Sunday, June 01, 2008

Onion chutney

Dear Foodies,

Onion chutney
Since we are on the topic of chutney's, or pachadi in Telugu, here is another one, with onions..

The one thing I miss in my food here is the absence on chutney's. At home, my mom would have atleast 2 a week or more, it was so much part of the menu either with rice or tiffin items like chapati/dosa/idli/upma. And she would use many different veggies too. When I got here, we bought the basic black & decker blender at walmart which was no good for making chutneys. We either ended up having something that was hardly chopped or got a diluted puree because of too much water. So we totally gave up on making chutneys :( But now I have a spice grinder and teeny tiny food processor that help me get the job done.

How come all the chutney love suddenly you ask? My mom made a beerakaya pachadi/ridge gourd chutney a few weeks back that brought all the love back :)) Yes....my mom is here now! but she is at my brother's place presently and will be here soon...I can't wait to grab all her secrets :D Another reason why it was onion chutney is, if I hadn't used up the onions this way, I would have had a onion garden at home :D three had already started out like the one in the picture.

browned onions

Ingredients:
  • 5 small onions, cubed or red onions/ 15 (or so) pearl onions
  • 1 tsp channa dal
  • 1/2 tsp urad dal
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
  • 1 dried red chilli
  • tamarind, the size of a quarter (optional)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 tsp oil
  • salt to taste

Method:
  • Heat a pan with oil on medium heat and start by roasting the channa dal, give it a minute before adding the urad dal. Once they start turning slightly orange, add the coriander seeds and tamarind. Add the red chillies, give it a few seconds and spoon all the ingredients to a plate. Have your finger on the exhaust fan switch, just in case you burn the chillies :))
  • To the same pan add your onions and cook them on medium heat until they turn a little translucent and brown on the edges. Cool and grind it along with the roasted spices and cilantro adding just enough water to get a good chutney consistency. Add salt to taste. There were a few tiny bits of onion left, and it was good that way.
I had it with rice that day and then with some chapati's the next day. It was also good as a sandwich spread. So have fun with it....and let me know how you make your chutnies ?

You can totally skip the coriander seeds & tamarind, my mother does not use them. You can substitute the white onions with red onions/pearl onions. She told me that the saute'ed pearl onions dipped in a little sugar are a very yummy snack :) I need to try that soon, if you have tried it let me know :) You can check her tomato chutney in a previous post.

11 thoughts:

Rose said...

I really love your blog - it's so professional looking and always interesting :)

I have a question, what exactly is a chutney and how do you eat it? Is it a main dish or a side dish?

Anupama said...

Dear Priya,

Love that onion chutney.The pics are even lovelier. Have a bit of a surprise for you on my blog dear.

soums said...

Nice pics!!

I tried the same thing a while back with red onions and its tasted gud.will try with the white ones too this time.

Priya said...


Paulina, loosely put, chutney's are coarsely blended vegetables/greens/dals with a hint of spices. Its a side dish and can be had mixed with plain cooked rice or as a dip with South Indian dishes like idli/dosa or chapatis. You can find loads of recipes for chutney's on the Indian blogs.

Anupama, Thank you soo much! :)

Soums, I usually have red onions at home, but this was a batch of small onions that I got from a neighbor who was leaving on a sudden trip.

Kalai said...

Delicious chutney, Priya! I love all kinds of chutneys, especially onion! :)

Suganya said...

Hi Priya...
That was lovely chutney. Looks so good. Nice click. Loved the beautiful color.

ranji said...

i love onion chutney..i make a differnt version..goes very well with dosa and idli....ur version sounds wonderful/

mitr_bayarea said...

Priya-

small onions add a special taste to chutneys that the bigegr red ones don't...tasty chutney.

Anonymous said...

That chutney looks yummy. Idli with onion chutney is my favorite - you have an awesome blog here.

Priya said...


Kalai, me love chutneys tooo :D

Sukanya, thank you :) Using the red/pearl onions would give it a darker red color. Pearl onion one is next on my list.

Ranji, do post your version too, will chk your blog to see if you already have :P

Mitr, that is exactly what my mother told me after I posted the recipe. She had made it with chinna vengayam y'day.

A-kay, I have eaten the combo a couple of times at home, time to refresh my memory now :) Thank you!

Roh said...

Hey Priya i love your blog.. esp the clicks! Which camera do you have?
My husband is allergic to channa dal can you suggest a substitute for it?

Blogging tips