As the end of summer approaches I am trying to use up all my fresh tomatoes. I decided to make this quick tomato chutney to eat with our rice and curry lunch. This chutney is spicy, sweet and savory. It has a great balance of flavors and goes well with any Sri Lankan, Indian style meal or roast meats.
Ingredients:2lbs of tomatoes (any kind)
2-3 green chilies sliced
15-20 curry leaves
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic grated
1Tbs of grated ginger
1/4 tsp of ground turmeric
1tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 (1inch) cinnamon stick
1-2 tsp of brown sugar (see note)
1tsp of mustard seeds
1tsp of cumin seed
1tsp of ground cumin
1tsp of curry powder (I used McCormick brand)
1 Tbs of fish sauce or soy sauce
1tsp of vinegar
1Tbs of canola oil
salt to taste
Note: I gave a range for the sugar because it depends on the sweetness of your tomatoes. Add only 1tsp of sugar first and adjust accordingly.
Directions:In a large pan, heat 1Tbs of canola oil on medium high heat. When heated, add your cinnamon, curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow to sizzle for 30-45 seconds without burning.
Next add your onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Saute for 2 minutes.
Then add your tomatoes. If you use grape or cherry tomatoes in this dish you can cut them or leave them whole. Once they start cooking you will need to gently mash them with your spoon and "pop" them so they can break down.
Next add your ground spices, vinegar, fish or soy sauce. The fish or soy sauce will give you some salt flavor, but you can also add salt as needed.
Allow the tomatoes and spices to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir as necessary. You want your tomatoes to break down and create the "jam" like chutney.
When the tomatoes have broken down you can do a final taste for seasoning. If you have a good balance of salt, sweet and sour the chutney is done. You can eat this chutney warm, at room temperature or even cold. Store in an air tight container and it should be good for about a week.
Enjoy.
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