This Spicy and tangy Tomato Pachadi is a delicious Andhra style tomato chutney recipe. It goes well with South Indian breakfast dishes such as idli, uttapam, dosa, and even appams.
Here are some other Pachadi recipes that can be served with your South Indian meals – Pineapple Pachadi, Sorakaya Pachadi, Avakaya Pachadi, Vendakka Pachadi, and Beetroot Pachadi.
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About This Recipe
Whenever I make Idli, Dosa, or any South Indian snack for that matter, I feel that they deserve to be served with an accompaniment. Because otherwise, the meal just doesn’t seem complete or satiating.
Hence, I always make a pickle/ chutney like this Tomato Chutney Andhra Style or Tomato Nilava Pachadi. It brings so much texture and flavor to your plate! Just like most of the Indian food sides, this South Indian chutney is tangy, spicy, and just phenomenal.
We make it by using cooked tomatoes, dried red chili, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves. Most importantly, tamarind paste is added to it. Trust me, it just elevates the taste of this Pachadi!
Many people even like to add garlic, ginger, onions to it. However, I just like to add tomatoes, spices and keep it simple.
In case you wish to make it spicier then you can add more red chilies. Also, if the tomatoes that you use are slightly sour then you can use a slightly lesser amount of tamarind.
This Tomato Pachadi is,
- Delicious
- Simple to make
- Spicy & Tangy
- The perfect accompaniment to Dosa/Idli
Ingredients
To make it, you will need ingredients which I am sure will be already available in your pantry such as – Tomatoes, of course!
Choose red and ripe tomatoes to prepare this pachadi.
Tamarind Paste – This elevates the flavour of the Pachadi. Its adds a delicious tanginess in the dish. If you feel tomatoes are tangy, reduce the amount of tamarind paste.
Red Dry Chillies – Along with tanginess, you also need spiciness and these red dry chillies does that magic. You can increase or decrease the amount of dry red chillies, according to your spice level.
Lentils – We have added chana dal and urad dal, which adds a nice texture in this Pachadi.
Others – To give the pachadi more flavour, you will need oil, curry leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fresh coriander, and everyday spices.
Some even add white sesame seeds in this chutney. If you are adding too, roast it along with lentils.
Step by Step Recipe
Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn slightly brown.
Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and fry for 30-34 seconds.
Add hing and tomato.
Cover and cook until tomatoes are well cooked and mushy.
Add turmeric powder and tamarind paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and let the mixture cool down. Add the mixture in a blender along with coriander and salt and blend to make coarse chutney.
Transfer the chutney in a glass container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can temper it using ingredients such as mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. You can use either coconut oil or vegetable oil for the tadka.
To prepare it with onion, add in chopped onion once the lentils are roasted. Cook till soft and then add in the tomatoes. This tomato onion mixture is cooked along with other ingredients mentioned in the recipe and then ground to make a smooth paste.
To make this Chutney gluten free, you can avoid adding hing to it.
You can either opt to not grind it or grind it coarsely to get a chunky chutney.
Storage Suggestions
This Tomato Chutney will last in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days, when stored in an air tight container. While serving, take it out 10 to 15 minutes before so that the chutney can come to room temperature.
You can also reheat the amount you want to serve in a pan or in microwave.
Serving Suggestions
It tastes too good with Medu Vada, Idli, Rava Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, Pesarattu, Paniyaram, Bondas, and even Fritters. It also tastes great with Upma and Pongal.
You can also serve it on the side with your South Indian meal of Sambar, Rice, and Thoran or even with the popular combination Rasam Rice! You can even try it with Roti or Tawa Paratha.
Recipe Card
Tomato Pachadi Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- ¼ tsp Fenugreek Seeds
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tbsp Chana Dal
- 1 tbsp Urad Dal
- 15-20 Curry Leaves
- 8-10 Dry Red Chillies
- ¼ tsp Hing
- 250 g Tomatoes (Chopped)
- ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn slightly brown.
- Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and fry for 30-34 seconds.
- Add hing and tomato.
- Cover and cook until tomatoes are well cooked and mushy.
- Add turmeric powder and tamarind paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the mixture cool down.
- Add the mixture in a blender along with coriander and salt and blend to make coarse chutney.
- Transfer the chutney in a glass container and refrigerate for upto 4 days.
