- Take 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large pan and allow it to heat on a medium flame.
- Next, add cumin seeds, Urad dal, Chana dal (or peanuts), a few methi seeds, and red chilies or red chili powder. You can reduce the number of chilies/chili powder if you prefer the chutney to be less spicy.
- Sauté them on the medium flame until the dal turns golden brown, and you get a piquant aroma.
- Further, you can add garlic cloves and diced onion until the onion turns golden. Remember that you don’t have to brown the onion. Also, you can choose to skip this step entirely.
- Add chopped tomatoes, and continue to sauté till the water from the tomatoes evaporates entirely, and mixture in your pan reduces in size. At this stage, your mixture should be devoid of any raw flavors and smell aromatic.
- Now, add turmeric powder, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Sauté for a few seconds, and turn off the heat.
- Allow the mixture to cool completely and blend it to a smooth paste using your mixer jar or bullet blender. If you wish to go the traditional route, you can also use mortar and pestle. You can choose to add little water if the chutney texture appears to be too thick.
- Now, for the tempering, take a small pan with about 2 teaspoons of oil, and let it heat on a medium flame.
- Next, add the mustard seeds and urad dal (optional). Allow it to splutter.
- After the spluttering slows down, add a few curry leaves and a red chili cut into two, and a pinch of asafoetida. You can skip the red chili if you wish to keep your chutney less spicy.
- Pour this tempering mixture on your chutney. And, your tomato chutney for dosa is ready to be served.
Enjoy this chutney with dosas, uttapam, idli, or even parathas and pakoras. Team it up with anything, and you will be licking your fingers clean!