Tomato Chutney with Besan + news!

Posted by aishcooks on July 9, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Tomato Chutney with Besan ~ North-Indian style tomato chutney flavored with chick-pea flour, the perfect side for rotis and parathas

Hello there.. anyone miss me yet? Well, after over 2 months of silence it only seemed decent that I try and at least come up with an excuse before we get all acquainted again. If the last 3 months seemed overwhelming enough with my full-time job taking over well.. the FULL damn time, I have yet to try and comprehend what 3 months from now would look like. Let me cut to the chase and leave the bantering behind – we’re expecting our 2nd little pumpkin right around harvest time in October 🙂 Li’l A is going to be a big brother and he can barely wait to stop cooing to a swollen belly and meet the real thing. But really, this time around the real fun is watching him be SO very excited.. aren’t all second (and subsequent) ones made just so their older sibling can have a sibling?

Sooo.. with all the flurry of activity we’ve been having around here of late, quick and easy seems to be the key to the kitchen. This is my go-to recipe when in a pinch and if I need something to go with rotis or parathas. The recipe is inspired by Manjula’s Kitchen’s version of Tomato Chutney, but uses chickpea flour (besan) instead of corn-starch as the thickener. The besan definitely adds it’s own flavor to the recipe which makes it all the more better. It takes all of 20 minutes from start to finish to make the chutney, which makes it a great last-minute dish to throw together while you’re working on your main dish. I think it’d go really well with dosas and idlies as well.. definitely a keeper! Go ahead and give it a try.. this might just be the thing you need to get over waiting for the summer sun to show up, if you happen to be getting as much rain as we have been getting this year. And I’ll just go back to gestating for a few more months now.

Tomato Chutney with Besan (Chickpea Flour)

Slightly adapted from Manjula’s Tomato Chutney

Serves: 4 | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing), optional
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp chickpea flour (besan)
3-4 green chilies, slit lengthwise, adjust to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
4 medium tomatoes (approx. 2 cups yield), chopped
1/4 tsp red chili powder / cayenne pepper (optional)
salt to taste
few stalks of fresh cilantro, finely chopped, for garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan, and when hot reduce the heat and add the hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to crackle for a few seconds.
On medium heat, add the chickpea flour and turmeric and saute for about 30 seconds or so until the flour is cooked (take care not to let it burn, it should not turn very brown).
Add the green chilies and ginger and saute for a few seconds.
Add the chopped tomatoes, along with salt and some chili powder (for extra heat, optional) and combine well.
Add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup water and cook on med-high for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are fully done and mashed well into desired consistency.
Add the chopped cilantro, turn the heat off and serve the chutney with rotis or parathas of choice!