Tamatar ki Chutney (Sweet & Sour Tomato Chutney)
ٹماٹر کی چٹنی
When tomatoes are cheap in winter, many Pakistani kitchens turn a basket of them into this chutney: cooked slowly with garlic, kalonji, red chili, sugar and vinegar until thick, dark red and glossy, somewhere between a ketchup and a jam. Spread it on a paratha, eat it with daal chawal or khichdi, or put it out with samosas. Kept in a clean jar, it lasts for weeks.
- ⏱ Total: 50 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 40 min
- Easy
- Serves 16
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Heat the oil in a over medium heat. Add the kalonji, cumin and whole red chilies and let them sizzle for 20 seconds, then add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then and mashing with the spoon, until the tomatoes have completely broken down.
Add the sugar, vinegar and raisins if using. Lower the heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring more often as it thickens, until the chutney is glossy and thick enough that a spoon drawn through it leaves a clear trail.
Taste and adjust the sugar, salt and vinegar. Let it cool completely and store in a clean, dry jar in the fridge.
Serve with parathas, daal chawal, khichdi, samosas or pakoras.
Kitchen notes
The chutney thickens a lot as it cools. Stop cooking when it's a little looser than you want.
Use a heavy pan and stir more in the last 10 minutes. The sugar makes it catch and burn easily.
For a smooth chutney, blend the tomatoes before cooking.
Winter in a jar
In Pakistan, tomatoes are at their cheapest and reddest in winter. That’s when many families make a big batch of this chutney to last for weeks. It’s sweet, sour and gently spicy, and it turns a plain paratha or a bowl of khichdi into something special.
Building the flavour
The chutney starts with a quick -style tempering: kalonji, cumin and whole red chilies in hot oil, followed by garlic and ginger. Kalonji gives the chutney its distinctive slightly oniony, peppery note. Then the tomatoes cook down until they collapse completely.
Sugar and vinegar go in only after that. Added at the start, the sugar would slow down the softening of the tomatoes. Once they’re in, the chutney is cooked slowly until it turns thick, glossy and dark red. Stir often near the end, because sugary mixtures burn easily.
Getting the balance right
Tomatoes vary a lot in sweetness and sourness. Taste near the end and adjust: more sugar if it’s too sharp, a splash more vinegar if it’s too sweet, a pinch of salt if it tastes flat.
Serving
Serve with parathas, aloo paratha, daal chawal, khichdi, samosas or pakoray. It’s also a good spread for sandwiches.
Questions people ask
How long does it keep?
Three to four weeks in the fridge in a clean jar, if you always use a dry spoon.
Can I use less sugar?
Yes, but sugar and vinegar are what preserve it. With half the sugar, keep it in the fridge and use it within 10 days.
Can I use jaggery instead of sugar?
Yes. Gur gives a darker colour and a deeper, caramel flavour.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 55
- Protein
- 1 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
