Originating from the kitchens of Andhra Pradesh, this tomato peanut chutney is a great teammate for your dosas and idlis, and is a great side dish to whip up and serve as a part of your South Indian breakfast spread.
The nutty undertones of the roasted peanut and the tanginess of the tomatoes work wonderfully together to create this delicious and flavor-packed chutney.
Based on your personal preference, you can make this chutney smooth and slightly runny or leave it nice and thick- just like I did.
Also known as tomato peanut Pachadi, this tomato chutney is a staple in Andhra cuisine, and that's simply because it has really versatile flavors.
While it is a great side dish for idli, dosa and other South Indian foods, it can also be used in lots of other ways.
But, more on that later.
Jump to:
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Ingredients For the Tomato Peanut Chutney Recipe
- How to Make the Tomato Peanut Chutney
- Substitutions & Variations
- 💭Top Tip
- Equipment
- How to Store the Leftover Tomato Peanut Chutney
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve the Tomato Peanut Chutney
- FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Tomato Peanut Chutney
What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this peanut chutney recipe is the fact that I can make it in a big batch and store it for later.
I love making homemade chutneys- from my sambal and chili garlic oil to my fermented hot sauce- I absolutely love having these little accompaniments at hand to add some extra flavor boost to my meals, and this recipe just fit the bill!
This has to be, hands down, my favorite Indian chutney of all time, and that's saying something, because South India is the land of spicy powders and chutneys.
Ingredients For the Tomato Peanut Chutney Recipe
You'll need just a few simple ingredients to make Andhra style peanut and tomato chutney.
Tomatoes: Start off with fresh red, juicy and ripe tomatoes. You can use any kind of tomatoes, but just remember to choose ones that are nice and ripe.
Garlic: Garlic is the essence of practically any simple and tasty chutney out there, with its pungent flavor and wicked aroma.
Peanuts: Peanuts, when roasted and ground, form the base of the chutney along with the tomatoes. They are what lends that bit of creaminess to the chutney.
Dried red chilies: I've used dried red chillies to lend the chutney that beautiful orange-red hue.
Onion: Onion helps balance out the heat of the chutney with its sweet taste.
Ginger: Ginger brings in some warmth and a deeper, spicier flavor to the tomato chutney.
Urad dal: Urad dal, when added to the tempering, lends a nice crunchy element and an earthy aroma to the chutney.
Curry leaves: Curry leaves are an absolute essential for this South Indian chutney.
Asafoetida: Asafoetida adds a delicious undertone of flavor to your chutney. This can be especially helpful when you're not using any garlic or onion in your chutney.
Mustard seeds: When you add mustard seeds and allow them to crackle, they bring a nice burst of flavor and some crunchy texture to the chutney.
Oil: Use any cooking oil that has a high smoke point. You'll be using it for the tempering.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make the Tomato Peanut Chutney
Step 1: Heat oil in a skillet and roast peanuts on medium heat, for 5 minutes or until aromatic, stirring continuously. Set aside and allow to cool down.
Step 2: In the same skillet, heat some more oil, and add roughly chopped tomatoes, ginger, garlic, onions and chillies and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy.
Step 3: Add them to a blender jar along with salt and the peanuts with their skin removed, and pulse until you get a smooth texture.
Step 4: Prepare a tadka (tempering) by heating oil in a tadka pan and add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves and let it splutter for 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Top the tadka on the chutney and serve!
Substitutions & Variations
- To lend some more tangy flavor to the chutney, you can add some tamarind paste into the mix.
- If you have Jain dietary restrictions, you can also make this chutney without onion and garlic. Just skip adding them to the mix, and to compensate for the flavor, you can add some more red chilies and dial up the heat.
- If you don't want to the chutney to end up overly spicy, use Kashmiri red chillies instead of the regular ones- they're red in color but are mildly spicy.
- You can also swap the peanuts in the recipe for groundnuts and make a simple groundnut chutney in a similar way.
💭Top Tip
To enjoy some extra nutty flavor, you can also add some desiccated coconut into the chutney mixture.
Equipment
How to Store the Leftover Tomato Peanut Chutney
Once you have the chutney ready, leave it aside to cool and transfer it to a clean, airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 5 days, if not more.
You can also prepare the base of this chutney- minus the tempering, let it cool and then freeze the chutney for later. It should stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure you use a freezer safe container, and you should be good.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Remember to lightly roast the peanuts, and allow them to cool down completely before you grind them.
- Make sure you first grind the peanuts until they're coarse, and then add the other ingredients in.
- You can leave the texture of the chutney grainy and coarse, or grind it for a few extra minutes until it is smooth- it all depends on your personal preference.
- To get some of that extra bright red color from the chilli, consider soaking the chillies for a few hours, and then adding them to the mix.
How to Serve the Tomato Peanut Chutney
The beauty of this tomato peanut chutney recipe is the fact that you can enjoy it in so many different ways. Here are a few good ideas to get you inspired.
With Your Idli or Dosa
The simplest way to serve your tomato peanut chutney is to team it up with your soft, fluffy idlis and crispy dosas.
With Other South Indian Food
It's not just idli and dosa- you can team it up with your vadas and uttampams too! I love making some almond chutney and avocado chutney along with this to make it a complete feast!
As a Delicious Side
While this one's not the traditional way to serve this tomato peanut chutney, I think it would taste fantastic when served as a side with your other fried and baked foods like some oven roasted potatoes or Air Fryer cauliflower.
FAQs
Choosing juicy tomatoes is a great way to add that extra moisture to your chutney. If you still want that extra runny texture, add a bit of water and grind it again.
If your chutney ended up more watery than you wanted it to, you can thicken it up by grinding some more dry roasted peanuts, and then combining it with the chutney until you get a smooth paste.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Tomato Peanut Chutney
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet and roast peanuts on medium heat, for 5 minutes or until aromatic, stirring continuously. Set aside and allow to cool down.
- In the same skillet, heat some more oil, and add roughly chopped tomatoes, ginger, garlic, onions and chillies and cook until the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy.
- Add them to a blender jar along with salt and the peanuts with their skin removed, and pulse until you get a smooth texture.
- Prepare a tadka (tempering) by heating oil in a tadka pan and add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves and let it splutter for 2-3 minutes.
- Top the tadka on the chutney and serve!
