine paste. Grind methi leaves seperately to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when they splutter add the urad dal. Add the tamarind mixture first and then add the methi leaves paste. Mix thoroughly and keep stirring till the paste blends well and thickens.

The paste should become brownish in colour. Goes well with curd rice or can also be used to mix in hot rice. Also is a great side dish for dosa made with the batter ground on the same day (Puliya dosa).

Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients:
Tamarind paste - 1/2 cup
Jaggery grated - 3 cups
Roasted Jeera Powder - 2 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Black salt - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp

Method:
Add 5 cups of water to tamarind paste and boil it in low flame for about 10 mins. Strain it through a seive and add jaggery, chilly powder, cumin powder, salt, garam masala and mix thoroughly. Cook again on low flame till jaggery dissolves completely and the mixture gets semi thick. Remove from flame. This chutney thickens even more when cold.

Can be stored in an airtight container. The recipe stays good for about 3 months. When serving if it is thick can be thinned by adding a little warm water to it and mixed thoroughly. Great side dish for samosas, kebabs etc.

Katta Meeta Chutney

A great side dish for chats, samosas, tikkas and kebabs.

Ingredients:
Dry Grapes - 50 gms
Dates - 50 gms
Jaggery - 3/4th cup
Tamarind Paste - 3 tbsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Dry roast cumin seeds in a pan and grind it to a fine powder.
Cook grapes and dates in water. (Add the required quantity of water, which will make them soft and tender). Grind them to a fine paste using the same water. Add jaggery, tamarind paste, salt, garam masala, chilly powder, cumin powder and bring it to a boil.

Chettinad Style Dry Chilly Chutney

Ingredients:
Red Chilly - 12 nos
Garlic - 10 pods
Shallots - 8 to 10 nos
Tamarind Paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Gingely Oil - 3 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Broken Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Method:
Grind red chillies, garlic, shallots, salt and tamarind paste to a fine paste. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan add mustard seeds and when it splutters add the broken urad dal and asafodeita. When it turns golden brown in colour, add the ground paste. Keep stirring till the oil comes out of the sides. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of gingely oil to it when still hot.

The chutney will be quite hot and if needed, the number of red chillies can be reduced a bit.

Goes well with steaming hot idly and also with Adai.

Recipe for Groundnut Chutney (Thuvaiyal)

A recipe made specially in the Coimbatore, Erode region of Tamilnadu. One of the Kongunadu cuisine recipes.

Ingredients:
Groundnut - 1 cup
Shallots (Sambar Onion) - 8 nos
Red Chillies - 2 nos
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Garlic - 4 pods
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Tamarind Paste - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Dry roast groundnut till the skin is removable. Remove skin and let it cool. In a pan heat oil and fry coriander seeds and red chillies. Add cumin seeds, green chillies, garlic and onions and saute for a few mins. Add curry leaves and groundnuts and mix everything together and saute for a few more mins. Remove from flame and let it cool.

Add salt and tamarind paste and grind it coarely. Serve it with hot idly or dosa. Goes well with Chappati too.