Chutney & Sauce

Tomato Chutney

Name: Tomato Chutney
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 5 medium tomatoes; 5 garlic cloves; 5 dried red chillies; 1 small onion; 3 g fine sea salt (starting point), to taste

This is the red sauce that gives momos their reason for being — raw and fiery when freshly made, mellowing slightly as it sits, with a deep tomato-garlic backbone and real heat from the dried red chillies. It takes ten minutes and goes with anything from momos to samosas to grilled meat.

25 minServes 6 medium–hot

Method

Place the tomatoes, garlic cloves, dried red chillies and onion in a small pan. Add 60 ml water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes until everything is completely soft.
Leave to cool slightly, then blitz to a fine paste in a blender. Pass through a strainer into a bowl for a smoother result, or serve as-is for more texture.
Taste for salt. Optionally stir in finely chopped onion, green chillies and fresh coriander before serving.

Cook's note. The chutney thickens as it cools — add a splash of water when blending if you want a thinner dipping consistency.

The story

Tomato chutney is the standard accompaniment to momos across the Himalayan belt and the Northeastern hill states of India. Unlike the oil-tempered chutneys of South India or the blended fresh chutneys of the North, this one is made by simply boiling everything together and grinding it — a method that suits the minimal-equipment street stalls where momos are made and sold.