TOMATO SWEET CHUTNEY (dip)

Ingredients:

4-5 Tomatoes washed and roughly chopped
2-3 dry red chillies
1 tbsp panchporan, which is a mix of fenugreek, cumin, fennel, black mustard, black onion seeds (kalonji).
3-4 tsp sugar/ or dates syrup/finely chopped dates 3-4 tsp
2 tsp raisins (optional)
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 -3 tsp oil

Method:

Chop the tomatoes roughly and keep them aside.
Heat oil in a saucepan and add panchporan to it. Once it starts to splutter, add the red chillies and sauté till it slightly blackens. Now add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for a few minutes. Next add turmeric and sauté for a few seconds. Add sugar/dates, raisins, salt and mix well. Add ½ a cup of water into the saucepan and again mix well. Cover and cook on medium flame till the mixture turns maroon.
The tomato sweet chutney is ready to be served. It tastes good when cooled to room temperature. It is even better when chilled. The taste is at its best the next day of it’s preparation, as the hot and sweet spices would be perfectly soaked in by the tomatoes and the gravy. This dip goes well with almost everything from bread, chapatti, dosa to rice.

Odd combos:

1. Try the chutney with….cheese crackers, digestive biscuits. Put a tea spoon of the tomato chutney on a cracker/biscuit and spread evenly till the rim, place another cracker/digestive biscuit on top, your mid -morning snack is ready.
2. Cut apples/guavas/pears into bite sized pieces and putthem in a bowl, pour a few spoonfuls of tomato sweet chutney and it’ll take care of your evening snack

*These are just 2 of the many crazy combinations that you do with the tomato sweet chutney.