
Onion tomato chutney side dish for idli dosa – very delicious recipe that goes perfectly well with idli, dosa or even adai.
My kid always prefer sambar or any other gravy kind for idly and dosa as side dish. But some times in our morning hurry burries, we cannot make anything elaborate or we dont have any mood to cook. So I make this, he likes this too anyways. I learnt this from my mom-in-law, I have already boasted so much about her idlies. And how I love them (I can shamelessly tell if she makes hot idlies and this chutney, I can eat a dozen of idlies without any worries, hehe).
Kadalai paruppu chutney
Everyone have their own style and it’s so delicious in their own way of cooking. My mom’s onion tomato chutney is also delicious but in its own way. Though I make it same as my mom in law, it turns out yummy but never the same. Aj calls this as ‘Orange’ chutney. He likes this with idli and ‘Red’ chutney for dosai.
Cool down the ingredients well before grinding the chutney. Hot ingredients, when ground will give your a jelly like thick chutney as you make and keep. While serving it will not be the same consistency as you made.
So it’s always better to cool down completely before grinding.
Use bayadagi chilli or kashmiri red chillis for preparing the chutney.
At times, I roast the chana dal, red chilli in ghee. Drain it from ghee and use the same ghee for sauteeing onion and tomato. This turns out super tasty and flavourful.
Some like it super smooth, while some vouch, the taste and flavour is best when the chutney is ground slightly coarse. So it’s personal preference and choice. Try all the ways and find your own favorite, fix it!
Either way, I would suggest first to powder the ingredients except onion and tomato and lastly add onion tomato to have control over the texture. This way, the red chilli also gets ground well and gives best taste, colour and texture.
Onion tomato chutney is one of the top favorites and best combo for idli dosa.
Onion tomato chutney side dish for idli dosa
Ingredients
- Onion – 1
- Tomato – 1
- Kadalai paruppu/ Chana dal – 1 tbsp
- Red chillies – 5
- Asafoetida – ⅛ tsp
- Coconut – 2 tbsp
- Oil/ Ghee – 2 tsp
- Salt – As needed
To temper
- Oil – 1 tsp
- Mustard – 1/2 tsp
- Urad dal – 1 tsp
- Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Instructions
- Cut onion and tomato into chunks.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and fry red chillies and chana dal until the dal turns golden brown colour.
- Take care to keep the heat in medium to avoid burnt chana dal. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- If you want, you can temper in this step and transfer the tempered items to the chutney serving bowl or do it lastly too.
- Now, add onion, tomato and cook until it softens.
- Cool down everything completely.
- First grind chana dal, coconut, salt and red chilli to a coarse powder.
- Top it with onion and tomato, and grind to a smooth paste. Add little water while grinding.
- Transfer to the serving bowl. Mix well. Adjust water if needed to reach desired consistency.
Video
Notes
- Cool down the ingredients before grinding.
- Adjust chilli according to it’s spice level.
Onion tomato chutney method
- Cut onion and tomato into chunks.
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and fry red chillies and chana dal until the dal turns golden brown colour.
- Take care to keep the heat in medium to avoid burnt chana dal.
- Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- If you want, you can temper in this step and transfer the tempered items to the chutney serving bowl.
- Now, add onion, tomato and cook until it softens.
- Cool down everything completely.
- First grind chana dal, coconut, salt and red chilli to a coarse powder.
- Top it with onion and tomato, and grind to a smooth paste.
- Add little water while grinding.
Transfer to the serving bowl. Mix well and serve with hot Idly or dosa!

Wah! chutney looks so tempting and my mouth is watering now. 🙂 I always look for any dips that goes well with idli/dosa. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Tomato onion chutney is my fav…looks spicy and tasty.Cute bowl luv it!
Chutney looks so so good, just the thought of your MIL idlies and this chutney i am drooling here.
looks so yum….nice colour too
This is sooo lovely….
I use a bit of tamarind… instead of the coconut bit.. else quite similar:)
this is our favorite chutney too…. : – )
Our favourite too. My father loves it. Wonderful and a lovely colourful click
my favorite dear… looks irresistable…..
http://akilaskitchen.blogspot.com
Regards,
Akila
chutney looks very delicious with the cute looking bowl. We add little tamarind to this, and adding coconut sounds new to me.
my fav one….perfect combo with idly and dosa…nice click and presentation raji!
OMG that's is such a beautiful looking chutney. equally wonderful clicks
Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi
My fav chutney ..even i can eat more idlies 🙂 with this chutney.. lovely one and wonderful clicks Raji.
wow super delicious chutney …what a beautiful color ..i love this ..never tried with adding chana dal ..i will surely try ur version dear ..thanks for sharing
Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com
I love tomato chutney a lot. In fact more than coconut chutney in my family I make tomato chutney.
The chutney looks so beautiful …. I luv the nice orange color of it.
Cheers n Happy Cooking,
Satrupa
http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com
Chutney looks delicious Raji. Nice recipe.
Beautiful click…My favourite too..I make this same way but I won't add coconut..will try adding coconut.
yummy chutney.. looks so vibrant and nice 🙂
I'm drooling here when I think of hot steaming Idlies with this Chutney. Looks so good. I prepare it the same way with the addition of little garlic.
OOOO wow!! nice chutney for hot hot idlis and dosa…love it!
Love the ceramic spoon. Wish i could find something like that!
Nicely presented raks,looks so yum,i do more or less the same way…
Beautiful and my fav chutney, i can have more idlies with this chutney..
Great combo with idlis..yummy yum
Love the Chutney..I eat this chutney more than the idlis or dosas..
Gayu
http://ensamayalarangam.blogspot.com
perfect and delicious chutney nice pic
lovely chutney!, my kids favouite too!, just s yummy with Dosa, beautiful click Raks..
Slurp, droolworthy chutney..lovely rich color ,will make it next time I make dosas 🙂
US Masala
Fabulous chutney in a lovely bowl..looks very tempting.
Aaha Oho
Hi Rajeswari,
I finally knows your name!!lol!!I adressed you as Raks before!!Oops!!
The chutney looks so wonderful…lovely presentaion dear..
[email protected]
http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com
I do almost the same way …looks delicious
Looks so yummy. I dont add coconut. Nice click.
Nice chutney raks.. tangy and spicy.. you are lucky to have a MIL like her..
Raks, snap is too tempting…dosa batter is der in refrigerator , so 2day itself i will try this..
Hi Raks,
This is how I do my regular thakkali chutney…Oh I love the sunshine in your kitchen and I keep saying htat again and again….
Shobha
Don't you add tamarind and Jaggery to this? just curious.
Aparna
Colourful chutney! perfect match for idli & dosai!! 😛 😛
Love the recipe and the photogrpah tops it..
http://epicureansdelight.blogspot.com/
Love this with idly/dosa..
I too make this….looks really yummy…..
love to have it with dosa…yummy yumm! nice clicks!
Liked ur version of chutney…looks delicious!!
Delicious chutney..Great recipe!!
Chutney sounds too delicious! Bookmarked will definately!
just i need is 2 hot idlies and ur bowl of chutney…yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Chutney luks delicious,My fav too…
never tried this chutney with coconut…what an idea raji!!…
Looks great… some queries:
1. could not find the "To Temper" table…
2. Is this fresh coconut or desiccated?
Thanks,
Aseem
Hi aseema, I somehow missed to add the 'To temper table',glad that you saw and mentioned it,now I have edited to add that. And the coconut is fresh coconut,not sure how desiccated would taste in this!
Love the color of your chutney.. I use sesame and/or peanuts instead of coconut. Will try using coconut next time.
http://www.myspicykitchen.net
Lovely recipe. easy peasy… and came out tasty amazing! Thank you! Bookmarking NOW !
yes yes with masala dosa i wanted to try this chutney and wow it was really fine for my taste buds, i dont like tomatoes flavor dominating much but this was just fine as i like, everything was balancing and going along each other. just a supercool recipe. yea i aded lil bit of fried daal to it too 🙂
Before seeing your website, I honestly thought I was not capable of ever cooking! I proved me family wrong and owe it all to your simple way of explaining all these dishes! I really want to thank you so much and you have created an interest in me to learn more and more… thank you 🙂
Chutney is very delicious.
I cooked today as a side dish for dosa. I just loved it.
Thanks a ton.
I am newly married and eager to learn tasty recipes and found your website dream come true.
this recipe was very good exactly as we eat in Sagar Ratna . even my kids loved it ,
thanks a ton
This is too good .though i had noted down a few days back but tried today, Everyone simply loved it. very restaurant like taste.
The chutney was delicious. Thanks for posting the recipe.
the chutney was very very yummy.
the chutney was very very yummy.
Can anybody please tell me ' " what she meant by tampering" I am a novice in Indian cooking D
Please refer FAQs for more details on tempering
I just tried your chutney today… And seriously it came out well and real yummy… guess wat??? first time in 5 years of my married life my MIL liked something and appreciated too… Thanks a lot dear…
When n where did you add the asafetida?
How many tomatoes have to add? Because u didn't mention it. .mam
Updated now
Hi your recipes are great help for my cooking. I am a fan of murugan idli kadai tomato chutney. However i try i am getting the same taste at home. Do you know the recipe?? Please share or try.
Thks & regards
Kavitha.
Hi I am a follower of ur recipes. I search recipes with ur name also. The spicyness u use in ur recipes r so high. For this chutney for 1 onion and 1 tomato 1 red chilly was enough. May be two for spice lovers. BT 3 is too much. Few ppl will follow the recipe as it is. Pls mention the spice level or tell the quantity in medium spicyness.
Hi, Praveena, 3 is not high definitely. Because at times I add 4 too! May be there are different types of chillies that have different spice level. Note that the onion and tomato size also matters. But for the tanginess from tomato, the chana dal, the coconut, I am sure 3 is not spicy. I remember once my mom got another variety of red chilli that are relatively small than the one shown in the picture in my post, but it was damn spicy. so everything depends. I am trying to give you an idea about the recipe, so depending on your first try and your family's preferences, please adjust the recipe. So since you now know its spicy for you, you can always reduce in all the recipes 🙂 since you are my follower I am trying to help how to work it out 🙂
Actually it's hard to mention the spice level. Because, what is spicy for me is not for you or vice versa.
Love your recipes Raks 🙂 I tried this recipe today and it came out awesome 🙂 I used 4 chillies n it was perfect. Have you tried adding garlic ? If so, how many pods will do and when to add it.
Ya u r right. It might be the red chilly variety. And I always reduce the no. of red chillies in ur recipes. Other than that I follow the same u mention.. U rock:-)
Love your recipes Raks 🙂 I this recipe today and it came out awesome 🙂 I used 4 chillies n it was perfect. Have you tried adding garlic ? If so, how many pods will do and when to add it.
Yes I have tried, it turns delicious. I add 3 small variety garlic flakes. first add it to oil then add onion for sauteeing.
Just made and came out superb! Wish I could show you the picture.